Cendaig in mes mór...

Cendaig in mes mór
ocus tess in gréin;
cendaig ith is blicht
for slicht cech ríg réil.

(buy * the * mast * great/
and * warmth * of the * sun/
buy * grain * and * milk/
on * track * of every * king * shining)

Earn fruits and nuts in plenty
and the heat of the sun;
earn grain and milk
in the way of every famous king.

This stanza is from “Cert cech ríg co réil”, a poem in the “advice to princes” tradition. It gives voice to an idea about kingship that was widely accepted in Early Ireland, namely that the rule of a good king was distinguished not just by justice and wisdom, but also by the fruitful cooperation of the forces of nature. A litany of such benefits in “Audacht Morainn” includes high milk yields, tall grain, the absence of plagues and lightning, and so on. One line says “Is tre fhír flathemon ad- manna mármeso márfhedo -mlasetar”: “It is through the justice of the ruler that abundances of great tree-fruit of the great wood are tasted.” In our stanza, obtaining abundant mast, or forest produce on which pigs feasted and fattened in autumn, is viewed as a straightforward transaction: if the king rules in accordance with “fír” (truth), he will have earned the generosity of nature.

Topics: Verse Maxims & Wise Counsel