Page:Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry - Meyer.djvu/106

 Many in the East are lanky chiels, Many diseases there and distempers, Many they with scanty dress, Many the hard and jealous hearts.

Plentiful in the West the fruit of the apple-tree, Many kings and princes; Plentiful are luxurious sloes, Plentiful oak-woods of noble mast.

Melodious her clerics, melodious her birds, Gentle her youths, wise her elders, Illustrious her men, famous to behold, Illustrious her women for fond espousal.

It is in the West sweet Brendan is, And Colum son of Criffan, And in the West fair Baithin shall be, And in the West shall be Adamnan.

Carry my greeting after that To Comgall of eternal life: Carry my greeting after that To the stately king of fair Navan.

Carry with thee, thou fair youth, My blessing and my benediction, One half upon Erin, sevenfold, And half upon Alba at the same time.

Carry my blessing with thee to the West, My heart is broken in my breast: Should sudden death overtake me, It is for my great love of the Gael.

Gael! Gael! beloved name! It gladdens the heart to invoke it: Beloved is Cummin of the beauteous hair, Beloved are Cainnech and Comgall.