Medieval Irish Lyrics

The text and translation of early Irish poems, both secular and religious. "These translations...from the point of view of a telling economy and a regard for the original image, its absolute rightness, are far and away superior to anything else I have re

'Irish poetry is unique in the Middle Ages in freshness of spirit and perfection of form.' So writes Gerard Murphy in the introduction to this classic anthology. The first of the anthology's two sections contains thirty-three poems of monastic inspiration, including well-known works such as the poem of the Scholar and his cat Pangur ban; the second section is devoted to secular works, and features twenty-five poems containing lyrics mainly spoken by characters in the prose sagas. Reprint (3rd Printing)

An anthology of 35 anonymous lyrics dated between 800 and 1200 and translated into English. The lyrics include monastic poems, from the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, poems about Saint Columba, the otherworld, poems attributed to Mad Suibne and poems from the Finn Cycle. The introduction discusses the origins of Irish poetry and the Irish language.