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    Celtic Tales, Told to the Children
    Celtic Tales, Told to the Children
    Celtic Tales, Told to the Children
    Ebook119 pages1 hour

    Celtic Tales, Told to the Children

    By Louey Chisholm

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateMay 1, 2004
    Celtic Tales, Told to the Children

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      Book preview

      Celtic Tales, Told to the Children - Louey Chisholm

      The Project Gutenberg EBook of Celtic Tales, by Louey Chisholm

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      **Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**

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      *****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****

      Title: Celtic Tales Told to the Children

      Author: Louey Chisholm

      Release Date: February, 2005 [EBook #7488] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on May 10, 2003]

      Edition: 10

      Language: English

      *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CELTIC TALES ***

      Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Clare Elliott, Brendan Lane, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

      CELTIC TALES TOLD TO THE CHILDREN

      BY LOUEY CHISHOLM

      WITH PICTURES BY KATHARINE CAMERON

      TO CHRISTOPHER

      NOTE

      This little book was written after several variants of the Tales had been

      read:—'Old Celtic Romances,' by Dr. Joyce; 'Reliquae Celticae,' by Dr.

      Cameron; 'The Pursuit after Diarmud O'Duibhne and Grainne the daughter of

      Cormac Mac Airt,' by Standish Hayes O'Grady; 'The Three Sorrows of

      Story-telling,' by Dr. Douglas Hyde; 'The Laughter of Peterkin,' by Fiona

      Macleod, and other translations and retellings.

      L.C.

      ABOUT THIS BOOK

      One of my friends tells me that you, little reader, will not like these old, old tales; another says they are too sad for you, and yet another asks what the stories are meant to teach.

      Now I, for my part, think you will like these Celtic Tales very much indeed. It is true they are sad, but you do not always want to be amused. And I have not told the stories for the sake of anything they may teach, but because of their sheer beauty, and I expect you to enjoy them as hundreds and hundreds of Irish and Scottish children have already enjoyed them—without knowing or wondering why.

      LOUEY CHISHOLM.

      LIST OF STORIES

      The Star-Eyed Deirdre

      The Four White Swans

      Dermat and Grania

      LIST OF PICTURES

      THE STAR-EYED DEIRDRE

      'Art thou indeed Deirdre?'

      Thence ofttimes in the young summer would they sail southward

      The Hedge of Spears

      THE FOUR WHITE SWANS

      As she touched Aed, Fiacra, and Conn, the three brothers were as the maid

      They would swim far out into a dim grey wilderness of waters

      It was Saint Kemoc

      DERMAT AND GRANIA

      Dermat

      Grania

      THE STAR-EYED DEIRDRE

      In olden days, when many Kings reigned throughout the Green Island of Erin, none was greater than the great Concobar. So fair was his realm that poets sang its beauty, and such the wonder of his palace that the sweetest songs of Erin were of its loveliness.

      In a castle of this fair realm dwelt Felim, a warrior and harper dear unto the King. And it was told him that Concobar with his chief lords would visit the castle.

      Then Felim made a feast, and there was great rejoicing, and all men were glad.

      But in the midst of the feast an old magician, who was of those that had come with the King, stood up before the great gathering. Long and white was the hair that fell upon his bent shoulders, black were the eyes that gazed into space from beneath his shaggy eyebrows.

      'Speak,' said the King to the old man, 'speak, and tell us that thou seest, for well we know thou piercest the veil that hideth from us the secrets of the morrow.'

      Silently and with great awe did all the company look at the wise old man, for those things that he had already foretold had they not come to pass? The magician, also silent, looked from the face of one to the face of another, but when his eyes fell on Concobar, the King, long did they dwell there, and when he lifted them, on Felim did they rest.

      Then the Wise Man spake:

      'This night, O Felim the Harper, shall a girl-babe be born to thee within these castle walls. Loveliest among the lovely shall thy star-eyed daughter be; no harp-strings shall yield such music as her voice, no fairy strains pour forth such wonder-stirring sound. Yet, O Felim, in days to come, because of this fair child shall great sorrow come upon our King Concobar and upon all his realm. In those days shall Erin's chief glory perish, for if the House of the Red Branch fall, who shall stand?'

      Then did a cry of fear burst from those gathered to the feast, and leaping to their feet, each man laid his hand upon his sword, for the word that the wise man had spoken would it not come to pass?

      'Let our swords be in readiness,' they cried, 'to kill the babe that shall be born this night, for better far is it that one child perish than that the blood of a nation be spilt.'

      And Felim spake: 'Great sorrow is mine that fear of the child who shall be born this night should be upon you. Therefore, if it please the King, let my daughter die, and so may peace yet reign in the realm. For dear as would be a child to my wife and to me, dearer yet is the common weal.'

      But the answer of King Concobar came not for a time. His soul was filled with desire to see the star-eyed maiden and to hear the wonder of her voice. Still was the hand of each upon his sword when the King spake.

      'Put far from thee, O Felim, the will to do this thing. Bend not thy mind to the death of thine own child. And ye, my people, sheathe your swords. Let the babe live. I, Concobar, will be her guardian, and if ill befall, let it be upon me, your King.'

      At these words arose a Prince.

      'It would be well, O King, but for the word spoken by the Wise Man, for hath he not said, Because of this fair child shall great sorrow come upon the King Concobar? If we let the babe live, then must thy people see thee in sore distress, for the word that the Wise Man speaketh, shall it not come to pass?'

      'Of that am I not unmindful. Deep within the forest, beyond the Moor of Loneliness, shall her childish days be spent. Gently tended shall she be, but the eye of man shall not behold her, and solitary shall she live as some unmated bird in distant wilderness.'

      Then with one accord did the people cry, 'Wilt thou indeed be guardian to this child, knowing the ill that the Wise Man hath foretold?'

      'Yea, truly will I be guardian to the child, and when she be a woman then shall she be my wedded wife. And if with the

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