Preface
to Professor Windisch's preface to his edition of this tale, and to his exceedingly close translation of the Irish text; and I wish to thank very sincerely all those friends who have assisted me in questions as to pronunciation and translation of the Irish proper names, and with general criticisms on my attempts to render this old Irish story into an English literary form.
The story in the text is plain enough, and would have required no special introduction had not the first few pages in the Book of Leinster version unfortunately been lost. Possibly the "fault" with which Nuagel reproaches her daughter Ferb in the first verse of the lament marked V, and the allusion in the second line of the third verse of the lament marked VII (see literal translation) refer to something in the lost part of the story, but I have not found any other indication of it, and no essential part of the tale seems to be missing. To replace the lost part a short introduction in italics has been added.
University College, Sheffield
Dec. 1901-July 1902.
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