Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . ng onthe shores of Loch Lena they saw coming towards thema maiden, beautiful exceedingly, riding on a snow-whitesteed. She wore the garb of a queen ; a crown of goldwas on her head, and a dark-brown mantle of silk, setwith stars of red gold, fell around her and trailed on theground. Silver shoes were on her horses hoofs, and acrest of gold nodded on his head. When she came nearshe said to Finn : From very far away I have come, andnow at last I have found thee, Finn son of Cumhal. Then Finn said: What is thy land and race, maiden,and what dost thou seek fro
Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . ng onthe shores of Loch Lena they saw coming towards thema maiden, beautiful exceedingly, riding on a snow-whitesteed. She wore the garb of a queen ; a crown of goldwas on her head, and a dark-brown mantle of silk, setwith stars of red gold, fell around her and trailed on theground. Silver shoes were on her horses hoofs, and acrest of gold nodded on his head. When she came nearshe said to Finn : From very far away I have come, andnow at last I have found thee, Finn son of Cumhal. Then Finn said: What is thy land and race, maiden,and what dost thou seek from me ? My name, she said, is Niam of the Golden am the daughter of the King of the Land of Youth,and that which has brought me here is the love of thyson Oisin. Then she turned to Oisin, and she spoke tohim in the voice of one who has never asked anythingbut it was granted to her. Wilt thou go with me, Oisin, to my fathers land ? And Oisin said : That will I, and to the worldsend; for the fairy spell had so wrought upon his270. Oisin and Niam 270 OISIN AND NIAM heart that he cared no more for any earthly thing butto have the love of Niam of the Head of Gold. Then the maiden spoke of the Land Oversea towhich she had summoned her lover, and as she spoke adreamy stillness fell on all things, nor did a horse shakehis bit, nor a hound bay, nor the least breath of windstir in the forest trees till she had made an end. Andwhat she said seemed sweeter and more wonderful as shespoke it than anything they could afterwards rememberto have heard, but so far as they could remember it itwas this : Delightful i» the land beyond all dreams,Fairer than aught thine eyes have ever all the year the fruit is on the tree,And all the year the bloom is on the flower. ** There with wild honey drip the forest trees;The stores of wine and mead shall never pain nor sickness knows the dweller there,Death and decay come near him never more. The feast shall cloy not, nor the chase
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcelticl, bookyear1910
