An
Early Legal Poem. Translated
by D.A. Binchy
1. Ma
be ri rofesser, If
thou be a king thou shouldst know
2. recht
flatho, the
prerogative of a ruler,
3. fothuth
iar miad, reflection
according to rank,
4. mesbada
slog contentions
of hostings,
5. sabaid
cuirmthige, sticks
quarrels in an alehouse
6. cuir
mescae;
contracts made in drunkenness;
7. mess
tire,
valuations of lands,
8. tomus
forrag, measurement
by poles;
9. foberta
diri, augmentations
of a penalty,
10. dithle
mesraid; larceny
of tree-fruit;
11. mormain
mrugrechto: the great substance of land-law:
12. mrogad
coicrich. marking
out fresh boundaries.
13. cor
cualne, planting
of stakes,
14. corus
rinde, the
law as to points of stakes,
15. ranh
eter comorbu, partition
among coheirs,
16. comaithig
do garmaim summoning of neighbours,
17. gaill
comlainn, stone
pillars of contest
18. caithigthi
astado. fighters
who fasten title.
19. anagraitto
rig,
from
a king;
20. righ
comairge; the
extent of protection;
21. corus
co sesser right
of the fine up to the sixth man
22. setaib
seilb. in
movables and land.
23. Slan
cach comaithches Valid is every neighbor-law
24. cuirther
gallaib, that
is contracted by pledges
25. gelltar
smachtaib miach. and secured by fines consisting of sacks.
26. Mo
laugu Greater
or smaller
27. log
ndire.
is the value of penalties.
28. Dire
n-aurbai
The penalty for breaching a boundary fence:
29. o
dartaid co dairt
from a bull-calf to a heifer-calf,
30. dochum
colpthaige from that to
a yearling beast,
31. co
coic seotu cingith. up to five seoit it
extends.
32. Cia
annsom fidbeime What are the most oppressive
cases of tree-cutting
33. fiachaib
bacth? for
which fools are mulcted?
34. Briugid
caille, The
hospitallers of the forest,
35. coll
eidnech. the
ivied hazel.
36. Esnill
bes dithernam A danger from which
there is no escape
37. dire
fidnemid nair. is
the penalty for felling the sacred tree.
38. Ni
bie fidnemid Thou
shalt not cut a sacred tree
39. fiachaib
secht n-airech, and escape with the fines for the seven noble
trees
40. ara
teora bu on
account of the fine of three cows
41. inna
bunbeim bis. that
is fixed for cutting its stem.
42. Biit
alaili secht There
are others, seven
43. setlaib
losae. atoned
for in seoit due for undergrowth.
44. Laumur
ar dochondaib Let me venture for [the benefit] of the
immature
45. dildi
cailli: to
state the immune things of the forest:
46. cairi
fulocht benar, a single
cauldron's cooking-wood that is cut,
47. bas
chnoe foisce a
handful of ripe nuts
48. frisna
laim i saith soi. to which one stretches
not his hand in satiety.
49. Slanem
de Freest
of it all
50. dithgus
dithli. is
the right of removal.
51. Dire
ndaro, The
penalty for the oak,
52. dire
a gabal mar, the
penalty for lobbing its larger limbs
53. mess
beobethad; with
its life-sustaining mast;
54. bunbem
n-ibair the
stem-cutting of the yew;
55. inonn
cumbe cuilinn, the same penalty for
cutting the holly
tree.
56. Annsom
de Most
oppressive of it all
57. dire
secht n-aithlech is the penalty of
the seven commoners of the forest
58. asa
mbi bo: for
each of which there is a cow as payment:
59. bunbeim
beithe, the
stem cutting of the birch,
60. baegal
fernae, the
peril of the alder,
61. fube
sailech; the
undermining of the willow.
62.
sluind airriu aithgein Declare
restitution for them.
63.
anog sciath the
maiming of the whitethorn
64.
sceo draigin; and
of the blackthorn;
65.
dringid co fedo forball, it restitution extends to the
undergrowth of the wood,
66.
forball ratho,
the undergrowth of fern,
67.
raited, aine,
of bog-myrtle, of reeds,
68.
acht a ndilse do flaithib. save that these are
free to lords.
69.
Fothlac, tothlae, Stealthy
penetration, stealthy intrusion,
70.
tan, an, driving
to and fro,
71.
aircsiu, arach looking
on idly, tethering
72.
attrab, follscud, squatting,
burning,
73.
fuillechtae iadad; blocking
tracks;
74.
airlem en, overleaping
by birds,
75.
oss, eisrechtae, deer
and pet animals,
76.
airlim con, overleaping
by dogs,
77.
caithchi bech, trespass
by bees;
78.
biit i trenaib dire in
thirds are payable in penalties
79.
ton-accomoing tairgille; which the preliminary pledge
comprehends;
80.
taurrana, tairsce, driving
forward, traversing,
81.
taulberna tar rout, sudden
breeches across the road,
82.
ruriud tar selba. stampeding
across holdings.
83.
samsil trachta. similarly
over strands.
84.
Tomus airchinne Measurement
of the fore-end
85.
co n-aurchur flescaich, with a cast by a stripling,
86.
forsciu mrugrechto, supervising
the observance of land law,
87.
mrogad cocrich, marking
out fresh boundaries,
88.
caithche tigradus, final
responsibility for trespass.
89.
Tairgget smachta Let
fines be forthcoming
90.
iar cintaib coicthi on
the fifth day after the offenses
91.
a coir comaithech. according
to the law of neighbours.
92.
Cid ag con-ranna fri et? What single ox shares liability with
the drove?
93. Cid airlimm n-oenoirec What
overleaping by a single piglet shares liability with the herds?
94.
Cis tana di-chiallatar What are
the drivings carried out negligently
95.
dona segar tigrathus? for which final
responsibility is not enforced?
96.
Cis tuarrana foichlithi? What are the concealed drivings
forward?
97.
forsna soi fogeltath? On which
grazing-expense does not fall?
98.
Cis formenn dichmaire What are the unauthorized
stalkings
99.
do-sliat dilsi? which
deserve immunity?
100.
Cis dithle di threbaib What are the
larcenies from houses
101.
nad tuillet dire? which
do not entail a penalty?
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