Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

“ And O Diarmuid, she said, it is a hard bed Finn has given you, to be lying on the stones and to be wet with the rain. Ochone! she said, your blue eyes to be without sight, you that were friendly and generous and pursuing. O love! O Diarmuid! it is a pity it is he sent you to your death.
You were a champion of the men of Ireland, their prop in the middle of the fight; you were the head of every battle; your ways were glad and pleasant.
It is sorrowful I am, without mirth, without light, but only sadness and grief and long dying; your harp used to be sweet to me, it wakened my heart to gladness. ”

“ This I remember not only for its thought but for its style, the rhythm of its prose. It is Lady Gregory at her best, as "Grania" as a whole is Lady Gregory at her best in tragedy. If "Grania" in every detail were as inspired as its explanation of the queen's quick turn from Diarmuid to Finn, it would be a great play, indeed. Grania is no light woman, and yet she turns, in the old legend, from the man who sacrificed all but all for her, on his death, to the High King who brought about his death, with a suddenness inexplicable. Lady Gregory makes that sudden turn plausible, for two reasons. ”

“ And he and Gráinne fled from Tara to Athlone, and crossed the Shannon by the ford there, with Finn's trackers close behind them; and for a year and a day they travelled through the length and breadth of Ireland; and every night Diarmuid built for his love a chamber of mighty stones, and carpeted it with sweet grass, and crept softly in beside her and held her in his arms till morning, so that no hurt might come to her. ”

“ And yet, I think it is Jealousy only that is the true protagonist. There is much talk about love, but it is not from love, but from jealousy that the action of the play arises. Among all this talk about love, among many eloquent sayings about love, true readings of love, there stands out most clearly in my memory this part of a speech of Finn, a speech uttered before Grania had turned from him to Diarmuid—
And as for youngsters, they do not know how to love because there is always some to-morrow's love possible in the shadow of the love of to-day. ”

“ Patrick questioned them:
"Who and what are you?" he asked. "Are you living, or have you returned from the land of the dead?"
"I am Caeilté mac Ronan, a chief of the Fianna Eireann," said the leader of the little band. "My friends were the noble Fionn, brown-haired Diarmuid, and Oscur the brave. Alas, but few of us remain; only Oisin with nine men, I and my nine men: soon we, too, shall join our comrades in the Isles of Promise."
Patrick and his people listened to Caeilté's words with great astonishment, and wondered that any one could live so long. ”

“ She lay down before Fionn, and howled long and sorrowfully.
"I think," said Fionn, "she has a knowledge of some unknown danger which threatens us.
"And what worse can happen to us than the loss of our swift and gentle hounds?" asked Diarmuid. "I would rather have been covered with wounds in battle than have this thing happen."
There was a little rustling in the bracken near them, and Bran, tired as she was, pricked up her ears to listen. Then, in the misty moonlight, a beautiful woman, with long fair hair flowing down to the hem of her dress, stood before them. ”

“ He stood there, wondering what country of the Sidhe he had reached, for before him stretched a wide green plain, with beautiful flowers growing over it, and shining white palaces standing in its midst, and before the largest of the palaces a multitude of armed men were gathered. Then Diarmuid saw the magician passing through this warlike host, and raising the battle shout of the Fianna he ran quickly after him. But the magician escaped through the gates into the palace, and the whole army turned to do battle with the Fian. ”

“ Then Diarmuid turned, took him by one hand, and Goll MacMorna by the other, and pulling with all their might, tore him from the wall and the floor. But if they did, he left all the skin of his back from his head to his heels on the floor and the wall behind him. But when they were going home through the hills of Tralee, they found a sheep on the way, killed it, and clapped the skin on Conán. ”

“ When the day for the feast came, Fin and the chief men of the Fenians of Erin set out for the castle of Fear Dubh.
They went, a glen at a step, a hill at a leap, and thirty-two miles at a running leap, till they came to the grand castle where the feast was to be given.
They went in; everything was ready, seats at the table, and every man's name at his seat in the same order as at Fin's castle. Diarmuid, who was always very sportive,—fond of hunting, and paying court to women, was not with them; he had gone to the mountains with his dogs. ”

“ They landed at the foot of the hill where Diarmid stood, and he swiftly ran down to meet them and to ask of what country they were.
'We are three royal chiefs,' said they, 'and are sent by Fionn to take an enemy of his whom he has outlawed, called Diarmid O'Dowd. And with us are three fierce hounds whom we will loose upon his track. Fire burns them not, nor water drowns them, nor weapons wound them, and of us there are two thousand men. ”

“ Therefore, O Diarmid, come down out of the tree, since Fionn will not grant you mercy. 'I will pledge that no evil will come to you to-day.'
So Diarmid rose, and stood upon the topmost bough of the tree, and leapt light and birdlike, by the shafts of his spears, and passed out far beyond Fionn and the Fenians of Erin. And he and Oscar went their way, and no tidings were heard of them till they reached Grania and Angus on the banks of the Boyne. ”

“ Dorriman in her whole life had been indebted to the poor for all the love and real kindness she had ever known—many a kind woman pitying the motherless child, had cheered her, many a man remembering the sweet sad face of the mother who had lived her short life amongst them, a life short but full of sweetest remembrances to all whom it had touched, had shown their gratitude to the mother in kindness to the child. ”

“ The divine mother once appeared to him, as Father Nierembergh relates in his Life, and as if thanking him, said: “How dear to me is this humble action done for love of me!” Then, oh my queen, I shall never be a true child of thine, if I am not humble. ”

“ Derues gave up his place to the priest, but as Edouard did not answer the latter’s questions, he approached the bed, and bending over the sufferer, exhorted him to confession.
“Dear boy,” he said, “take courage; your sufferings here will be counted to you above: God will weigh ahem in the scales of His infinite mercy. Listen to the words of His holy minister, cast your sins into His bosom, and obtain from Him forgiveness for your faults.” ”

“ When Duryodhana, O princess, is for taking thee before the assembly, this weak-brained king will no longer be able to protect his prosperity.’
“Draupadi said,—‘The great ordainer of the world hath, indeed, ordained so. Happiness and misery pay their court to both the wise and unwise. Morality, however, it hath been said, is the one highest object in the world. ”

“ If I have a soul for the dangers of the field, I have also, I think, the courage to confront those trials that pierce the heart with keener agonies than any the steel of a foeman can inflict. Fear not to task me beyond my strength."
"I will be as brief as possible," said the lady. "Your father, Henri, was of noble birth and possessed of fortune. My own share of the world's goods was small, and yet it was on this pittance alone that we were sustained, till the exertions of a generous friend procured you, under the name of De Grandville, (my maiden name,) a commission in the guards." ”

“ You have been very kind to me, sir—very kind—and I shall never forget it; and I hope I shall deserve it—but—Mr Drummond, and Mrs Drummond, and Sarah, were also kind to me—very kind to me—you know the rest. I will remain as I am, if you please; and if you wish to do me a kindness; if you wish me to love you, as I really do, let me be as I am—free and independent. ”

“ For, even an all-pervasive sympathy pervades only the living and not the lifeless. It is clear to the readers, therefore, that in these cases Dinabandhu lacked both experience and sympathy...hence in these cases his art proved a failure.
The same could be said about the heroes of Dinabandhu. The heroes of Dinabandhu—Bengali youths—are the epitomes of virtues having no work to do. Some of them are engaged in philanthropic activities and some others, in courting. ”

“ It never struck me—naturally enough—that the doctor was in fact thinking of Dauche.
Several days went by, blessed with all that is warm, young, affectionate in a growing [Pg 73] friendship. The war, among a thousand other miseries, has compelled us to live occasionally in the company of men whom in time of peace we should have carefully avoided. It was, then, with a trembling joy that I recognised in Dauche those qualities which would move my nature to love and affection—a nature which had ever perhaps been unduly difficult and uneasy. ”

“ M'Diarmid, like Crichton, did all things well, being a first-rate sportsman, a good draughtsman, was a follower of science, and an author to boot.
'He possessed qualities of coolness, deliberation and courage, that would have fitted him to be the leader of a party bound on an expedition far more adventurous than our own. ”

“ The marquis was impatient to complete his friend's happiness, and appointed a day for our marriage. But in the meantime Dorimene was taken so violently ill of a fever, that her life was despaired of. My brother's distraction on this account banished from our minds all other thoughts but how to comfort him; Dumont had too much delicacy, and too sincere a regard for his friend, to think it a proper time to talk of love while he was in such affliction. ”

“ Anne," he said, suddenly raising himself and looking at her, "if any one knew what the word remorse meant, I think there would be less wrong-doing in the world. It is the worm that never dies, and the fire that never is quenched." He spoke in a tone of despair and despondency, and Mrs. Dorriman endeavoured to console him. ”

“ And if all the gifts of Life are good, perhaps, too, are all the shapes she chooses to take, and which we cannot alter. The shape she has taken now for Dorimare is that of an invasion by our ancient foes. Why should we not make a virtue of necessity and throw our gates wide to them as friends? ”

“ Diarmad was the Adonis of the Feine. He is celebrated for his beauty, which led finally to his death, as will be seen in a future poem. He is said to have been the Ancestor of the clan Campbell, who are hence called “Clann Diarmaid,” or the “children of Diarmad.” The M’Diarmads, as well as some other subordinate clans, are also said to be of the same stock.
[67] A grandson of Finn by his son Daire dearg. His mother’s name was Luigheach, whence he was called the son of Luigheach, pronounced Luy. He was a famous man among the Feine, according to Irish authorities. ”

“ And yet, dear Lord, Thou knowest my weakness. Each morning I resolve to be humble, and in the evening I recognise that I have often been guilty of pride. The sight of these faults tempts me to discouragement; yet I know that discouragement is itself but a form of pride. I wish, therefore, O my God, to build all my trust upon Thee. As Thou canst do all things, deign to implant in my soul this virtue which I desire, and to obtain it from Thy Infinite Mercy, I will often say to Thee: "Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine." ”

“ Baugan startled the room with an exclamation. The paralytic lad had not been able to restrain himself.
“What! Mery! You, too, my poor friend!”
Mery, once a handsome country lad with a splendid body, looked at his dead limbs and sighed:
“It is quite possible, Madame. I can’t feel what’s going on.”
But Revaud was delighted. All the morning he cried, “It isn’t only me! It isn’t only me!” And no one grudged him his joy, for when you are in the depths of despair you are glad to have companions in your misery.
The most happy phrases have only a short-lived success. ”

“ V. “Charity Alone Conquers.”
Dharmamê jayam.
In the town of Têvai1 there lived a king called Suguṇa. He had an excellent minister named Dharmaśîla. They ruled for a long time in prosperity over the kingdom. Both of them had sons. The prince’s name was Subuddhi. He was a noble prince, and quite in keeping with his name, was always bent upon doing good to the world. The minister’s son was named Durbuddhi, a most wicked boy, whose only delight was teasing beasts and birds from his infancy, and which ripened into all sorts of wickedness as he grew to boyhood. ”

“ He that is of uncultivated heart and sacrificeth both virtue and profit, doth not deserve to govern a kingdom. For all that, however, Duryodhana, who is destitute of humility hath, by every means, obtained a kingdom. Indeed, O Dhritarashtra, thou so fond of thy son, art very much to be blamed for this, for knowing well his sinfulness, thou followest yet his counsel. That son of thine, completely possessed by lust and wrath is now the slave of delusion, and is, therefore, incapable, O king, of being now forcibly turned back by thee. ”

“ Every man has vanity in him, Dinabandhu had none. Every man has the element of anger in him, Dinabandhu had none. There was nothing about him that I did not know, but never did I find him in an angry mood. ”