esselte said:

esselte said:

Peak Warming Man said:

I think there’s something in that for everyone.

Indeed. Ninth-century Irish? No doubt the meter of the original was a loose seven-syllable deibide with the featural rhymes typical of Old Irish, in the alternating rinn/ardrinn style in which a stressed syllable is rhymed with an unstressed one. Here it appears to have beeen rendered it in English with seven-syllable trochaic tetrameter. Fascinating.

Actually, the original is pretty cool. I watched a video recently of a monologue which gradually transitions from pre-literary Old English (c.450 AD) to an urban northeastern dialect of modern American English.. Old English starts becoming quite recognizable through the 9th century, this Old Irish is just not quite at the threshold of being understandable, but it’s pretty close.

Messe ocus Pangur Bán,
cechtar nathar fria saindán;
bíth a menma-sam fri seilgg,
mu menma céin im saincheirdd

Caraim-se fos, ferr cach clú,
oc mu lebrán léir ingnu;
ní foirmtech frimm Pangur bán,
caraid cesin a maccdán.

Ó ru·biam — scél cen scís —
innar tegdais ar n-óendís,
táithiunn — díchríchide clius —
ní fris tarddam ar n-áthius.

Gnáth-húaraib ar gressaib gal
glenaid luch inna lín-sam;
os mé, du·fuit im lín chéin
dliged n-doraid cu n-dronchéill.

Fúachid-sem fri frega fál
a rosc anglése comlán;
fúachimm chéin fri fégi fis
mu rosc réil, cesu imdis,

Fáelid-sem cu n-déne dul
hi·n-glen luch inna gérchrub;
hi·tucu cheist n-doraid n-dil,
os mé chene am fáelid.

Cía beimmi amin nach ré,
ní·derban cách ar chéle.
Maith la cechtar nár a dán,
subaigthius a óenurán.

Hé fesin as choimsid dáu
in muid du·n-gní cach óenláu;
du thabairt doraid du glé
for mu mud céin am messe.

You know Old Irish esselte?

Go hiontoch!