The literal rendering adopted for the poem runs thus: 

Etain is here thus at the elf-mound of the Fair-Haired Women west of Alba among little children to her on the shore of the Bay of Cichmaine.

It is she who cured the eye of the king from the Well of Loch da lig, it is she who was drunk in a draught by the wife of Etar in a heavy draught.

Through war for her the king will chase the birds from Tethba, and will drown his two horses in the lake da Airbrech.

There shall be abundant and many wars through the war for thee on Echaid of Meath, destruction shall be on the elf-mounds, and war upon many thousands.

It is she who was hurt in the land (?), it is she who strove to win the king, it is she as compared to whom men men speak of fair women, it is she, our Etain afterwards.

Line 2.  “West of Alba” is literally “behind Alba,” iar n-Albai:  iar is, however, also used in the sense of “west of.”

Line 14 is given by Windisch “through the war over Meath rich in horses”; this is impossible.

The translation of line 17 is not quite certain; the literal translation of the Ms. seems to be “it is she who was hurt and the land.”  Da Airbrech in line 12 may mean “of two chariots.”

PAGE 10

Literal translation of the quatrain: 

Ignorant was Fuamnach, the wife of Mider, Sigmall and Bri with its trees in Bri Leth:  it was a full trial were burned by means of Manannan.

PAGE 11

Line 5.  “Labraid the Tracker.”  This is a very doubtful rendering, the text gives Labradae Luircc.

Line 25.  “That he desired full knowledge of.”  There seems to be something with the Irish here; the word is co fessta which could only be third singular subj. pass. “that it might be known,” which does not make grammar.  It should be co fessed or co festais, “that he (or they) might know.”

PAGE 12

Line 9.  “His officers who had the care of the roads.”  A very doubtful rendering; the Irish is tarraluing sligeth.

Line 29.  “A bright purple mantle waved round her,” lit. “a bright purple curling (?) mantle,” but the sense of caslechta as “curling” is not certain.

Line 30.  “Another mantle.”  The word for mantle here is folai, in the former line it was brat.

PAGE 13

Line 3.  “As white as the snow.” ba gilighuir mechto:  not “whiter than the snow,” as Windisch’s Dict. gives it.

Line 17.  “All that’s graceful, &c.,” cach cruth co hEtain, coem cach co hEtain.  Compare conid chucum bagthir cach n-delb. (L.U., 124b, 17, “Courtship of Emer “), and Ir.  Text., iii. p. 356, 1. 4, from which it may be seen that the meaning is that Etain is the test to which all beauty must be compared.