The dark one,

He of the dark face,

Hue of earth,

Son of Midhir and Fionnchaem,

Son of the Crooked,

Husband of Dil

He of the peak horn,

Father of all,

First of the sons of Mil,

Father of sons,

Brother of a month of brothers.

 

He who gathers the dead,

Lord of the ever-revolving hall,

Generous host of the never-ending feast,

Giver of alms,

Smile that foreshadows happiness,

Possessor of the Stone of Equal Life.

Apparition of foreboding

Leader of the wild hunt.

 

Red one of savagery,

Sating of ravens,

Strife of slaughter,

Wetting of sword-edge,

Shield of broken bosses,

Abounding in furious horses,

Castellan of armaments.

 

Guardian of justice,

Arbitrator of truth,

Kindly Guide of the Path of Truth,

Teacher of ways,

Druid of potence, art and langue,

He who knows the mysteries,

Guide of virtue and weakness.

 

Night-rider of the storm,

Uprooter of young shoots,

House of the waves,

Father of shipwrecks,

He of the cattle-dunes.

 

Guardian of cattle

Bull of the combats.

Contender of the hurling match,

Father of the three-fold battles,

Guardian of Treblann.

 

He of the beneficent and furious countenance,

Of the ill-tempered mouth and glowering eye,

Poisonous note of sad voice.

 

Cloud-gatherer

Rider on the winds,

He who gives gentle rains,

He who portends good weather,

Guardian of the Glen,

He who bestows life,

Gracious lord of the fertile plains,

Lord of the mossy rock, smooth hill and pleasant bower.

 

Fair chief, who’s beauty exceeds the blossom of flowers,

Battler for the crops,

He of the Hill of the Fawns,

Contender of the hurling match.

 

Patron of athletes,

He who turns blemish to beauty,

He who endows the gift of music,

Patron of poets,

Rescuer of hero and heroine.

 

Robert J. Smith © 2022, London