Free Sweeney Astray by Seamus Heaney Page B

was.
    —It is Ronan Finn, son of Bearach, they said. He is marking out a church in your territory and what you hear is the ringing of his bell.
    Sweeney was suddenly angered and rushed away to hunt the cleric from the church. Eorann, his wife, a daughter of Conn of Ciannacht, tried to hold him back and snatched at the fringe of his crimson cloak, but the silver cloak-fastener broke at the shoulder and sprang across the room. She got the cloak all right but Sweeney had bolted, stark naked, and soon landed with Ronan.
    Â Â 4   He found the cleric glorifying the King of heaven and earth, in full voice in front of his psalter, a beautiful illuminated book. Sweeney grabbed the book and flung it into the cold depths of a lake nearby, where it sank without trace. Then he took hold of Ronan and was dragging him out through the church when he heard a cry of alarm. The call came from a servant of Congal Claon’s who had come with orders from Congal to summon Sweeney to battle at Moira. He gave a full report of the business and Sweeney went off directly with the servant, leaving the cleric distressed at the loss of his psalter and smarting from such contempt and abuse.
    Â Â 5   A day and a night passed and then an otter rose out of the lake with the psalter and brought it to Ronan, completely unharmed. Ronan gave thanks to God for that miracle, and cursed Sweeney, saying:
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Sweeney has trespassed on me
    and abused me grievously
    and laid violent hands on me
    to drag me with him from Killarney.
    Â 
 
 
When Sweeney heard my bell ringing
    he came all of a sudden hurtling
    in terrible rage against me
    to drive me off and banish me.
    Â 
 
 
Outrage like that, and eviction
    from the first place I had chosen,
    were too much for me to bear.
    Therefore, God answered my prayer.
    Â 
 
 
My hand was locked in Sweeney’s hand
    until he heard the loud command
    to battle: Come away and join
    arms with Donal on Moira’s plain.
    Â 
 
 
So I offered thanks and praise
    for the merciful release,
    that unhoped-for, timely summons
    to arm and join the high prince.
    Â 
 
 
From far off he approached the field
    that drove his mind and senses wild.
    He shall roam Ireland, mad and bare.
    He shall find death on the point of a spear.
    Â 
 
 
The psalter that he grabbed and tore
    from me and cast into deep water—
    Christ brought it back without a spot.
    The psalter stayed immaculate.
    Â 
 
 
A day and a night in brimming waters,
    my speckled book was none the worse!
    Through the will of God the Son
    an otter gave me it again.
    Â 
 
 
This psalter that he profaned
    I bequeath with a malediction:
    that it bode evil for Colman’s race
    the day this psalter meets their eyes.
    Â 
 
 
Bare to the world, here came Sweeney
    to harass and to harrow me:
    therefore, it is God’s decree
    bare to the world he’ll always be.
    Â 
 
 
Eorann, daughter of Conn of Ciannacht,
    tried to hold him by his cloak.
    Eorann has my blessing for this
    but Sweeney lives under my curse.
    Â 
    Â Â 7   After that, Ronan came to Moira to make peace between Donal, son of Aodh, and Congal Claon, son of Scannlan, but he did not succeed. Nevertheless, the cleric’s presence was taken as a seal and guarantee of the rules of the battle; they made agreements that no killing would be allowed except between those hours they had set for beginning and ending the fight each day. Sweeney, however, would continually violate every peace and truce which the cleric had ratified, slaying a man each day before the sides were engaged and slaying another each evening when the combat was finished. Then, on the day fixed for the great battle, Sweeney was in the field before everyone else.
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He was dressed like