This well-known anthology of Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish and Breton literature (now thoroughly revised for the Penguin Classics) is more representative than most collections because it draws on the prose as well as the poetry of the Celtic languages. The feats of the legendary hero Cú Chulainn and the infectious ribaldry of the fourteenth-century poet Dafydd ap Gwilym combine with epigrams, tales of "Celtic magic", descriptive passages, Bardic poetry, laments and poems of love and nature to reflect the whole spectrum of Celtic imagination, from the earliest times to the nineteenth century.
Author(s): Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson (transl.)
Series: Penguin Classics
Edition: Revised
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 1976
Language: English
Pages: 352
City: Harmondsworth
Preface – Maps: – (i) Ireland – (ii) Wales – Hero-Tale and Adventure – Note – 1. How Cú Chulainn Got His Name – 2. Cú Chulainn and the Charioteer – 3. The Killing of Edarcomhol – 4. Cú Chulainn’s Meeting with Findabhair – 5. Ceithern’s Blood-transfusion and Death – 6. Cú Chulainn in the Valley of the Deaf – 7. The Story of Deirdre – 8. The Death of Conchobhar – 9. How Celtchar Killed the “Brown Mouse” – 10. How Cobhthach Contrived his Brother’s Death – 11. The Recognition of Ulysses – Nature – Note – 12. May-time – 13. The Coming of Winter – 14. Winter Cold – 15. Winter – 16. The Four Seasons – 17. A Storm at Sea – 18. The Hermit’s Hut – 19. Arran – 20. The Hill of Howth – 21. Deirdre Remembers a Scottish Glen – 22. The Ivied Tree-Top – 23. Suibhne the Wild Man in the Forest – 24. Suibhne Praises the Garbh – 25. To May and January – 26. The Birch-wood Bower – 27. The Snow – 28. The Mist – 29. The Stars – 30. The Burial of the Poet, Dead for Love – 31. The Poet’s Arbour in the Birch-wood – 32. To a Birch-tree Cut Down, and Set Up in the Llanidloes for a Maypole – 33. The Mansion of the Woods – 34. To the Sun – 35. To the New Moon – 36. To the Moon – 37. The Mountain Stream – 38. Winter and Summer – Love – Note – 39. The Dream of Oenghus – 40. How Trystan Won Esylt – 41. Secret Love – 42. The Jealous Husband – 43. The Seagull – 44. In Defence of Women – 45. To Her Hair – 46. Reconciliation – 47. The Lover’s Doubts – 48. Do Not Torment Me, Woman – 49. The Hidden Love – 50. Take Those Lips Away – 51. Trust No Man – 52. Happy for You, Blind Man! – 53. Hate Goes Just as Far as Love – 54. The Blackthorn Pin – 55. The Indifferent Mistress – 56. Parted Lovers – 57. The Message of the Eyes – 58. She’s the White Flower of the Blackberry – 59. How Glad Are the Small Birds – 60. Young Lad of the Braided Hair – 61. At the Fiddlers’ – 62. He Whose Hand and Eye Are Gentle – 63. The Black-haired Lad – 64. The Laundress’s Sweetheart – 65. Mary, My Darling – 66. Kate of Garnavilla – 67. The Ballad of Marivonnik – 68. Fhir a’ Bhàta – 69. The Slender Lad – Epigram – Note – 70. The Wayside Fountain – 71. The Blackbird’s Song – 72. The Hermit Blackbird – 73. The Spring – 74. Heather Flowers – 75. Mountain Lakes – 76. Sliabh gCua – 77. Merioneth – 78. The Pole Star – 79. Night – 80. Night and Morning – 81. The Wind – 82. The Storm – 83. Thick Snow – 84. The Snowfall – 85. Flood-tide – 86. Autumn – 87. Winter Has Come – 88. Women’s Tongues – 89. Women’s Hats – 90. The Proud Lady – 91. The Twig and the Root – 92. Love Gives Wings – 93. Her Light Step – 94. Like the Birch-tree – 95. Lovelier than the Sun – 96. Red and White Roses – 97. Promiscuity – 98. Dream and Reality – 99. The End of the Day – 100. The Boorish Patron – 101. Finn’s Generosity – 102. Weariness of Body and Weariness of Spirit – 103. How Happy Are the Wild Birds – 104. Quando Ver Venit Meum? – 105. Sorrow – 106. Woe Is Me that I Ever Was Born – 107. Old Age Comes not Alone – 108. Old Age and Death – 109. Life’s Uncertainty – 110. Thoughts of Death – 111. Stealthy Death – 112. Not Divided in Death – 113. On the Tomb – 114. The Lover’s Grave – 115. For a Grave at Trawsfynydd – 116. Epitaph on a Little Girl – 117. Everyman’s Epitaph – 118. On Two Shipwrecked Sailors – 119. The Praises of God – 120. Christ Before Pilate – 121. A Vain Pilgrimage – 122. The Monk’s Mistress – 123. On Mael Mhuru the Poet – 124. Dinas Bran – 125. Imperial Caesar Dead and Turned to Clay – 126. The Court of Ifor Hael – “Celtic Magic” – Note – 127. The Adventure of Conle – 128. The Story of Lludd and Llefelys – 129. Ruadh in the Land Under the Wave – 130. The Creation of Blodeuwedd – 131. The Magic Gaming-board – 132. From The Voyage of Mael Dúin – 133. The Magic Pigs of Cruachu – 134. The Black and White Sheep and the Blazing Tree – 135. From The Voyage of the Uí Chorra – 136. The Three Werewolves from the Cave of Cruacha – 137. How the Fenians Found the Fairy Hill – 138. The Air Ship – 139. The Burial of the Priest’s Concubine – 140. Drowned Giantesses – Description – Note – 141. Froech in the Dark Pool – 142. Froech and the Fairy Women – 143. Midhir’s Invitation to the Earthly Paradise – 144. The Islands of the Earthly Paradise – 145. The Arrival at the Earthly Paradise – 146. Morning Sun – 147. Sunshine Through the Window – 148. The Mowers – 149. The White Lake of Carra – 150. Iubhdhán’s Fairy House – 151. Uncomfortable Lodgings – 152. The Cliff of Alternan – 153. Édaín the Fairy – 154. Olwen – 155. Gruffudd ap Cynan’s Wife – 156. The Reign of Gruffudd ap Cynan – 157. From The Misty Corrie – 158. From The Song of Summer – 159. You Are Whiter than the Swan – 160. At the Battle of Magh Mucraimhe – 161. The Battle of Ventry – 162. The Monster of Scattery Island – 163. St. Brendan’s Vision of Hell – 164. The Homeward Voyage – 165. The Troublesome Gillie – Humour and Satire – Note – 166. A Cursed Undutiful Son-in-law – 167. Bricriu’s Practical Joke – 168. Culhwch’s Arrival at the Court of King Arthur – 169. Some of King Arthur’s Wonderful Men – 170. “Eating a Mouse Includes Its Tail” – 171. The Guest House at the Monastery of Cork – 172. The Elders of the End of the World – 173. From the Early Welsh Laws – 174. The Vanity of Women – 175. The Girls of Llanbadarn – 176. A Night at an Inn – 177. The Magpie’s Advice – 178. The Poet and the Grey Friar – 179. My Purse, Gramercy to You for This! – 180. Welsh Harper and English Bagpiper – 181. The Letter of O’Neill to Sir John McCoughleyn – 182. “Civil Irish” and “Wild Irish” – 183. The Student’s Life – 184. A Smart Young Woman – 185. The Midwives and the Father – 186. Where Are You Going to, my Pretty Maid? – 187. Egan O’Rahilly and the Minister – 188. On the Murder of David Gleeson, Bailiff – Bardic Poetry – Note – 189. Elegy on Llywelyn ap Gruffudd – 190. The Battle of Tal Moelfre – 191. The Killing of Hywel ab Owein – 192. Maguire and MacDermot – 193. The Fertile Lands of Cathal Ó Conchobhair – 194. Prosperity in the Time of Tadhg Ó Conchobhair – 195. The Praise of Fermanagh – 196. The Harp of Cnoc Í Chosgair – 197. From the Lament for the Four Macdonalds – 198. To the Earl of Argyll before the Battle of Flodden – 199. Who Will Buy a Poem? – 200. On the Death of William Gould – 201. To Arouse the Gael in Support of Prince Charles – Elegy – Note – 202. From the Gododdin – 203. From the Elegy on Cynddylan – 204. Eimher’s Keen over Cú Chulainn – 205. The Wild Man of the Woods – 206. The Wild Man’s Life – 207. The Wild Man Comes to the Monastery – 208. Deirdre’s Farewell to Scotland – 209. Elegy on Druim nDen – 210. Senility – 211. Elegy on Gruffydd ab Addaf ap Dafydd – 212. The Vision – 213. The Unquiet Grave – 214. Ty’n y Coed – 215. Longing – 216. The Braes of Glen Broom – 217. Elegy on the Ruins of Timoleague Abbey – 218. Lament for Reilly – 219. Elegy for His Daughter Ellen – 220. The Death of Màiri – 221. The Lament for Art O’Leary – Religion – Note – 222. St. Columba’s Island Heritage – 223. The Wish of Manchán of Liath – 224. The Hermit – 225. St. Brendan and the Harper – 226. St. Ide’s Wish – 227. I Should Like to Have a Great Ale-Feast – 228. The Little Boys Who Went to Heaven – 229. A Ghost Story – 230. The Resurrection of Bresal Son of Diarmaid – 231. From The Vision of Adhamhnán – 232. The Tree of Life – 233. How St. Scoithin Got His Name – 234. St. Mael Anfaidh and the Bird’s Lament for St. Mo Lua – 235. St. Columba’s Nettle Broth – 236. Mo Chua’s Riches – 237. Repentance before Death – 238. Damnation – 239. Christ’s Bounties – 240. The Murder of Abel – 241. St. Meriasek Arrives in Cornwall – 242. The Best and Worst Nail in the Ark – 243. A Prayer to the Virgin – 244. A Charm with Yarrow – Notes – Pronouncing Index of Names.