Early Irish Myths and Sagas - Jeffrey Gantz [109]
there will be a rich harvest of fighting men.
Parthian-red lips will frame
those flawless teeth;
high queens will envy her
her matchless, faultless form.
Then Cathub placed his hand on the woman’s womb, and the child murmured, and he said ‘Indeed, it is a girl, and her name will be Derdriu, and there will be trouble on her account.’ After the girl had been born, Cathub said:
Though you may have fame and beauty,
Derdriu, you will destroy much;
Ulaid will suffer on your account,
fair daughter of Fedilmid.
And after that there will be still more deaths
because of you, woman like a flame.
In your lifetime – hear this –
the three sons of Uisliu will be exiled.
In your lifetime a violent deed
will be done at Emuin;
repented thereafter will be the treachery
that violated the guarantee of mighty Fergus.
Because of you, woman of fate,
Fergus will be exiled from Ulaid,
and – a deed that will cause much weeping –
Conchubur’s son Fiachnae will be slain.
Because of you, woman of fate,
Gerrce son of Illadán will be slain,
and – a crime no less awful –
Eogan son of Durthacht will be destroyed.
You will do a frightful fierce deed
out of anger at Ulaid’s high king;
your grave will be everywhere –
yours will be a famous tale, Derdriu.
‘Let the child be slain!’ said the young warriors. ‘No,’ said Conchubur, ‘I will take her away tomorrow, and I will rear her as I see fit, and she will be my companion.’ And none of the Ulaid dared oppose him. Derdriu was reared by Conchubur until she was by far the most beautiful woman in Ériu. She was reared in a court apart, lest any of the Ulaid see her before she was to sleep with Conchubur, and no one was allowed into that court save her foster-father and her foster-mother and a woman named Lebarcham who was a satirist and could not be barred.
One day, in winter, Derdriu’s foster-father was outside, in the snow, flaying a weaned calf for her. Derdriu saw a raven drinking the blood on the snow, and she said to Lebarcham ‘I could love a man with those three colours: hair like a raven, cheeks like blood and body like snow.’ ‘Then luck and good fortune are with you,’ answered Lebarcham, ‘for such a man is not far off. Ïn fact, he is quite near: Noísiu son of Uisliu.’ Derdriu replied ‘I will be ill, then, until I see him.’
It happened one day that Noísiu was standing alone on the rampart of the stronghold of Emuin, and he was singing. The singing of the sons of Uisliu was very melodious: every cow that heard it gave two thirds more milk, and every man who heard it grew peaceful and sated with music. The sons of Uisliu were also good fighters: when they stood back to back, they could hold off the entire province of Ulaid. Moreover, they were as swift as hunting hounds and could overtake and kill wild animals.
When Noísiu was outside alone, then, Derdriu stole out to him and made as if to go past, and he did not recognize her. ‘A fine heifer that that is going by,’ he said. ‘The heifers are bound to be fine where there are no bulls,’ she answered. ‘You have the bull of the province: the king of Ulaid,’ Noísiu said. ‘Between the two of you, I would choose a young bull like yourself,’ Derdriu replied. ‘No! There is Cathub’s prophecy,’ said Noísiu. ‘Are you rejecting me, then?’ she asked. ‘I am, indeed,’ he answered. At that, Derdriu leapt at him and seized him by the ears, saying ‘Two ears of shame and mockery these unless you take me with you!’ Away from me, woman!’ Noísiu said. ‘Too late!’ answered Derdriu.
With that, Noísiu began to sing. When the Ulaid heard his singing they rose up against each other, but the other sons of Uisliu went out to restrain their brother. ‘What are you doing?’ they asked. ‘The Ulaid will be coming to blows on your account.’ Then Noísiu told his brothers what had happened. ‘Evil will come of this,’ they said. ‘Even so, you will not be disgraced while we are alive. We will all take her to another land – there is not in Ériu a king who will turn us away.’ That was their advice. They departed that night: three fifties