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verse beg. Trédhe nach fuilngeand rígh réil

  • Late Middle Irish
  • verse

Medieval Irish prophetic poem (72 qq) attributed in the final stanza to Bécán Bec mac Dé, better known elsewhere as the prophet Bec mac Dé. According to Eleanor Knott, it is a composite work, which may be regarded as falling into at least two sections (A = qq. 1–13, B = qq. 14-72).

First words (verse)
  • Trédhe nach fuilngeand rígh réil
Author
Ascribed to: Becc mac Dé
Becc mac Dé
(d. 550s)
legendary seer, best known from literary sources as an Irish prophet associated with Díarmait mac Cerbaill
See more
Manuscripts
Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS D ii 1 (1225) = Leabhar Uí Mhaine (The Book of Uí Maine) [1394]
f. 68(125)ra.10–vb.12
beg. ‘Tredhe nach fuilngeand righ rel’

72 qq.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Laud Misc. 615 = Saltair Choluim Chille [s. xvi1]
p. 110.15–foot
rubric: ‘Colum Cille cecinit’
beg. ‘‘Treidhi na dlegaid rig réil’
qq 1–3 only.
Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1339 (H 2. 18) = Book of Leinster [s. xii2]
beg. ‘Dar ben chloc i Taltin te’

1 quatrain attributed to Becc mac Dé, corresponding to q. 9 of the poem in RIA MS D ii 1.

Qq. 60, 64 and 66 are found in manuscripts of the commentary that accompanies Immacallam in dá thúarad, including the Yellow Book of Lecan.

Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1318 15, cols. 500-572 = YBL section [1408]
pp. 249a, 250a, 250b
Qq. 60, 64 and 66, cited by Knott in her notes (pp. 82-83).
Language
  • Late Middle Irish
Date

According to Eleanor Knott, the poem as preserved in RIA MS D ii 1 is a composite work: “In attempting to determine the date of our poem we have to take into account that it is not so much a composition as a compilation, in which at least two documents, assignable on linguistic and other grounds to the early part of the eleventh century, are freely utilized (see Notes).” She observes that the latest datable reference may be from 1136. “The general tone of the verses throughout is suitable to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, a period in which war and pestilence caused widespread damage, moral and physical, throughout Ireland. Apart from the two doubtful references mentioned above I see no reason to date the poem much later than 1150”.

Form
verse (primary)
Metre
  • deibide
Textual relationships
Related: In mac ndíaid a athar a nArd MauchaiIn mac ndíaid a athar a nArd MauchaiLongas Inbir DomnannLongas Inbir DomnannIrish poem (27 qq) attributed to Colum Cille, which prophesies the arrival of a large fleet of foreign invaders at Inber Domnann (Malahide Bay, north Co. Dublin) before Judgment Day.
Ocht naoimh Iarmuman gan meirgOcht naoimh Iarmuman gan meirg

Classification

Subjects

prophecies
prophecies
id. 47094

Sources

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Knott, Eleanor, “A poem of prophecies”, Ériu 18 (1958): 55–84.
web page identifiers
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
December 2022, last updated: June 2023
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