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THE IRISH HYMNS IN THE LIBER HYMNORUM.
Locus hujus hymni, — Slieve Bloom or Cluain Mor Maedoc. The author, Broccan the squinting. Tempus of Lugaid, son of Loegaire, king of Ireland and of Ailill son of Dunking, king of Leinster. Causa, Ultan of Ardbrecain his tutor asked him to relate Brigit's miracles in short discourse with poetic consonance, for it is this Ultan that collected all Brigit's miracles.
Victorious Brigit loved not (the) world ; she sat (the) seat of a bird on a cliff :
The holy-one slept a captive's sleep because of her Son's absence.
Not much of carping used to be found with (the) noble faith of (the) Trinity,
Brigit mother of my Lord,— of heaven's kingdom best was she born.
5 She was not a carper, she was not malevolent, she loved not vehement woman's-war :
She was not a serpent wounding, speckled : she sold not God's Son for gain.
She was not greedy for treasures, she gave without gall, without abatement :
She was not hard (or) penurious : she loved not the world's pastime.
She was not harsh to sojourners, gentle was she to wretched lepers.
10 On a plain she built a town: to (God's) kingdom she convoyed hosts.
She was not a herdswoman on a mountain-side : she wrought amid a plain,
A marvellous ladder for pagans to visit (the) kingdom of Mary's Son.
Marvellous (was) St. Brigit's congregation : marvellous the flame that went (from it) :
It was only about Christ sang (the) assembly that was frequent with multitudes.
15 In a good hour MacCaille set the veil on Saint Brigit's head :
Clear was she in her goings : in heaven was heard her prayer.
" God, I pray Him in every struggle, in every way that my mouth may speak,
Deeper than seas, greater than can be told, Three-Persons, One-Person, marvel of a story!"
She prophesied to the sage, famous Coemgen, that wind would hurl him through a storm of snow :
20 In Glendalough a cross was suffered so that he possessed peace after trouble.
Saint Brigit was not sleepy, she was not changeful about God's love:
The holy-one neither bought nor gained profit of this world.
What the King wrought of miracles for St. Brigte
Hath not been wrought for man where car of anyone living hath heard.
25 The first calling to which she was sent in spring in a chariot,
She took not from her guests' food, she diminished not their substance.
Her (caldron's) charge of bacon after this — one evening — high was the marvel !
Although the dog was satisfied thereout, the guest was not
mournful.
On her day of reaping well reaped she — fault was not found there with my pious one :
30 There was fine weather always in her field — though on the world fell a storm.
Bishops who visited her, not trifling was the danger to her
If it had not been that the King increased the cows' milk three-fold.
She herded on a day of storm sheep amid a plain :
She spread afterwards her hood in (the) house on a sunbeam.
35 The hard youth besought her, Brigit, for love of her King :
She gave seven wethers from her, her flock's number she lessened not.
It is according to my lore if I should relate what she did of good :
Marvellous for her the bath which she blessed : about her it was red ale.
She blessed the pregnant nun, she was whole without poison, without illness :
40 There was a greater marvel another (time) — of the stone she made salt (for the poor).
I have not told, I tell not, what the holy creature wrought.
She blessed the table-faced man, so that his two eyes were clear.
A dumb girl was brought to Brigit — it was one of her miracles —
Her hand went not from her hand until her speech was clear.
45 A marvel of (the) bacon she blessed — it was God's power that secured it :
It was a full mouth with the dog: the dog marred it not.
There was a greater marvel at another time ! a bit she asked from the (caldron's) charge
Spoiled not her scapular's colour, (though) it was flung hot into her bosom.
The leper begged a boon of her : it was good for him that she granted it :
50 The choice of the calves she blessed : (the) choice of the cows it loved.
She afterwards sent her chariot north ward to the hill of Cobthach Coil,
The calf with (the) leper in (the) chariot, the cow behind the calf.
The oxen that had gone away from her — well for them had anyone turned them —
Against them rose the river, at morning they came home.
55 Her horse separated head from bridle when they were running down hill:
The yoke was not uneven — God's Son helped the royal hand.
A wild boar frequented her herd — northwards the beast drove it:
Brigit sained (him) with her staff, with her swine he took his stay.
A hog, a fat pig which was given her, over Magh Fea — it was a marvel ! —
60 Wolves hunted it for her until it was in Uachtar-gabra.
She gave the wild fox for grace of her vassal the wretched :
To a wood it went although the hosts pursued.
She was clear in her goings : she was one mother of (the) great King's Son.
She sained the swift bird so that it played in her hand.
65 Nine outlaws she sained, who reddened their weapons in a pool of gore:
The man on whom they inflicted wounds, his body was not found.
What she wrought of miracles there is not (one) who has rightly counted :
A marvel, she took Lugaid's dinner, (the) champion, his strength did not lessen.
An oak which the host lifted not at the other time — excellent, famous !
70 Her son brought to her for Brigte to (the) place in which her house was founded.
The pin of silver — not to be concealed— for evil against the Nia's woman
Was flung into (the) sea a cast's full length so that it was in a salmon's belly.
A marvel for her, the (poor) widow, who dwelt (?) in Magh Coil,
Burnt the new weaver's beam on (the) fire cooking the calf.
75 Greater was (the) marvel than the other ! the saint wrought (?) it :
In (the) morning whole was the beam, at (its) mother the calf suckled.
The treasure of silver which the artisan broke not, it was a marvel for her !
Brigit struck it against her palm so that afterwards it brake into three.
It was put into a scale by the artizan, a marvel was found after this,
80 It was not found that even one scruple (one third) was greater than another third.
What she wrought of miracles, there is not a human being who may recount them :
She blessed raiment for Condla when he was taken to Latium.
When there was danger to her, her Son before her did not fail her :
He brought (like) raiment in a coffer of sealskin in a chariot of two wheels.
85 The vat of mead that was brought to her, there was no hardship to every one who brought :
(The vessel) was found beside (his) house : it was not observed there with her.
She gave (mead) for her vassal's benefit when he needed it :
There was not found increase there, nor was a drop wanting from it.
On us let Brigit's prayers be, long against dangers may she aid us !
90 May they be on her weaklings' side before going into (the) Holy Spirit's presence !
May she come to us with a sword of fire at the fight against dark flights (of demons) !
May her holy prayers convoy us into heaven's kingdom beyond pains !
Before going with angels to the battle, let us visit the church running :
Commemoration of God is better than any poem — victorious Brigit loved not (the) world.
95 I beseech (the) patronage of Saint Brigit, with (the) Saints of Kildare :
May they be between me and pain, (that) my soul come not to ruin.
The Nun that used to run over (the) Curragh, may she be a shield against sharp weapons :
She found not her like save Mary : we put trust in my Brige !
We put trust in my Brige — may she be a protection to our host !
100 May her patronage work with me ! may we all deserve escape !
Christ's praise, a glorious utterance, adoration of God's Son, a gift of victory,
Of God's kingdom without denial be every one who has sung it, who has heard it.
Whoever hath heard, whoever hath sung, let Brigit's blessing be on him :
Brigit's blessing and God's be upon us together.
105 There are two nuns in heaven, whom I rely on (?) for my protection,
Mary and Saint Brigit : under (the) protection of them both be we !
Sancta Brigitta etc.
[In the MS. Trinity College, Dublin, is added the Latin strophe:
Sancta Brigitta virgo Sacratissima
In Christo Domino fuit fidelissima. Amen .]
Source: Whitley Stokes, Goidelica: Old and Early-middle-Irish Glosses, Prose and Verse (1872), 142-6.
Note: This text can be read with the full introduction at Trias Thaumaturga.
Image: "Saint Brigid of Kildare Church (Dublin, Ohio) - statue of Saint Brigid” by Nheyob on Wikimedia.
Additional Notes
Broccán (Brogan) Clóen
Contributed by
Broccán (Brogan) Clóen (‘squint[-eyed]’) (d. 650), abbot of Ros Tuirc in Ossory, was credited with the poem, ‘Ní car Brigit búadach bíth’, on the miracles of St Brigit (qv). According to its preface, Broccán's mentor, Ultán (qv) (d. 655/7) of Ardbraccan, had collected accounts of the miracles of Brigit and asked Broccán ‘to relate [them] compendiously [and] with poetic harmony’. It was composed, so the preface also goes, either at Slieve Bloom or at the foundation of St Máedóc (qv) at Cluain Mór (Clonmore, Co. Carlow), and (quite impossibly) in the reign of Lugaid (d. c.507) son of Lóegaire (qv), king of Ireland. There is considerable agreement in both the substance and the order of the miracles narrated between Broccán's ‘hymn’ and the Cogitosus (qv) Life of Brigit (c.650), so that it has been conjectured that the former was based on the latter. The poem itself has no thematic order, and is simply a concatenation of miracles or allusions to miracles. In its extant form it has many late linguistic features that point to a date of composition in the ninth century, but enough archaisms survive to sustain the possibility of original composition in the seventh century, and therefore of Broccán's authorship. His feast-day is 17 September; he is referred to in all of the early martyrologies.
Sources
Liber Hymn., i, 112–28; ii, pp l–lvi, 40–46, 189–205 (text, trans., and notes); W. Stokes and J. Strachan, Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus, ii (1903), pp xxxviii–xxxix, 327–49
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3318/dib.000973.v1
Originally published October 2009 as part of the Dictionary of Irish Biography
Last revised October 2009
This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license.
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