Notes to Poem I
i. MS text: The text of this poem occupies about half of p. 10 of the MS. Staining has developed on the outer and inner margins of the page, and this obscures letters at the beginning and end of several lines. Ultraviolet light is of some assistance in retrieving those letters. An ascription in the upper margin has been rendered illegible by fading and trimming. There is some evidence of scribal carelessness, but there is no evidence of emendation.
ii. General background: These quatrains belong to a genre of verse which is attested at a relatively early stage (the ninth and tenth centuries) in Irish and Welsh literature (Stokes 1902: 303–48; Meyer 1910–12: 117–19; Dobbs 1953: 139 ff.; Jones 1967: 97–137). Basic to it is the identification of the graves of particular heroes. These graves are often located at specific places. The primary function of such verse was doubtless to provide an index of principal heroes (and of sites associated with them) for the convenience of the poet or story-teller.
The present poem is simpler and more concise in its structure than is normal for such verse, which often takes the form of a diffuse catalogue. Only five warriors of the Fian are commemorated – Oisean, Diarmaid, Oscar, Caoilte mac Rónáin and Conán. Four of the five graves lie at the cardinal points of the compass, and the fifth is below the speaker’s feet. This gives the impression that the poem is meant to be a brief, self-contained unit, and that it is not simply an extract from a longer piece.
iii. Later versions: No versions of this poem appear to have survived in later Scottish tradition, but several versions are known in Ireland. The Irish versions usually begin “Uaimh gach taoisigh chráidh mo chroidhe”, and not only are they attributed to Oisean, but they are also cast in the form of an Oisean / Patrick dialogue. This is made possible by providing an opening quatrain in which Oisean undertakes to identify the graves for the benefit of Patrick. In a concluding quatrain, he expresses his determination to open the graves. The poor metrical quality of these quatrains, as well as their burlesque tone, makes it probable that they are later additions. In the BDL text, as already noted, Oisean is himself one of the dead warriors (BDL q. 1), but in the Irish versions the relevant quatrain has been adjusted so as to refer to Fionn. The Irish texts also include a quatrain on Mac Lughach, whose grave is located shíos (“below” or “in the south”). This upsets the neat sequence of the BDL quatrains, and is probably to be regarded as another later addition to the text. The order of the BDL quatrains, which follows the normal presentation of the compass points, is different in the Irish versions, which usually have: Conán, Diarmaid, Caoilte, Mac Lughach, Osgar, Fionn.
In most Irish MSS, this poem is preceded by one beginning “Atá fa thonnaibh na dtonn”, describing various treasures and weapons of the Fian which have been deposited beneath the ocean bed at the cardinal points of the compass. In spite of metrical differences, the similarity in the theme of the two poems has led to their fusion in a couple of MSS.
iv. Metre: Rannaigheacht Mhór
v. Line annotation
1 tuaidh: The initials of tuaidh and deas (5) are not lenited in the MS, and the forms may represent Sc. G vernacular a-tuath, a-deas, which can be used adverbially or adjectivally without an idea of motion. But note that thoir, thiar (and not [a] n-ear, [a] n-iar) occur (3, 4).
2-3 The identity of Oisean is clear enough in these lines. His mother was the daughter of Dearg (DF III: 358, s.v.). But later Irish MSS make the lines refer to Fionn:
mac Cumhail ba chruadh a
gcomhlann
mac inghine thaidhg
deidgheil deirg (RIA MS 23 A 47)
5 deas: See 1 n.
6 c<h>neas: A dot is visible above the initial of the MS form. If it is a punctum and not a minor blot or stain on the paper, we should assume that the 3 sg. m. poss. pron. figured in the text at one stage. Certain Irish versions support this view: sa chneas mar bhláth (23 A 47).
7 cha d’éar: This Sc. G. vernacular form seems to be responsible for the loss of a syllable in the line; nocha d’éar would satisfy line length, and it is possible that this reading was once represented in the MS, but that it has since been obscured by the stain on the inner margin of the page. HP restores to nochar éar; cf. use of nochar in 8, 12.
9 The demonstrative so, required by the formulaic structure of the line, is not represented in the MS, and its omission could be due to scribal carelessness. However, there may be a link between its absence and the MS form hoirryt, which represents thoir in normal orthography, and could constitute a disyllabic dialectal variant, such as thoireach. The scribe could have attempted to maintain line length by omitting so, but on balance this may seem improbable. Cf. 20 n.
14 <mnáibh>: This reading, employing the dative rather than the accusative after le, is attested in one Irish MS version: dar mhiann leis na mnáibh (23 L 8).
15 <bhuidheach>: It is difficult to feel entirely confident that the restored form represents MS weyt, but an alternative reconstruction cannot be offered easily.
18 bu <mhór>: byt vo<r> MS. The final letter of the second word is not immediately clear in the MS, but it seems likely that it is a poorly delineated r. Another possibility is n, thus giving bu bhuan, but the first suggestion is preferable. Either way, the point being conveyed is the traditionally contentious nature of Conán Maol.
19 In view of the preceding line, the sentiment of the present line that Conán “would obtain every esteem” – seems contradictory. It may be intended sarcastically, but it may also reflect a problem of transmission – perhaps involving MS dyt ȝoif? The Irish versions are more in character: Conán fear sgaoilte gacha rúin (23 A 47).
20 The demonstrative so is not found in the MS, and this may be a scribal error. Cf. 9 n.