Catholica
Chapter 1 #
1 God, God—whom I pray to before coming into His presence.
2 Chariot through battle.
3 God of heaven, do not leave me in the track where it is exclaimed, due to its smoke from its greatness.
4 Great God, my protection from a fiery abundance of incessant tears.
5 Righteous God, truly near, who hears both my wailings from heaven-land of clouds.
6 The descendant of Niall is no trivial tale.
7 Many plains sigh with great woe, a great unbearable ringing.
8 When the tale tells of Colum dying and departing church.
9 How will a simple one speak of him?
10 Even Nera, the prophet of God,
11 Who took his seat in Zion, having recently died.
12 There is no profit for us.
13 Soul’s light, our learned one is gone, for he has been hidden from us.
14 He who used to preserve alive has died.
15 For he has departed from us, who was rightly our chief.
16 For he has departed from us, who was God’s messenger.
17 For the seer is no more, who used to divert fears from us.
18 For the rebuker is gone, who used to explain the truth of words.
19 For the teacher is not, who used to teach the tribes of Toi.
20 The whole world was his.
21 It is a harp without a base-chord, it is a church without an abbot.
Chapter 2 #
1 He rose very high, God’s time about Colum of company.
2 Bright-shrine attendance.
3 He kept vigil as long as he lived.
4 He was of brief age.
5 He ate little food.
6 He was chief of science in every hill.
7 He was a fort in book law-learned.
8 He inflamed countries and territories.
9 The west territory was his.
10 East was equally his.
11 With clerics heart-pained.
12 Good in death.
13 With God’s angels on high he departed.
Chapter 3 #
1 He came to great crowds — archangels.
2 He has reached a land where night is not seen.
3 He has reached a land for Moses, we deem.
4 He has reached plains where customarily songs are not born.
5 Where sages hear not.
6 King of priests cast out travails.
Chapter 4 #
1 He suffered briefly until he won.
2 He was a horror to the devil.
3 To whom celebration was hung.
4 From his powerful profession.
5 Firmly he preserved law.
6 Sepulchre was known, wisdom was known.
7 The science of Deity was laid down for him.
8 Truly, good in death.
9 He was skilful in conversations of angels.
10 He expounded Basil’s judgments.
11 He forbade works from choruses, in crowds, in choruses.
Chapter 5 #
1 He perceived the course he ran.
2 For hatred, love.
3 The teacher sewed word.
4 He illustrated psalms.
5 He explained the law’s books — books which Cassian loved.
6 He fought the battles of the stomach.
7 The books of Solomon he followed.
8 Seasons and storms he perceived.
9 He divided division with figure among the books of the law.
10 He read the mysteries of the great revelation among schools of scriptures.
11 And he understood the moon’s course.
12 He perceived (its) race with branching sun.
13 And sea-course.
14 He would count the stars of heaven, who could tell of each very noble thing.
15 Which we have heard from Colum Cille.
Chapter 6 #
1 Who was, who will be alive, who was more wonderful over lands than the very learned one of the North-East?
2 He used to tell until recently.
3 One who did not know falsehood.
4 A course he made more fortunate.
5 With the charioteers of the noble city, to wisdom he was brought.
6 Before God made man.
7 On high he was crowned.
8 He gave up the desire of his eyes.
9 A perfect sage, who believed Christ.
10 And he desired not ale, or gluttony: he avoided flesh.
11 He was learned, he was chaste.
12 He was charitable.
13 A rock of victory.
14 He gave himself fully.
15 He was an abounding benefit to guests.
16 He was zealous.
17 He was noble, high over death.
18 He was gentle.
19 He was a physician with the heart of every sage.
20 Our diadem who used to converse with Axal.
21 It was asceticism of which he died.
22 He was melodious.
23 His art of clericship was unique.
24 To others he was inscrutable.
25 He was a shelter to the naked.
26 He was a consolation to poor.
27 It was afresh he used to suffer every heaviness of attack.
28 From Colum discipline of territories.
29 In great dignity, we hope for manna.
30 Christ has associated him among the righteous.
31 Through the long periods he was humbling himself.
Chapter 7 #
1 A sage and doctor, who reached the path of four.
2 He went with music to heaven-land after his cross.
3 Guardian of a hundred-churches under fullness of waves of offering,
4 A mighty champion, not idolatrous.
5 He brought up not an unrighteous company.
6 He did support or suffer heresy.
7 He took no amusement from what was not in the King’s Law.
8 That he might not die an eternal death.
9 Living his name.
10 Living his soul.
11 It is a great number that he prepared under Saints’ Law.
12 Decay attacked his side.
13 The desire of his body he destroyed.
14 He suppressed argumentativeness.
15 Is not the child the son of Ua Chinn?
16 He profaned not due to jealousy.
17 He profaned not due to envy.
18 Good in your judgment (is his) grave, o sages.
19 Against every toil of successive seasons.
20 Through an idolatrous territory he meditated (on its) guilt.
21 For the sake of religious chariots.
22 With continuous battle he sought truth: he used to fight against flesh.
23 That the king’s son might not come upon two things of God:
24 A fearful voice, a fearful verse.
25 He was buried before his end, before his weakness.
26 For fear of hell he went into Scotland.
Chapter 8 #
1 Aed celebrated all mighty-men.
2 A lasting poem of battle for a heavenly champion.
3 Not unloved.
4 Not insignificant.
5 Not prosperous.
6 The champion is not who bound new things for the alliance of Conall.
7 He subdued with a blessing the mouths of the fierce who were at Toi, a king’s will.
8 From men withdrawn, with God he has taken his seat.
9 For self-discipline, for fasting, the descendant bestowed pure, great hospitality in the city of Conall.
10 In disease, fair sage and master of household.
11 To an angel he used to speak; he spoke in Greek grammar.
12 A noble one who sought North; that I tell.
13 Fedilmid’s son in the North territory knew his own end.
14 There went not from the world [one] who was constant in his recollection of the cross.
15 What he preached in words, he fulfilled in deeds.
16 So that there sprang a noble offspring, a descendant of Árt, not of Niall with strength.
17 Who committed not an injury for which one dies.
18 The profession of Cond broke grief, through his going for a stay of greatness of good.
19 Son, name of cross,
20 Up to this his age: manifest sky: great are his professions I have related.
21 He cried like a melodious lion in a snow’s new meeting.
22 Until death how will I relate the route he went in flesh to heaven; his choice made joy summer-peace.
23 The famous one, wisdom; it is certain for him.
24 Not the wail of one house, not the wail of one string.
25 Of heavy territories is a word of noise.
26 For it was due from him: the lamp of the king which was extinguished, was relit.
27 This is the eulogy of the king who made me king, who will redeem us to Zion.
28 May he carry me past torments.
29 May he drive mind-darkness from me.
30 May the descendant of the body of Cathair with nobility see me without stain.
31 Great circles of great turnings, great poems of heaven, to me sunless is not suitable.