Standish O'Grady; selected essays and passages

IRISH BARDIC HISTORY 1 29
hand, and the rays of the setting sun bright on his panic-
striking helmet. So stood Cuculain, even in death-
pangs, a terror to his enemies, and the bulwark of his
nation.
Now, as Cuculain stood dying, a stream of blood trickled
from his wounds, and ran in devious ways down to the
lake, and poured its tiny red current into the pure water ;
and as Cuculain looked upon it, thinking many things in
his deep mind, there came forth an otter out of the reeds
of the lake and approached the pebbly strand, where the
blood flowed into the water, having been attracted thither
by the smell, and at the point where the blood flowed
into the lake, he lapped up the life-blood of the hero,
looking up from time to time, after the manner of a dog
feeding. Which seeing, Cuculain gazed upon the otter,
and he smiled for the last time, and said :
" O thou greedy water-dog, often in my boyhood have
I pursued thy race in the rivers and lakes of Murthemney ;
but now thou hast a full eric, who drinkest the blood of
me dying. Nor do I grudge thee this thy bloody meal.
Drink on, thou happy beast. To thee, too, doubtless,
there will some time be an hour of woe."
Then to Cuculain appeared a vision, and he deemed
that he saw Laeg approaching, riding alone on black
Shanglan, and he was glad therefore, and he deemed
that Laeg applied healing salves to his wounds. And
Cuculain said :
—
" Go now straightway to Emain Macha, O Laeg, and
say to Concobar that I here in Murthemney will contend
till I perish against the invaders of UUa, and give my
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