Carols loud the lark on high,
     Small and shy, his tireless lay,
   Singing in wildest, merriest mood
     Of delicate-hued, delightful May.[20]

[20] I am much indebted to the beautiful prose translation of this song, published by Dr Kuno Meyer in Eriu (the Journal of the School of Irish Learning), Vol.  I. Part II.  In my poetic version an attempt has been made to render the riming and metrical effect of the original, which is believed to date from about the ninth century.

CHAPTER X

The Coming of Finn

And now we tell how Finn came to the captaincy of the Fianna of Erinn.

At this time Ireland was ruled by one of the mightiest of her native kings, Conn, son of Felimy, who was surnamed Conn of the Hundred Battles.  And Conn sat in his great banqueting hall at Tara, while the yearly Assembly of the lords and princes of the Gael went forward, during which it was the inviolable law that no quarrel should be raised and no weapon drawn, so that every man who had a right to come to that Assembly might come there and sit next his deadliest foe in peace.  Below him sat at meat the provincial kings and the chiefs of clans, and the High King’s officers and fighting-men of the Fianna, with Goll and the sons of Morna at their head.  And there, too, sat modestly a strange youth, tall and fair, whom no one had seen in that place before.  Conn marked him with the eye of a king that is accustomed to mark men, and by and by he sent him a horn full of wine from his own table and bade the youth declare his name and lineage.  “I am Finn, son of Cumhal,” said the youth, standing among them, tall as a warriors spear, and a start and a low murmur ran through the Assembly while the captains of the Fianna stared upon him like men who see a vision of the dead.  “What seek you here?” said Conn, and Finn replied, “To be your man, O King, and to do you service in war as my father did.”  “It is well,” said the King.  “Thou art a friend’s son and the son of man of trust.”  So Finn put his hand in the Kind’s and swore fealty and service to him, and Conn set him beside his own son Art, and all fell to talking again and wondering what new things that day would bring forth, and the feasting went merrily forward.

Now at this time the people of the royal burg of Tara were sorely afflicted by a goblin of the Fairy Folk, who was wont to approach the place at night-fall, there to work what harm to man, or beast, or dwelling that he found in his evil mind to do.  And he could not be resisted, for as he came he played on a magic harp a strain so keen and sweet, that each man who heard it must needs stand entranced and motionless until the fairy music had passed away.  The King proclaimed a mighty reward to any man who would save Tara from the goblin, and Finn thought in his heart, “I am the man to do that.”  So he said to the King, “Shall I have my rightful heritage as captain of the Fianna of Erin if I slay the goblin?” Conn said, “I promise thee that,” and he bound himself by the sureties of all the provincial Kings of Ireland and of the Druid Kithro and his magicians.