Ní- curu díanu -dénae...

Ní- curu díanu -dénae
Arnachat-roírea íar-caíned.

(not - contracts * swift - you should make/
so that it may not bring you * after-weeping)

You should not make hasty contracts
Lest it should cause you later lamentation.

These lines of verse, warning you to look before you leap, are found in §28 of “Di Astud Chor”. The translation is by Neil McLeod. See also “Ar in bith án astaither” in this collection for the centrality of contracts in early Irish society.

Topics: Maxims & Wise Counsel