[Illustration: A "Cromlech," an ancient Irish tomb: still to be seen in its place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. This is rather a small one, the covering stone being only about 6-1/2 feet long. Some cromlechs are very large: one at Kilternan near Dublin has a covering stone 23-1/2 feet long, 17 feet broad, and 6-1/2 feet thick: and no one can tell how the people of old lifted it up.] Deirdre; or, The Fate of the Sons of Usna.[55-1] XI. THE FLIGHT TO ALBAN. Concobar Mac Nessa king of Ulaid[55-2] ruled in Emain. And his chief storyteller, Felimid, made a feast for the king and for the knights of the Red Branch; who all came to partake of it in his house. While they were feasting right joyously, listening to the sweet music of the harps and the mellow voices of the bards, a messenger brought word that Felimid's wife had given birth to a little daughter, an infant of wondrous beauty. And when Caffa, the king's druid and seer, who was of the company, was ware of the birth of the child, he went forth to view the stars and the clouds, if he might thereby glean knowledge of what was in store for that little babe.[55-3] And when he had returned to his place, he sat deep pondering for a time: and then standing up and obtaining silence, he said:-- "This child shall be called Deir-drĕ[56-1]; and fittingly is she so named: for much of woe will befal Ulaid and Erin in general on her account. There shall be jealousies, and strifes, and wars: evil deeds will be done: many heroes will be exiled: many will fall." [55-1] The translation that follows is quite new, and is now published for the first time. On this fine story is founded the poem of "Deirdre" by Robert Dwyer Joyce, M.D. [55-2] Ulaid (pron. _Ulla_), Ulster. [55-3] The druids professed to be able to foretell by observing the stars and clouds. [56-1] "Deirdre" is said to mean "alarm." When the heroes heard this they were sorely troubled, and some said that the child should be killed. But the king said:--"Not so, ye Knights of the Red Branch, it is not meet to commit a base deed in order to escape evils that may never come to pass. This little maid shall be reared out of the reach of mischief, and when she is old enough she shall be my wife: thus shall I be the better able to guard against those evils that Caffa forecasts for us." And the Ultonians did not dare to gainsay the word of the king.