The criticising and the wondering at these stories begin in the house hold.  “I shall not throw my mind on another youth in Erin after thee,” says Find-abair.  “Bind thyself for that,” say Ailill and Medb, “and come thou to us with thy cows to the Spoil of the Cows from Cualnge; and when thou shalt come with thy cows from the East back, ye shall wed here that night at once and Find-abair.”  “I shall do that thing,” says Fraech.  They are in it then until the morning.  Fraech sets about him self with his suite.  He then bids farewell to Ailill and Medb.  They depart to their own territories then.

TAIN BO FRAICH

PART II

Unto Fraech it hath chanced, as he roved from his lands
That his cattle were stolen by wandering bands: 
And there met him his mother, and cried, “On thy way
Thou hast tarried, and hard for thy slackness shalt pay! 
In the Alps of the south, the wild mountains amid,
Have thy children, thy wife, and thy cattle been hid: 
And a three of thy kine have the Picts carried forth,
And in Alba they pasture, but far to the north!”

“Now, alack!” answered Fraech, “what is best to be done?”
“Rest at home,” said his mother, “nor seek them my son;
For to thee neither cattle, nor children, nor wife
Can avail, if in seeking thou losest thy life;
And though cattle be lacking, the task shall be mine
To replace what is lost, and to grant thee the kine.”

“Nay, not so,” answered Fraech, “by my soul I am sworn,
That when cattle from Cualgne by force shall be torn
To King Ailill and Maev on my faith as their guest
I must ride with those cattle for war to the west!”
“Now but vainly,” she said, “is this toil on thee cast;
Thou shalt lose what thou seekest”, and from him she passed.

Three times nine of his men for that foray were chosen, and marched by his side, And a hawk flew before, and for hunting, was a hound with a hunting-leash tied;

To Ben Barchi they went, for the border of Ulster their faces were set:  And there, of its marches the warder, the conquering Conall they met.  Fraech hailed him, the conquering Conall, and told him the tale of his spoil; “’Tis ill luck that awaits thee,” said Conall, “thy quest shall be followed with toil!  “’Twill be long ere the goal thou art reaching, though thy heart in the seeking may be.”  “Conall Cernach,[FN#35] hear thou my beseeching said Fraech, “let thine aid be to me; I had hoped for this meeting with Conall, that his aid in the quest might be lent.”  “I will go with thee truly,” said Conall:  with Fraech and his comrades he went.

[FN#35] Pronounced Cayr-nach.

Three times nine, Fraech and Conall before them,
Over ocean from Ireland have passed;
Through the Land of North Saxony bore them,
And the South Sea they sighted at last. 
And again on the sea billows speeding,
They went south, over Ichtian foam;
And marched on:  southward still was their leading: 
To the land where the Long-Beards have home: 
But when Lombardy’s bounds they were nearing
They made stand; for above and around
Were the high peaks of Alpa appearing,
And the goal that they sought had been found.