Early Irish Lyrics: Eighth to Twelfth Century

342 Pages·1956·16.637 MB·English

by  Gerard Murphy (ed., transl.)

E A R L Y IR ISH L Y R IC S
Oxford University Press, Amen House, London E.C.4
GLASGOW NEW YORK TORONTO MELBOURNE WELLINGTON
BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS KARACHI CAPE TOWN IBADAN
Geoffrey Cumberlege, Publisher to the University
EARLY IRISH LYRICS
EIGH TH TO TW ELFTH CENTURY
EDITED WITH
TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY
BY
G ER AR D M U RPH Y
O X FO R D
A T TH E C LA R E N D O N PRESS
MDCCCCLVI
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
TO THE MEMORY
OF
OSBORN BERGIN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Every poem in this anthology has already been printed in some
form, and many of them have been translated. The earlier editions
and translations mentioned in the notes have all been of help.
Nevertheless, the anthology texts, except where poems i and 43
are concerned, are the result of fresh collation of the manuscripts
and probably in no case agree exactly with earlier printed texts.
Where earlier translations were in existence, the first draft of the
anthology translation was compared with them. Particularly
where K. Meyer, W. Stokes, J. Strachan, S. H. O’Grady, and
Professor Kenneth Jackson were concerned this comparison often
resulted in considerable improvement of style and wording. The
translation of poem 22 is almost identical with that published by
Stokes and Strachan in their Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus, ii. 359.
To all these earlier editors and translators I here express my
indebtedness. I have also to thank the staffs of the National
Library of Ireland, the Royal Irish Academy library, the library
of Trinity College, Dublin, and the library of University College,
Dublin, for their constant courtesy in the supply of books, manu­
scripts, photostats, &c. The Council of the Royal Irish Academy
has kindly permitted me to use matter already published in their
proceedings or in Ériu.
My colleagues in University College, Dublin, have unfailingly
helped me by relieving me of much routine work which would
otherwise have fallen to my lot. To Miss Máire Kelly, B.A.,
special thanks are due. She typed the whole anthology, and in
addition permitted me to make use of her own notes for an edition
of poem 57 which she prepared several years ago.
G. M.