" "What was it brought you to us from
over the sea, Queen?" said Finn then. "Is it that your husband is gone
from you, or what is the trouble that is on you?" "My husband is not gone
from me," she said, "for I never went yet to any man. But O King of the
Fianna," she said, "I have given my love and my affection to your own
son, Oisin of the strong hands." "Why did you give your love to him
beyond all the troops of high princes that are under the sun?" said
Finn. "It was by reason of his great name, and of the report I heard of
his bravery and of his comeliness," she said. "And though there is many
a king's son and high prince gave me his love, I never consented to any
till I set my love on Oisin."
When Oisin heard what she was saying, there was not a limb of his body
that was not in love with beautiful Niamh; and he took her hand in his
hand, and he said: "A true welcome before you to this country, young
queen. It is you are the shining one," he said; "it is you are the
nicest and the comeliest; it is you are better to me than any other
woman; it is you are my star and my choice beyond the women of the
entire world." "I put on you the bonds of a true hero," said Niamh then,
"you to come away with me now to the Country of the Young." And it is
what she said:
"It is the country is most delightful of all that are under the sun; the
trees are stooping down with fruit and with leaves and with blossom.
"Honey and wine are plentiful there, and everything the eye has ever
seen; no wasting will come on you with the wasting away of time; you
will never see death or lessening.
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