Excerpt: ...Pg 62 Then comes, with the boy's dying word, the revelation of the most tragic moment in the fight. "Cuchulain, beloved father, Is it not a wonder you did not know me When I cast my spear crooked and feebly Against your bush of blades." Where will you find a finer stroke of invention? The boy, tongue-tied by his pledge, knows his father and feels his defence failing against the terrible onset; he would not, if he could, be the victor, but he thinks of a way within the honour of his bond which may awaken ...
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Excerpt: ...Pg 62 Then comes, with the boy's dying word, the revelation of the most tragic moment in the fight. "Cuchulain, beloved father, Is it not a wonder you did not know me When I cast my spear crooked and feebly Against your bush of blades." Where will you find a finer stroke of invention? The boy, tongue-tied by his pledge, knows his father and feels his defence failing against the terrible onset; he would not, if he could, be the victor, but he thinks of a way within the honour of his bond which may awaken knowledge of him; and he casts his javelin with a clumsiness not to be looked for in the champion "that tied Conall." It is useless, the battle madness is in Cuchulain, he thinks only of conquest, an end to the supple, quick parrying, and he throws the gaebulg, a spear of dragon's bones bristling with points (his "bush of blades"), with the magic cast that there is no meeting. And now there is nothing left to him but the lamentation, "Och, och! Great is my madness! I lifting here my young lad! My son's head in my one hand, His arms and his raiment on the other. "I, the father that slew his son, May I never throw spear nor noble javelin; The hand that slew its son, May it win torture and sharp wounding. "The grief for my son I put from me never, Till the flagstones of my side crumble, It is in me, and through my heart, Like a sharp blaze in the hoar hill grasses. Pg 63 "If I and my heart's Connlaoch Were playing our kingly feats together, We could range from wave to shore Over the five provinces of Erin." The penultimate stanza, with its magnificent closing image and its truly
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.