Notes to Poem XXV
i. MS Text: The text of this poem occupies the whole of p. 289 of the MS, and three quarters of p. 290. Severe staining is apparent on both pages, and the legibility of the opening quatrain is seriously affected. Parts of qq. 2 and 13 are also irretrievable at the present time, and several line endings are obscured. Ultra-violet light has helped considerably in the restoration of the text.
Although there is occasional evidence of correction in the text, there is no indication that it was emended in the light of another version.
ii. General background: The poem is concerned with the circumstances leading up to the Battle of Cnucha, in which Cumhall, the father of Fionn, was killed. It is cast in the form of a dialogue between Fionn and Garadh, son of Goll mac Morna, who happen to sit on the same hillock in the course of a hunt. Garadh is the speaker in most of the poem, and in addition to admitting that he struck Cumhall the first blow, he lists the various ways in which Cumhall oppressed the Clann Morna. Fionn is left vowing vengeance on the Clann Morna, and it would seem that the poem was composed with their interests in mind and not those of the Clann Baoisgne.
Several references to Cnucha occur in the twelfth-century Acallam, but the battle itself is not described in detail, nor are the events which precipitated it. It is stated that Fionn’s father was slain there after holding sway over the Fian bands of Ireland for ten years. He was succeeded by Goll mac Morna who similarly reigned for ten years, before he in turn was replaced by Fionn mac Cumhaill. The Acallam gives an account of how Fionn wins the right to kingship of the Fian by defending Tara from attack (Stokes, IT, IV, ll. 1670–771, 2521–38).
A description of the Battle of Cnucha is found in another ballad which occurs in DF. This is DF II, which Murphy would date to the second half of the twelfth century, or at latest in the thirteenth century. A later, modernised version of the poem also appears in DF as item LXVI, and it is this version which preserves the account of the battle (qq. 13–21). Both versions, however, see the battle in the same perspective, and place it in the context of the enmity between the Clann Baoisgne and the Tara dynasty, with whom the Clann Morna were evidently in alliance. It is noticeable that both versions of the DF poem are more complimentary to Cumhall, since they describe his bravery in the battle. The references to Cnucha occur at the beginning of the poem, which is set in Tara, and they lead to further conflict between the rival parties. The Fian put Cormac under the yoke as a result, but Fionn himself magnanimously goes under the other end.
It seems probable that the BDL poem and that in DF reflect northern and southern Irish interests respectively, and that this accounts for the differing emphases in each. But in spite of such differences, they are related at the literary level. In both, Garadh mac Morna sits down beside Fionn, and gives him the account of the battle. The quatrain in which Fionn asks for the account is very similar in each case. Thus, corresponding to BDL q. 3, DF II has q. 14 as follows:
Ro fiafraidh Fiond do
Gharadh
iar suidhe do na
fharradh
ósibhsi tráth boi and
cionnus do marbhadh
Cumhall.
Garadh’s reply in DF II q. 15 is reminiscent of BDL q. 18, although there is no detailed correspondence. The DF quatrain reads:
Do bhámair-ne sé fir
dhég
do chlannaibh Morna
ní bréag
ro sáighsim sleigh
gach fir
a ttaebh Cumhaill
cathmilidh.
The treatment of the battle in BDL and DF rules out the possibility of direct borrowing on any great scale from one poem to the other; rather, the evidence might suggest that the one account was composed with the other clearly in mind, and in order to counteract its propaganda. Which account is the earlier is difficult to determine; but if Murphy is right in his dating of the original version of DF II/LXVI, the more modern linguistic complexion of BDL XXV could suggest that it is the later of the two, although it could conceivably be drawing on traditions older than itself.
iii. Later versions: It would seem that this poem has survived only in Scottish tradition. The version best preserved is that in MacFarlane’s collection. This contains only part of the BDL text; the BDL quatrains occur in the following order: 3 (presented as an introductory sentence at the beginning of the poem), 9, 10, 12, 13 ab, 14 ab, 16 ab, 16 cd, 18, 19, 8 ab, 6 cd. MacFarlane’s text attests two quatrains not found in BDL; the one describes the shouting and noise of Cumhall after he was wounded, and the other is addressed to Fionn, telling him that he has now heard ‘beagan do sgeula t athar’. Another version is preserved by Fletcher, and this is closely related to that in MacFarlane. The main difference is that Fletcher intrudes a short prose section before the equivalent of BDL q. 18 in which Garadh is said to have sent out his sister to decoy Cumhall. This episode is elaborated much further in Irvine’s version, which preserves only qq. 3, 9, 18, 8 ab and 6 cd of BDL, together with the two additional quatrains found in MacFarlane’s version and also in Fletcher. Irvine’s text amounts to 23 irregular quatrains.
iv. Metre: Deibhidhe
v. Line annotation:
1 [Lá dhā robhmar]: As happens with the opening part of 5, and the concluding parts of other lines (51, 52), the beginning of this line is now illegible in the MS. The phrase is supplied from the dúnadh of the poem.
2 For the part of this line now illegible under normal conditions, ultra-violet light appears to reveal ȝi’ne feanow, perhaps representing dhe na Fianaibh, but this gives poor rhyme with the preceding line, and the reading is to be regarded as extremely tentative.
3-4 The arrangement of the succeeding quatrains, here based on the way in which the individual couplets best fit together in terms of sense, suggests that a couplet may be missing from the MS at this point. On the other hand, the poem may have opened with a six-line quatrain of the type found in XXII (see Section iv of the introduction to that poem).
6 <air ga[ch] aoinleirg>: The MS reading has been retrieved with ultraviolet light, and the transcription Enel< >g for the last word (with at least two illegible letters) cannot be offered with confidence. However, the proposed restoration makes sense in the context.
7 <shuidh é>: The MS appears to have hw or sw plus a letter which is now illegible, but which was read as a by MacLeod.
13 bhriathar: The MS form wrairri evidently represents bhriathra, but a sg. makes better sense in the context, since ‘word, assurance, pledge’ is the meaning required (see RIA Dict. s.v. briathar (c)). sg. is also suggested by dha <iarraidh> in the following line.
18 < >: It is difficult to interpret the MS reading mar ȝill. It could represent meirghil < mear, ‘wild, spirited’, plus geal, ‘fair, bright’ (cf. the compounds cited in RIA Dict. s.v. 1 mer).
19 <ur>: It seems probable that the second letter of the MS form is r, although s is a remote possibility.
< >: HP restores the MS form reawor as ramhór, ‘too much’. While this makes good sense, it is difficult to feel certain that it corresponds to the MS. Should we consider reamhar, ‘stout, thick’, perhaps here in the same sense as HP’s suggestion?
23 caradradh: The MS form carredir appears to represent caradar, which may be a variant of caradradh; cf. caradas (RIA Dict. s.v. caratrad, carat(r)as).
24 an fhaladas: The MS reading i’ nallydis contains the mod. Sc. G. form faladas or foladas, ‘spite, grudge, feud’ (Dw. s.v.), from earlier foltanas (RIA Dict. s.v.).
25 <[D]ā dtog[adh]>: For a probable further example of the reduction of dan to a in the MS, see V, 27 n.
28 <gearr[adh]>: The MS appears to have either ger or gar; the proposed restoration makes good sense: transl. the couplet: ‘I would be able to cut all of you down to a single man’.
29 <Math ’s do dhleasadh>: Mas di ȝlassi MS. The phrase is understood more easily if we omit the final s of the MS form Mas, here restored as ’s. The sense of the line would seem to be ‘Well would you deserve that’, namely to follow in Cumhall’s footsteps, as the next line makes clear.
30 <sliochd>: This restoration of MS slycht seems more probable than HP’s suggestion slighidh. Note, however, that the vb. n. imtheachtain rather than imtheacht is unusual, and the line may originally have had imtheacht ar sliochta th’athar. On sliocht, in this context ‘a mark, track, trace’, see RIA Dict. s.v. slicht (a).
32 innleachdan: The scribe originally wrote eillytin, but he then cancelled the first two letters of the form, and wrote ein in superscript. Note that with the restoration of the second syllable of mur[a], the line becomes hypermetric, and this suggests that the sg. form indleacht probably figured at this point in the original version of the poem. The MS contains a Sc. G. pl. form, based on mod. Sc. G. innleachd. For the sense ‘plotting, plan, stratagem’ required by the context, see RIA Dict. s.v. int(s)liucht (d).
34 mór<thruaighe>: mor roit wy<t> MS. The MS representation of the form thruaighe seems unusual, but the rhyme with the preceding line supports the restoration. HP, however, restores to mórbhuaidhreadh, which receives little support from the MS.
39 The line lacks a syllable as it stands, and HP reads isan for ’sa, which restores line length.
40 <gconar>: Ultra-violet light appears to reveal MS goŋir, which is restored as suggested. The sense of the line would thus seem to be ‘our path took us far from one another’ (see RIA Dict. s.v. conar). ar cabhair (MacF).
41 The line lacks a syllable as it stands, and HP supplies the preverb do to make up line length.
42 Éireann: er(rin) MS. It is not immediately obvious why the MS form attests cancellation strokes through the last three letters.
’s: MS is requires to be read as ’s for line length.
44 <ar>: The second letter of the MS form could conceivably be n, in which case we should restore the article an.
dh’fhaicinn: ȝagkin MS. HP restores to do fhaicsin, which gives correct line length. The MS reading contains the mod. Sc. G. form of the vb. n.
46 <fheóirmhín>: It seems likely that a compound is represented by the MS form o<rweine>. However, HP restores to an fheóir mhín inserting the article to gain line length; as it stands, the line lacks a syllable, if we allow elision between dh’inse and Eireann.
47 mharbhadh: The MS form Warwe is followed by letters which may be either is or ir, but it is difficult to know what these are intended to represent.
48: MS is requires to be read as ’s for line length.
48 d’aonlá: Ultra-violet light reveals that the initial d of the MS form danelai was subsequently cancelled, and er (representing air) placed in superscript.
52 <cumh[a]>: It is not clear how MS cow is to be interpreted at this point. The preceding conj. suggests that we should restore a verbal form, but no verb based on cumha, ‘grief, sorrow’, seems to be known. Thus, presumably, HP very cautiously emends to caoineadh. Because of staining, the remainder of the line cannot be restored fully, and no further help is available from the context.
53 caisléan: The idea of making a caisléan (‘castle’), of the bodies, with their heads as slinnteach (‘shingles, tiles, slates’: 55, 62), seems unusual in verse of this kind. The concept may reflect the use of the head as an architectural ornament on doorways etc.
58 The line lacks a syllable as it stands, and HP therefore reads nochan for chan.
59 <pasg[adh]>: As HP indicates, the interpretation of MS pasg as pasgadh, ‘folding, closing’, makes sense in the context, but the disyllable upsets line length.
63 nighean Taidhg: This is Fionn’s mother, the daughter of Tadhg mac Nuadhad (DF, III, p. 390, s.v. Tadhg). The reference may mean that the Clann Morna took her captive after Cumhall’s death, so as to have control over Fionn, as yet unborn.
65 < >: It is by no means clear how the MS reading A reych is to be interpreted. HP restores to Ar uathadh, and translates the line ‘Because the man had few warriors with him’. HP’s restoration seems to rest on reading the second letter of the second element as o rather than e, which is clearly legible in the MS. Nevertheless, HP’s interpretation appears to suit the context well.
66 <go b’fhas[a] duinn>: The scribe originally wrote gi bas dowin; the first two words were then cancelled, and bassid ȝown written in superscript, whence b’usaide dhúinn in HP. The initial of original dowin was altered to ȝ at some stage, but the word was not cancelled.
68 The reconstruction of this line as a whole is tentative, and there are individual problems which may be discussed.
umpa: Given that this is how MS y’bi is to be interpreted, it is difficult to see how it fits meaningfully into the couplet as a whole, in the sense ‘about them’. HP reads uime with reference to Cumhall, and translates 67-68: ‘There was none of them around him on yonder hill from the fort of the Clans of Cumhall’.
Chlann Cumhaill: Between these words in the MS, ultra-violet light reveals gi’ written in superscript. Its significance is not obvious.
71 The line is hypermetric as it stands, and HP obtains correct length by reading thugmar for thucamar.
<gach>: The MS clearly reads gir, final r perhaps being an error of anticipation involving the following MS form fir.
73 <Gion>: The MS reads Gir, where gin might be expected. As in 71 n, the error may have arisen in anticipation of the following MS form, in this case gar.
74 sibh: The MS form <sch>o, more clearly scho in 75, reflects the loss of final -bh in Sc. G. speech.
76 díoghhlaim-se: The verb form is 1 sg. pres. indic., but the sense is future.
<a n-aon lá>: Ultra-violet light seems to reveal a nei’ la in the MS. Diolaidh mis’ ann aon la é (MacF, and similarly F).