A gold-hilted sword in his hand, two green spears with terrible points (?), a shield with border of yellow gold, and a boss of silver upon it.

Fair Fergus brought injury upon us when inducing us to cross the sea; he has sold his honour for ale, the glory of his high deeds is departed.

If there were upon this plain the warriors of Ulster in the presence of Conor, all of them would I give up without a struggle for the companionship of Naisi, the son of Usnach.

Break not to-day my heart (O Conor!), soon shall I reach my early grave, stronger than the sea is my grief, dost thou not know it, O Conor?

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For the literal translations of the poems in the Glenn Masain version see Whitley Stokes in Irische Texte, ii. 2, 172 sqq.

Stanzas 13 to 16 are not in LVI. (the manuscript which is the second authority used by Stokes for this version, and is the chief authority for this part of the version).  They are in the manuscript that Stokes calls ii. (the version used by O’Flanagan), which, like LVI., agrees pretty closely with the Glenn Masain text so far as the latter manuscript extends.

Stanza 22 is also from O’Flanagan’s manuscript.  This verse is not translated by Stokes, but it seems worth inserting.  The literal translation of it is: 

I am Deirdre without joy, it is for me the end of my life; since to remain behind them is the worst thing, not long life to myself.

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Line 21.  Two passages, one describing Fergus’ sons born in Connaught, the other summing up his deeds, are omitted, as it is not intended to reproduce this version in full.

THE COMBAT AT THE FORD

The well-known translation by O’Curry of this part of the Book of Leinster version of the “Tain bo Cuailgne” is given in the third volume of his “Manners and Customs,” pp. 414-463.  There are, as has often been pointed out, many inaccuracies in the translation, and the present version does not claim to correct all or even the greater part of them; for the complete version of the Great Tain by Windisch which has so long eagerly been expected should give us a trustworthy text, and the present translation is in the main founded on O’Curry; to whose version reference may be made for literal translations for such parts of the verse passages as are not noted below.  A few more obvious corrections have been made; most of those in the prose will appear by comparing the rendering with O’Curry’s; some of the corrections in the literal versions adopted for the poems are briefly indicated.  Two poems have been literally translated in full:  in these the renderings which have no authority other than O’Curry’s are followed by a query, in order to give an indication of the extent to which the translation as given may for the present be regarded as uncertain.  For all the more valuable of the corrections made to O’Curry’s translation I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. E. J. Quiggin, Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge.