The University of Texas at Austin; College of Liberal Arts

Jonathan Slocum, Interim Director :: PCL 5.112, 1 University Station S5490 :: Austin, TX 78712 :: 512-471-4566

A. Richard Diebold Center for Indo-European Language and Culture

Indo-European Texts

Old Irish

Douglas Simms and Jonathan Slocum

An Anonymous Old Irish Lyric: 'Summer has gone'

From the Finn-Cycle

Text from Gerard Murphy, ed. & trans., Early Irish Lyrics, Eighth to Twelfth Century (Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1956, pp. 160-61). Rhyming translation by Ruth P. Lehmann, ed. & trans., Early Irish Verse (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1982, p. 17). Originally prepared by Douglas Simms; edited by Jonathan Slocum.

Ut dixit Finn úa Baíscni:

Scél lem dúib:    News is yours:

    dordaid dam;       stags call does;

snigid gaim;    Summer flees;

    ro fáith sam;       winter snows;

Gáeth ard úar;    Wind high, chill;

    ísel grían;       low the sun;

gair a rrith;    short its course;

    ruirthech rían;       wild waves run;

Rorúad rath;    Brown leaves blow;

    ro cleth cruth;       shapeless lie;

ro gab gnáth    frequent now

    giugrann guth.       brent geese cry.

Ro gab úacht    Cold has caught

    etti én;       wings of mews;

aigre ré;    ice age rude;

    é mo scél.       this my news. News.

This Old Irish poem is glossed here. We have two other translations:

a literal translation by Gerard Murphy;
an alliterative translation by Douglas Simms.

Ut dixit Finn úa Baíscni:

Scél lem dúib:		News is yours:
	dordaid dam;	stags call does;
snigid gaim;		Summer flees;
	ro fáith sam;	winter snows;

Gáeth ard úar;		Wind high, chill;
	ísel grían;	low the sun;
gair a rrith;		short its course;
	ruirthech rían;	wild waves run;

Rorúad rath;		Brown leaves blow;
	ro cleth cruth;	shapeless lie;
ro gab gnáth		frequent now
	giugrann guth.	brent geese cry.

Ro gab úacht		Cold has caught
	etti én;	wings of mews;
aigre ré;		ice age rude;
	é mo scél.	this my news. News.