Gods and Fighting Men by Lady I. A Gregory (portable ebook reader txt) 📕

Ailell,

"it is not easier I am, but worse and worse every day and every night."

"What is it ails you?" said Eochaid. "And what is it that is coming

against you." "By my word, I cannot tell you that," said Ailell. "I will

bring one here that will know the cause of your sickness," said the

king.

 

With that he sent Fachtna, his own physician, to Ailell; and when he

came he passed his hand over Ailell's heart, and at that he groaned

again. "This sickness will not be your death," said Fachtna then; "and I

know well what it comes from. It is either from the pains of jealousy,

or from love you have given, and that you have not found a way out of."

But there was shame on Ailell, and he would not confess to the physician

that what he said was right. So Fachtna went away then and left him.

 

As to King Eochaid, he went away to visit all the provinces of Ireland

that were under his kingship, and he left Etain after him, and it is

what he said: "Good Etain," he said, "take tender care of Ailell so long

as he is living; and if he should die from us, make a sodded grave for

him, and raise a pillar stone over it, and write his name on it in

Ogham." And with that he went away on his journey.

 

One day, now, Etain went into the house where Ailell was lying in his

sickness, and they talked together, and then she made a little song for

him, and it is what she said:

 

"What is it ails you, young man, for it is a long time you are wasted

with this sickness, and it is not the hardness of the weather has

stopped your light footstep."

 

And Ailell answered her in the same way, and he said: "I have good cause

for my hurt; the music of my own harp does not please me; there is no

sort of food is pleasant to me, and so I am wasted away." Then Etain

said: "Tell me what is it ails you, for I am a woman that is wise. Tell

me is there anything that would cure you, the way I may help you to it?"

And Ailell answered her: "O kind, beautiful woman, it is not good to

tell a secret to a woman, but sometimes it may be known through the

eyes." And Etain said: "Though it is bad to tell a secret, yet it ought

to be told now, or how can help be given to you?" And Ailell answered:

"My blessing on you, fair-haired Etain. It is not fit I am to be spoken

with; my wits have been no good help to me; my body is a rebel to me.

All Ireland knows, O king's wife, there is sickness in my head and in my

body." And Etain said: "If there is a woman of the fair-faced women of

Ireland tormenting you this way, she must come to you here if it

pleases you; and it is I myself will woo her for you," she said.

 

Then Ailell said to her: "Woman, it would be easy for you yourself to

put my sickness from me. And my desire," he said, "is a desire that is

as long as a year; but it is love given to an echo, the spending of

grief on a wave, a lonely fight with a shadow, that is what my love and

my desire have been to me."

 

And it is then Etain knew what was the sickness that was on him, and it

was a heavy trouble to her.

 

But she came to him every day to tend him, and to make ready his food,

and to pour water over his hands, and all she could do she did for him,

for it was a grief to her, he to wither away and to be lost for her

sake. And at last one day she said to him: "Rise up, Ailell, son of a

king, man of high deeds, and I will do your healing."

 

Then he put his arms about her, and she kissed him, and she said: "Come

at the morning of to-morrow at the break of day to the house outside the

dun, and I will give you all your desire."

 

That night Ailell lay without sleep until the morning was at hand. And

at the very time he should have risen to go to her, it was at that time

his sleep settled down upon him, and he slept on till the full light of

day.

 

But Etain went to the house outside the dun, and she was not long there

when she saw a man coming towards her having the appearance of Ailell,

sick and tired and worn. But when he came near and she looked closely at

him, she saw it was not Ailell that was in it. Then he went away, and

after she had waited a while, she herself went back into the dun.

 

And it was then Ailell awoke, and when he knew the morning had passed

by, he would sooner have had death than life, and he fretted greatly.

And Etain came in then, and he told her what had happened him. And she

said: "Come to-morrow to the same place."

 

But the same thing happened the next day. And when it happened on the

third day, and the same man came to meet Etain, she said to him: "It is

not you at all I come to meet here, and why is it that you come to meet

me? And as to him I came to meet," she said, "indeed it is not for gain

or through lightness I bade him come to me, but to heal him of the

sickness he is lying under for my sake." Then the man said: "It would be

more fitting for you to come to meet me than any other one. For in the

time long ago," he said, "I was your first husband, and your first man."

"What is it you are saying," she said, "and who are you yourself?" "It

is easy to tell that," he said; "I am Midhir of Bri Leith." "And what

parted us if I was your wife?" said Etain. "It was through Fuamach's

sharp jealousy and through the spells of Bresal Etarlaim, the Druid, we

were parted. And will you come away with me now?" he said. But Etain

said: "It is not for a man whose kindred is unknown I will give up the

High King of Ireland." And Midhir said: "Surely it was I myself put that

great desire for you on Ailell, and it was I hindered him from going to

meet you, the way you might keep your good name."

 

And when she went back to Ailell's house, she found his sickness was

gone from him, and his desire. And she told him all that had happened,

and he said: "It has turned out well for us both: I am well of my

sickness and your good name is not lessened." "We give thanks to our

gods for that," said Etain, "for we are well pleased to have it so."

 

And just at that time Eochaid came back from his journey, and they told

him the whole story, and he was thankful to his wife for the kindness

she had showed to Ailell.

 

It was a good while after that, there was a great fair held at Teamhair,

and Etain was out on the green looking at the games and the races. And

she saw a rider coming towards her, but no one could see him but

herself; and when he came near she saw he had the same appearance as

the man that came and spoke with her and her young girls the time they

were out in the sea at Inver Cechmaine. And when he came up to her he

began to sing words to her that no one could hear but herself. And it is

what he said:

 

"O beautiful woman, will you come with me to the wonderful country that

is mine? It is pleasant to be looking at the people there, beautiful

people without any blemish; their hair is of the colour of the

flag-flower, their fair body is as white as snow, the colour of the

foxglove is on every cheek. The young never grow old there; the fields

and the flowers are as pleasant to be looking at as the blackbird's

eggs; warm, sweet streams of mead and of wine flow through that country;

there is no care and no sorrow on any person; we see others, but we

ourselves are not seen.

 

"Though the plains of Ireland are beautiful, it is little you would

think of them after our great plain; though the ale of Ireland is heady,

the ale of the great country is still more heady. O beautiful woman, if

you come to my proud people it is the flesh of pigs newly killed I will

give you for food; it is ale and new milk I will give you for drink; it

is feasting you will have with me there; it is a crown of gold you will

have upon your hair, O beautiful woman!

 

"And will you come there with me, Etain?" he said. But Etain said she

would not leave Eochaid the High King. "Will you come if Eochaid gives

you leave?" Midhir said then. "I will do that," said Etain.

 

One day, after that time, Eochaid the High King was looking out from his

palace at Teamhair, and he saw a strange man coming across the plain.

Yellow hair he had, and eyes blue and shining like the flame of a

candle, and a purple dress on him, and in his hand a five-pronged spear

and a shield having gold knobs on it.

 

He came up to the king, and the king bade him welcome. "Who are you

yourself?" he said; "and what are you come for, for you are a stranger

to me?" "If I am a stranger to you, you are no stranger to me, for I

have known you this long time," said the strange man. "What is your

name?" said the king. "It is nothing very great," said he; "I am called

Midhir of Bri Leith." "What is it brings you here?" said Eochaid. "I am

come to play a game of chess with you," said the stranger. "Are you a

good player?" said the king. "A trial will tell you that," said Midhir.

"The chessboard is in the queen's house, and she is in her sleep at this

time," said Eochaid. "That is no matter," said Midhir, "for I have with

me a chess-board as good as your own." And with that he brought out his

chessboard, and it made of silver, and precious stones shining in every

corner of it. And then he brought out the chessmen, and they made of

gold, from a bag that was of shining gold threads.

 

"Let us play now," said Midhir. "I will not play without a stake," said

the king. "What stake shall We play for?" said Midhir. "We can settle

that after the game is over," said the king.

 

They played together then, and Midhir was beaten, and it is what the

king asked of him, fifty brown horses to be given to him. And then they

played the second time, and Midhir was beaten again, and this time the

king gave him four hard things to do: to make a road over Moin Lamraide,

and to clear Midhe of stones, and to cover the district of Tethra with

rushes, and the district of Darbrech with trees.

 

So Midhir brought his people from Bri Leith to do those things, and it

is bard work they had doing them. And Eochaid used to be out watching

them, and he took notice that when the men of the Sidhe yoked their

oxen, it was by the neck and the shoulder they used to yoke them, and

not by the forehead and the head. And it was after Eochaid taught his

people to yoke them that way, he was given the name of Eochaid Airem,

that is, of the Plough.

 

And when all was done, Midhir came to Eochaid again, looking thin and

wasted enough with the dint of the hard work he had been doing, and he

asked Eochaid to play the third game with him. Eochaid agreed, and it

was settled as before, the stake to be settled by the winner. It was

Midhir won the game that time, and when the king asked him what he

wanted, "It is Etain, your wife, I want," said he. "I will not give her

to you," said the king. "All I will ask then," said Midhir, "is to