in wrestling and in the training of horses;

the dun of the High-King, and cried out

He then came down among them, and

ever between a smile and a frown; between

when he saw her he loved, for shc was

them had long served a good cause, but

of cattle, or about the pcnalty of blood;

the wall, unable to take her eyes from the

died fighting against the People of the Bag;

the poets and the men of law were called

of gaiety to know what a dreadful being

of death to mingle by a subtlety of art the

hair its feathers grew as other than marred

terror and darkness upon my heart. Then

child had already seen that those about

The years passed, and the child grew

the countries round about to gather a suf-

When the crones were gone, the nurse

less excellent than the old: some among

thus, and thus; for it casts no shadow of

told him that they too had had feathers

you make me sin against the sccrecy

them, doubtful words of his poets and his

making of the world went hither and

the bolts for trembling, and another grey

sit upon the throne; and as a grey hawk

own consuming solitude.

until the hut was full of their immense

grey hawk had begun to grow in the childs

child was put to nurse, with a woman who

over you, for I set out to find my kindred.

days, but for an ancient law of Eri that

drew out of the hair of first one and then

long held different. Multitudes came from

noisy as magpies, and the child sat up and

and then another and another and another,

from foolish kings and their own disorders,

hearts, and made all kindly joys and traffic

has never troubled, but at last one muttered

who had first spoken, said, ~ Nothing now

Shee, whether for good or evil she knew

kind and mirthful Children of Dana drove

same and with the resemblance of things

and the forest, he heard his voice among

and the poets and the men of law ruled in

her, and let a drop of blood, grey as the

in their hair. While they listened to him

and the king and his poets and men of law,

to follow him, for his eyes gleamed like

Out of sight is out of mind:

Are true till Time gutter away.

mitted by their forefathers, they knew that

courtesy, for none knew that these m九_九_藏_書atters

Sisters, I knew him because his heart

of those whom the dropping of the sand

and prayed for pardon, and he stooped

and stood by the first. In a little, came a

rising and setting in those desolate

never sat at the board, or listened to the

the child slept, and the fire danced, for the

their voices were now tender and caressing,

labour, they returned to their own lands

rinny wrought by the craftsmen of distant

from childhood into boyhood and from

may sleep easy o nights; and then the

and to listen to him was the daughter of a

creators of mortal things; and how every

and blasted; nor could the people separate

in the midst of the assembly hall that the

frankly as though she were a fablc of the

for a miracle that began to trouble all

men; and all women, who, indeed, talked

common heart.

mixed into his blood. And she Scratched

he hoped, for he could not believe that a

was a wild thing of the air which had

of the Plain of Towers, who had but a

in the dun of the High-King a mile away;

but had lost them because of a sin com-

her beauty, and praised her simply and

the assembly was over and told her of

the shape of Fair-brows, who dwells, as a

passed out into the darkness. Then the

human, came in and stood by the head of

of it without ceasing. The feathers of the

none who had any blemish of body could

a great age, and of a height more than

believed that he found his eternal abode

After much consideration they decreed a

all that the bird of prey upon the throne

the silver cords. And after that they Bang

and all the while the child had not opened

lands; cloth from over sea, which, though

heroes when they die return to the world

desses, who sit all night about the pools

had not been a matter of great moment,

who had served no cause, but wrought in

henceforth with the dark and dreadful god-

should be flung from a cliff into the sea.

were upon her head instead of hair. But

voice. They came from among the salley

the salley bushes which hid the waters

Two years passed over, and the king

~ There was a tall young man in the

lands his words seemed far off, and what

that wread.99csw.comas but as the heart of others, and

of law about him, stood upon the dais

great wood. The nurse opened the door

gifts; cups with ears of gold and find-

gods have made, and no man shall live by

the spectacle of his days; and no one had

woman, for she saw by the gleaming of the

woman, not less old than the other, and

child, and tales of his endless questions

subtle to help thcm to live out their hasty

the great mother, had decreed her a heart

arms. Day by day the king gave her

boyhood into manhood, and from being

to find what they had loved less lovable

My hair is not beautiful like yours; and

when they heard him praise it and their

different ways, but all into vague regret.

whose cauldron is never empty; or of Lir,

upon the floor, passed out, and none dared

salmon, in the floods; or of the Dagda,

should reign, for they had suffered much

for she longed to marry some warrior who

verse, live according to your kind, and call

fluttered like a bird under a net of silver

word: Sisters, I knew him because his

whose children wail upon the waters; or

him her love, for he was only subtle in his

when she considered the mystery of the

down and plucked the feathers out of the

days. A number indeed did live differ-

Eocha of the Plain of Towers to reign

back the bolt, and a grey-clad woman, of

it was not possible to think of one in whose

called the lovers to him in a trembling

which she had made the nurse bring to

marching and counter-marching of armies.

ficiency of feathers. They decreed also

having gathered his poets and his men

he would learn the truth when he began

of the young, when they had heard him

now that I have plucked away the feathers

looked at them.

answered, ` Open! for I am a crone of the

her arm with the sharp point of a spindle,

stood there. Open ! cried another voice,

might bid him obey the law, and call Eocha

beings were that had bent over a cradle.

for the one was too ignorant, and the other

low, musical voice he loved answered:

and his hunts men, and his cook, and his

of law, why did you make me sin against

could carry her over a mountain in his

When the child was seven years old

woven withread.99csw.com curious figures, seemed to her

birds; or of Len, the goldsmith, from

light and filled their hearts like music;

far away by the redness of his heart under

they could remember too strange and

and they sent men with nets and slings,

that any who told the truth to the child

long, for no one had seen so wise a

mear of a territory, or about the straying

thither among the wicl;er houses of the

him become the master himself before

his silver skin; and then another spoke:

the cradle with long wrinkled fingers; and

heart sang like a bird that had forgotten

Long have man and woman-kind

the eyes of the birds of prey; and no man

advice; but this was held to be from

hair of the woman and then turned away

blood. Yet all were resolved that he

his pink eyelids or the firc ceascd to dance,

out the huge and gloomy and misshapen

the orchard, which was between the foss

and one day when the king walked in

of wisdom, for law was made by man

ently afterwards, but their new life was

words that became like a fire in their

equal to his beauty. There came a knock

together by the chief poet, and all these

songs of the poets in the light of the fire,

for the welfare of man, but wisdom the

poor. I~vcrythillg had becn well, but

forms. They stood a long time in

towards the dun without a word. He

mist, fall upon the lips of the child; and

remains but that a drop of our blood be

for as yet the bow was not invented, into

his wisdom at her feet, and told how the

Heavy of will and light of mood,

another the feathers of the grey hawk,

I will put my hands through it, thus, and

great wood, and this was their song:

together, those who wcrc nearest rocking

their purpose found their bones softer and

Taken away our Altar stone;

upon all these things, remembered certain

the laws of Eri ? Men of verse, why did

Taken away our wheaten food,

bushes and threw themselves at his feet

he had taught them how little a hair

curious about all things he became busy

mirrors.

that the gods might grant him wisdom

wandered lost amid throngs of overcoming

Hail and rain and thunder alone,

watch over his ncst in the darkness of the

cords; and then another took up the

w九*九*藏*書ith strange and subtle thoughts which

among those who came to look at him

in the Island of Woods; and still she was

~)ana: and still she half refused, and still

common things of life; disputes about the

with like feathers instead of hair, came in

of the foss. ~ My blossom, it said, I

chief warriors went with her to the hut and

yielding and withholding. He laid down

wondering, for the nearest neighbours were

his words seemed to make all darkness

they were more numerous than ever. This

lived in a hut of mud and wicker, within

but, alas, when they returned to their own

~ for I am a crone of the grey hawk, and I

bards; and he asked her humbly to give

others passed out in silence one by one;

counsel~ but there were guards set at the

saw him again or heard his voice. Some

the border of the wood. One night the

great Moods arc alonc immortal, and the;

and moreover they desired to watch out

third grey woman, and after her a fourth,

he would turn to those nearest him for

peace the welfare of their own households,

beauty so much like wisdom could hide a

unlike the women of his land; but Dana,

and their arm lighter in the battle, for

matters weighed and considered. The

perfect silence and stillness, for they were

knocking? she cried, and a thin voice

dun who had yellow hair, and was skilled

among the demons, and some that he dwelt

Woods had died in child-birth, and her

him had hair only, and, though they had

grew in him a horror as at one of unhuman

came to her courage again, and hurried to

were hidden from him, by thoughts and

frontiers~ who compelled all that came,

not, had bent over the child that night;

dingy feathers into your beautiful hair, and

and spoke in a loud, clear voice: Men

gathered about the cradle, and were as

at the door, and she got up, not a little

hair, and though his nurse cut them con-

tinually, it needed but a little while and

of Angus, whose kisses were changed into

too full of gaiety to know how great the

the name of the Child, but looked to see

from their admiration of the wisdom that

she half consented, and yet half refused,

common mind, to reign in his stead.

dreams that filled his mind like t九九藏書he

shown them greater purposes; and numbers

whose furnace break rainbows and fiery

over the beauty of the child, and praying

and begin their labour anew; how the

and the thunder follow a way that is deadly

the king remembered many things that

And red hearts we turn to grey,

one was too ignorant and the other too full

and the night was now late. Who is

and, having scattered them over the rushes

came to him in dreams, and with dis-

to mortal things. Men of law and men of

thoughts and dreams, shuddering at its

less beautiful than the bright cloth woven

in the forest watching the constellations

great horror. He called her to him when

when he had expounded the meaning of

men of law, doubts that he had reasoned

away, his own continual solitude; and he

to wear the feathers of the grey hawk

hate them for making you weave these

the cradle. The nurse shrank back against

again, though her fingers could scarce hold

grey hawk, and I come from the darkness

new law commanding every one upon pain

any other fear but that his great wisdom

dew; or of some other of the children of

Far less could any know that his heart

in a low thin voice: Sisters, I knew him

other lands to sec him and to ask his

hawk feathers she was troubled with a

People from under the Sea; and how the

When the song had died out, the crone

about the household of the gods and the

When any asked him concerning the

their will less ready for toil, for he had

between man and man as nothing, and went

to wander into the country round about.

tinctions between things long held the

for miracles were a little thing in those

woman sat rocking the cradle, and pondering

dreams. Overwhelmed with his greatness,

little king who lived a great way off; and

its light, for it and the hail and the rain

now like the wind blowing in the

THE High-Queen of the Island of

Mood is a being that wcars, to mortal eyes,

firelight that the feathers of the grey hawk

of the great wood. In terror she drew

strode into the hall of assembly, and

feathers of the grey hawk into his hair;

he had forgotten without understanding

divides the false and true; others again,

beautiful~ with a strange and pale beauty