Eaċtra cloinne riġ na n-Ioruaiḋe
There was a High-king, noble, illustrious, knowledgeable, very prudent and very wise, valiant and valorous, of righteous words
Eaċtra cloinne riġ na n-Ioruaiḋe
There was a High-king, noble, illustrious, knowledgeable, very prudent and very wise, valiant and valorous, of righteous words, who assumed sovereignty, possession, and authority over the fair-clean cluster-fruited regions of Norway, whose name was IORUAIDH son of Dealbha, son of Dathaoin, son of Daire Red-green, son of Ioruaith, etc. Milkful were milch-cows, cluster-fruited were woods, fishful were rivers, heavy-fruited were lands, populous were mansions, wealthy were assemblies, rich were high-churches, and entertained were ollamhs during the time of that strong king.
Now this is how that king was: he had no children except three spirited, proud sons, Cod, Cead, and Micead. And there was never a forge of valour or heroism in the three plunder divisions of life but they had spent some while of their time in them, in [each] country closely acquiring every perfect heroism, so that all in common used to call them the three protecting columns of the world; for their name and high fame excelled that of the men of the whole world in their own time.
The Comely Woman and the Geis
Of a day these famous men went to hunt upon the isle of birds on the north side of Norway. This is how that isle is situated. It has a clear, close forest wood on one side of it, and the sea upon the other side of it. Of a look that they cast towards sea, they beheld a laden broad-spread bark coming towards them, with many and variegated sails upon it, and it put in without delay to the island's harbour; and when they deemed that a number of warriors and people p53 would come out of her, there only came out of her a single woman, the most beautiful of form, shape, and make, of mien and appearance, of the women of the entire world. This is how that girl was: she had a hood of beautiful gold of Africa upon her head, cunningly lined with precious stones of Adam's Paradise, and on her head was long hair, very golden, [falling] down upon the young queen's shoulders. Redder than the flower of the partuing was her mouth, and there was like a purple rose burning in her cheek, and like to a shower of pearls her teeth in her head, and a blue laughing eye she had, and gentle, courteous, well-spoken, sweet-toned she was, and there was a mantle of satin around her, and there was a red gold pin blazing in the breast of that symmetrically-peaked mantle. And as much as the Red Sea excels the seas, and Mount Sion the mountains, and the ioruaidli the birds, so much did that fair lady excel for beauty and for good mien the women of the entire world.