Fil duine...

Fil duine
frismad buide limm díuterc,
ara tibrinn in mbith uile,
a meicc Maire, cid díupart.

(there is * person /
at whom would be * gratification * with me * gazing /
for whom * I would give * the * world * all /
o * son * of Mary * although were * fraud)

There is one
on whom I would gladly gaze,
for whom I would give the whole world,
O Son of Mary, though it were a bad bargain.

With this verse, Gráinne tells the old and jealous Finn of her passion for the young warrior Díarmait. The verse is found in LU (514-17), where variants of the third and fourth lines are noted:

… in mbith mbuide (… the golden world)
uile, uile, cid díupert. (all, all, though it were a bad bargain)


Topics: Verse