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Aid:Commentary on the Amra Choluim Chille/TOC/Ch 1

From CODECS: Online Database and e-Resources for Celtic Studies

Introduction

Summary:
The chapter is explained in Latin as referring to the announcement of Colum Cille’s death; the great sadness among the Irish afterwards; and the sorrow (mestitia) ‘of all things’ attending on his death.

[6] Ni disceoil dúe Neill

Summary:
The accompanying explanation focuses on the words disceoil and dúe:

  • ni disceoil i.e. not without news (cen scél); or not trifling the news (dis + scél); in other words, the news that Columba died is not trivial to the Uí Néill.
  • or dúe Néill i.e. to the house (domus) of Níall.
  • or ni disceoil i.e. not the folly (duíthe) of a tale; in other words, the story known to the house (tegdais) of Níall is not the story of a fool (duí).
  • or doé from domus as in ‘I will go (ibo) into evil into the palace (ríg-dai, from regalis and domus)’.

[7.1] Ni huctot oenmaige

[7.2] Mor mairg

[7.3] Mor deilm

[8.1] difhulaing riss re aisneid

Includes verse: Cen cholt for crib cernine

[8.2] Colum cen beith / cen chill

[9.1] Co india dui dó?

[9.2] sceo Nera

[10; 11] In faith Dé de deis Sion suidiath: is nu nad mair

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[11.2] Ni marthar lenn

[12] Ni less anma ar sui ardon-condiath

[13] Conroeter bin bath

[14] Ardon-bath ba ar n-airchenn adlicen

[15] Ardon-bath ba ar fiadait foidiam

[16] Ar nin-fissid frisbered omnu huain

[17] Ar nin-tathrith dosluinned foccul fir

[18] Ar nin-forcetlaid forcanad tuatha Toi

[19] Huile bith ba hae he

[20] Is crot cen cheis, is cell cen abbaid

Includes verse: Ní celt ceisBa binniu chech ceol in chrot

Summary:
The text offers a number of different readings for the nouns in this line, especially the céis of the harp:

  1. The ‘harp (crot/cruit) without a céis’ is explained as being without a coe for holding the strings; and ‘the church without an abbot (abbaid)’ as a church without a ‘keen father’ (abba + áit), namely every place after Columba;
  2. or céis is a name for the small harp that accompanies the larger harp when they are being played in unison (im chomsheinm);
  3. or céis is a name for the small pin (delg) used to fasten the bronze/copper (umaide) string of the harp.
  4. or céis is a name for the coblaig (‘bass strings’ as Stokes translates this?)
  5. or céis is a name for a heavy chord (trom-thét)
  6. or céis is that which retains the leithrind with its strings.
    • ut dixit poeta in the poem beg. Ní celt ceis
    • as in the carmen beg. ‘Ba binniu chech ceol in chrot’
» Comments: Cf. <DIL s.v. ‘leithriu’> (a): “Part of a harp or ‘timpán’ to which the strings were attached”, citing the above in support of this.

Story about Main/Labraid, Moriath and the harper (YBL) » entry

Summary:
Is crot cen cheis is given another explanation as referring to a harp without glés ‘tuning’.

The story of Labraid and his horse’s ears (YBL) » entry