Standish O'Grady; selected essays and passages

IRISH BARDIC HISTORY 1 27
Then Cuculain cut through the spear-tree with his
colg, and tore forth the tree out of himself ;
but meantime,
Lewy Mac Conroi stabbed black Shanglan with his red
hands, driving the spear through his left side, behind the
shoulder, and Shanglan fell, overturning the war-car,
and Cuculain sprang forth, but as he sprang, Lewy Mac
Conroi pierced him through the bowels. Then fell the
great hero of the Gasl.
Thereat the sun darkened, and the earth trembled, and
a wail of agony from immortal mouths shrilled across the
land, and a pale panic smote the vast host of Meave when,
with a crash, fell that pillar of heroism, and that flame
of the warlike valour of Erin was extinguished. Then,
too, from his slain comrade brake forth the Liath Macha,
for, like a housewife's thread, the divine steed brake the
traces, and the brazen chains, and the yoke, and bounded
forth neighing, and three times he encircled the heroes,
trampling down the host of Meave. Afar then retreated
the host, and the Liath Macha, wearing still the broken
collar, went back into the realms of the unseen, and entered
his house upon the Boyne, where, since the ancient days
was his mysterious dwelling-place.
But Cuculain kissed Laeg, and Laeg, dying, said :
" Farewell, O dear master, and schoolfellow. Till
the end of the world no servant will ever have a better
master than thou hast been to me."
And Cuculain said :
—
" Farewell, O dear Lssg. The gods of Erin have
deserted us, and the Clan Cailitin are now abroad, and
what will happen to us henceforward I know not. But
—