The Voyage of Bran
This is Kuno Meyer's translation of the old Irish saga, the Voyage of Bran. In this magical odyssey to the limits of reality, Bran takes a characteristically time-dilated journey to a distant isle of luxury. On return, he learns that ages have passed and he and his expedition have already passed into myth. He can never again touch the soil of his homeland and sails off again. The text references ancient Celtic gods and also contains quasi-prophetic passages added at a later date by Christian scribes.
The appendices contain extracts from other Irish texts about Mongan, who is mentioned in the Bran saga, the son of Manannan mac Lir, the Celtic sea-god. This is of interest because of the descriptions of the training of bards, and lore of human visits to the Sídhe, the fairies.
Title
The Voyage of Bran Son of Febal to the Land of the Living AN OLD IRISH SAGA NOW FIRST EDITED, ...
Introduction
THE old-Irish tale which is here edited and fully translated 1 for the first time, has come down ...
The Voyage of Bran
The Voyage 1 of Bran son of Febal, and his Expedition 2 here below
Imram Brain maic Febail, ocus a Echtra andso sís 1. ’TWAS fifty quatrains the woman from unk...
p.4-5
silver with white blossoms, nor was it easy to distinguish its bloom from that branch. Then Bra...
p. 6-7
6. 'Feet of white bronze under itGlittering through beautiful ages. 1Lovely land throughout...
p.8-9
11. 'A beauty of a wondrous land,Whose aspects are lovely,Whose view is a fair country,Incompar...
p.10-11
16. At sunrise there will comeA fair man illumining level lands;He rides upon the fair sea-...
p.12-13
21. 'There will come happiness with healthTo the land against which laughter peals,Into Imchiui...
p.14-15
26. 'A great birth 1 will come after ages,That will not be in a lofty place, 2The son of a wo...
p.16-17
31. Thereupon the woman went from them, while they knew not whither she went. 1 And she took ...
p.18-19
34. 'What is a clear seaFor the prowed skiff in which Bran is,That is a happy plain 1 with prof...
p.20-21
39. 'Though (but) one chariot-rider is seenIn Mag Mell 1 of many flowers,There are many steed...
p.22-23
44. 'We are from the beginning of creationWithout old age, without consummation 1 of earth, 2...
p.24-25
49. 'This shape, he on whom thou lookest,Will come to thy parts; 1’Tis mine to journey to her...
p.26-27
54. 'He will be a stag with horns of silverIn the land where chariots are driven,He will be a s...
p.28-29
58. 'He will be--his time will be short-- 1Fifty years in this world:A dragonstone from the sea...
p.30-31
about the island. Whenever his man came past Bran, his comrades would address him. But he...
p.32-33
63. Home-sickness seized one of them, even Nechtan the son of Collbran. 1 His kindred kept pr...
p.34-35
'For Collbran's son great was the follyTo lift his hand against age,Without any one casting a...
Footnotes
2:1 Imram, lit. 'rowing about,' denotes a voyage voluntarily undertaken, as distinguished from lo...
Notes
1. a tirib ingnath. This curious use of what is, apparently, the undeclined adjective after the n...
Appendix
I. The Conception of Mongán.
Fiachna Lurga, the father of Mongán, was sole king of the province. 1 He had a friend in Scotland...
II. A Story from which it is inferred that Mongán was Find mac Cumaill, and the cause of the death of Fothad Airgdech.
1 Mongán was in Rathmore of Moylinny in his kingship. To him went Forgoll the poet. Through him...
III. A Story of Mongán.
Now once upon a time when Forgoll the poet was with Mongán, the latter at a certain hour of the d...
IV. These are the events that brought about the telling of 'Mongan's Frenzy.'
1 Findtigernd, 2 Mongán's wife, besought Mongán to tell her the simple truth of his adventures. ...
[The Conception of Mongán and Dub-Lacha's Love for Mongán.]
[Compert Mongáin ocus Serc Duibe-Lacha do Mongán.] Cf. D’Arbois de Jubainville, Catalogue, p. 20...
VI. From the Annals
Mongán mac Fíachna Lurgan ab Artur filio Bicoir Pretene lapide percussus interit, unde dictum est...
VII Irische Texte iii. page 89.
'A Mongáín, a Manandáin,ni minec bar merugud isin brug co m-beócraidió Tuind Clidna comfadais to...
VIII Irische Texte iii. p. 87.
[5] 'I m-Bendchuratá Mongán mac Fíachna:is le[is] atá Conchoburar grafaind scáilte scíathcba.' ...
IX From Gilla Modutu's poem Senchas Ban, written A.D. 1141, Book of Leinster, p. 140 a, 29.
'Ingen do Chammáin Dub-Lacha, lennán Mongáin, maith a ciand,[20] Colgo, Conall, ba lucht láthair...
X From Ms. Laud 613, p. 21.
Mura cecinit. 'Coinne Mongain is Coluim caimmaic Feidlimthe an ardnaoim [5]a Carraic Eolairg c...
From MS. Laud 615, p. 18.
Mongan cecinitdo Colum Cille. Caomh-Colum cáidh ciuin cubaid cobsaid comdalach com ramach cumach...