3 Suibhne Geilt

Aspired in lonely desert wastes of old,
Attired in tastes despising mortal gold,
As widely spread as angels' wings in flight,
Espied, despised by most of mortal sight,
Their shining life disdained, you lonely hide,
Their worldly ways refrained, you turn to pray.
Wings swirled, arrayed, unstained, you fly away.
A year, a life without a feast, a wife.
As sheer as knife, your shout released from strife.
A breeze, you roam across the Irish land,
With trees as home and only cress at hand.
Above the plain, aloft from pains you soar.
You love the rain, divine wisdom you store.
Any essay to pay your due is vain.
Let me at least attempt, pretend and feign.

Michael McKenny September 2005 C.E.

The title page of the Irish Text Society's volume of the poems
attributed to Suibhne Geilt describes the work as "A Middle-Irish
Romance." Romance in this sense has the meaning more usually these days
conveyed by the term fantasy. Of course, it can, at one level, be read
as a fantasy story, a simple tale of unusual happenings. However, the
literature of humanity is not exclusively restricted to such a literal
perception.

Many examples can be advanced, and perhaps it is enough to mention that
a reader of the Twentieth Century novel THE WORD FOR WORLD IS FOREST can
see among other things in it the peace movement and opposition to the
Vietnam War, something Ursual K. Le Guin, its author, confirms in THE
LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT pp. 139ff

Returning to that Middle Irish reference, it is, of course, possible
that Buile Suibhne was composed c. 1200. It is also possible that it
dates from much earlier. even from close to the time the story is set.
Even were conclusive proof to be advanced that the language and
spellings of the surviving manuscripts are those of a man from c. 1200,
he remains, possibly, a copyest using his own speech and spelling, or
maybe a person retelling an old tale. All the Twentieth Century versions
of King Arthur, told in undeniably recent English cannot be taken, in
the light of our knowledge of earlier versions, as indicating a modern
date for Arthurian romance.

The account of Suibhne is set in historical times. His insane flight is
placed in the context of an actual battle, Rath, that occured in 637
C.E. He is, as was Arthur, said to have been a king. The story begins
with Suibhne attacking a Christian cleric's holy bell and receiving the
Christian's maddenning curse as a result.

Recognizing that a work of literature can possess a more than literal
significance does not render one a perfect interpreter, especially not
an exlusively perfect perceiver of the deeper meanings. Indeed, one
essential requirement for human peace, security and well-being is a
tolerant admission that various mortal minds and hearts may derive
quite a diverse range of understandings of the intent, of the potential,
of the resonances of such metaphorical texts.

That freely admitted and the confession readily extended that this
Twenty First Century reader may very much not be viewing the work
through the same eyes as the one who copied it c. 1200 and of him who
originally composed it, whenever that was, here are some present
thoughts on some possible inspirations, meanings and illuminations of
this book.

Both Christian and Classical contexts exist for the association of the
word king with other than stereotypical behaviour. The Stoics held that
the ideal philosopher, by being in control of himself and not subject
to the whims of fate around him, was, in effect, a true king. The Bible
in the Book of Daniel offers the description, unconfirmed by
historians, of the madness of the King of Babylon, who spent seven years
eating grass. Suibhne's lengthy fondness for the taste of watercress is
similar.

Actually, most people, in my opinion, aware of monastic attitudes and
concerns will likely notice throughout the tale of Suibhne Geilt a lot
of symbolism calling to mind the monk's vows of renouncing the mundane
world, the spiritual turning away from ordinary life and cleaving to the
crucifix, often conveyed with the image of a tree. At this level one can
detect in Suibhne's flight from the glory of battle, from the pleasures
of women, from good food and drink and clothes and dry, comfortable
dwelling as a statement of the hermit's, the monk's decision to live
simply a life dedicated to God. The same thought informs the passages
concerning Suibhne's family members being dead to him, though really
they are alive.

Renunciation of the ordinary world is an extensive, multi-layered and
ongoing way of life for the spiritual wayfarer. This can be seen in this
text with its Christian context and in many other works far beyond the
frontiers of Christendom. Depending on one's experience and background,
one can observe familiarity in the symbols evident in the text of
Suibhne. A Qabalist may see Suibhne as moving along the paths of the
tree of life. A shaman may see Suibhne as ascending and descending the
World Tree. The references to growing feathers can be understood by a
Christian the acquisition of angelic qualities by one climbing Jacob's
ladder heavenward. 

Whatever one's personal background and experiences, through whichever viewpoint one chooses to behold this so fascinating composition, may it provide both pleasure and food for thought, for contemplation to all who come upon it.

Michael McKenny 2005 C.E.


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