Читать книгу Lyra Celtica: An Anthology of Representative Celtic Poetry онлайн

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As an example of Mr Yeats’ narrative method, with legendary themes, I may quote this from his beautiful “Wanderings of Oisìn” (rather affectedly and quite needlessly altered to Usheen in the latest version)—

“Fled foam underneath us, and round us a wandering and milky smoke,

High as the saddle-girth, covering away from our glances the tide;

And those that fled, and that followed, from the foampale distance broke;

The immortal desire of immortals we saw in their faces, and sighed.

I mused on the chase with the Fenians, and Bran, Sgeolan, Lomair,

And never a song sang Neave, and over my fingertips

Came now the sliding of tears and sweeping of mist-cold hair,

And now the warmth of sighs, and after the quiver of lips.

Were we days long or hours long in riding, when rolled in a grisly peace,

An isle lay level before us, with dripping hazel and oak?

And we stood on a sea’s edge we saw not; for whiter than new washed fleece

Fled foam underneath us, and round us a wandering and milky smoke.