The Latin & Irish Lives of Ciaran Part 3

37. Saint Columba, on hearing of the death of Saint Kiara.n.u.s, said, "Blessed be G.o.d, Who hath called to Himself most holy Kiara.n.u.s from this life in his youth. For had he lived to old age, there would have been envy of many against him, for he would have had a firm hold on the parish of all Ireland."

Saint Columba made a hymn to Saint Kiara.n.u.s; and when he set it forth in the settlement of Cluain, the successor of Saint Kiara.n.u.s said unto him, "Shining and worthy of praise is this hymn; what reward then, father, shall be rendered unto thee?" Saint Columba answered: "Give me my hands full of the earth of the grave of your holy father Kiara.n.u.s; for I wish for and desire that, more than for pure gold and precious gems." And Saint Columba receiving earth from the grave of Saint Kiara.n.u.s, made his way to his own island of Hya.

When Saint Columba was voyaging on the sea, there arose a storm in the sea, and the ship was thrust towards the whirlpool which is in the Scotic tongue called Cori Bracayn, in which is a sea-whirlpool most dangerous, wherein if ships enter they come not out. And the whirlpool beginning to draw the ship towards itself, blessed Columba cast part of the earth of Saint Kiara.n.u.s into the sea. Most wondrous to relate, immediately the storm of the air, the movement of the waves, and the swirl of the whirlpool all ceased, till the ship had long escaped from it. Then Saint Columba, giving thanks to G.o.d, said to his followers, "Ye see, brethren, how much favour hath the earth of most blessed Kiara.n.u.s brought us."

LIII. A PANEGYRIC OF CIARAN

38. Most blessed Kiara.n.u.s living among men pa.s.sed a life as of an angel, for the grace of the Holy Spirit burned in his face before the eyes of men. Who could expound his earthly converse? For he was young in age and in body, yet a most holy senior in mind and in manners, in humility, in gentleness, in charity, in daily labours, in nightly vigils, and in other divine works.

For now liveth he in rest without labour, in age without senility, in health without sorrow, in joy without grief, in peace without a foe, in wealth without poverty, in endless day without night, in the eternal kingdom without end, before the throne of Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth unto ages of ages.

Amen.

_Here endeth the life of Saint Ciaran, Abbot of Cluain meic Nois._

[Footnote 1: The inconsistencies in the spelling of the various proper names in this translation follow those in the original doc.u.ments.]

[Footnote 2: The MS. reads _lac iam... effudit_. For _iam_ we should probably read _enim_. A similar correction is made in -- 38.]

[Footnote 3: _Ipsa insula semper ab Hybernia habitatur._ The sense of this pa.s.sage is not clear: it may be corrupt.]

[Footnote 4: Lit.: "the shadow of the aid of thy dutifulness."]

[Footnote 5: This sentence reads very awkwardly, owing to the incorporation of two originally interlined glosses. Reference to the MS. enables us to isolate these. The sentence there runs thus: "Si ergo in isto loco mansissem non Ysseal .i. imus esset id est non paruus sed altus .i. magnus et honorabilis." Here _id est_ occurs three times, once in full, and twice represented by the common contraction .i., which is universally used in MSS. of Irish origin for the introduction of a gloss. If we write the sentence as below, we shall see the significance of the different ways in which the expression is written, and by expunging the glosses can make the sentence less clumsy and more intelligible

_.i. imus_ --"Si ... mansissem, non Ysseal esset, id est non paruus; sed _.i. magnus et honorabilis_ altus."]

[Footnote 6: Correcting the _vita_ of the MS. to _via_, in conformity with VG.]

THE SECOND LATIN LIFE OF SAINT CIARAN

II. THE ORIGIN AND BIRTH OF CIARAN

1. A glorious man; and an abbot in life most holy, Quera.n.u.s, was born of a father Boecius, of a mother Darercha. This man drew his origin from the northern part of Ireland, that is, he was of the Aradenses by race. Now he was so illuminated by divine grace from his boyhood, that it was clearly apparent of what manner he was destined to be. For he was as a burning lamp in extraordinary charity, so as to show not only the warmth of a pious heart and devotion in relieving the necessity of men, but also an unwearied sympathy for the needs of irrational animals. And because such a lamp should not be hidden under a bushel, so from his boyhood he began to sparkle with the marvels of miracles.

III. HOW CIARAN RAISED THE STEED OF OENGUS FROM DEATH

2. For when the horse of the son of the king of that territory perished with a sudden death, and the young man was much grieved at its fall, there appeared to him in dreams a man of venerable and shining countenance, who forbade him to be grieved for the death of the horse, saying unto him, "Call," said he, "the holy boy Kera.n.u.s, and let him pour water into the mouth of thy horse, and sprinkle its forehead, and it shall revive. And thou shalt endow him with due reward for its resurrection."

When the king's son had wakened from sleep, he sent for the boy Kera.n.u.s that he should come to him; who, when he made his presence known, and heard the dream throughout, according to what the angel taught him, sprinkled the horse with holy water and raised it from death. When this great miracle was seen, the king of that territory made over to Saint Kera.n.u.s a fertile and s.p.a.cious field in honour of Omnipotent G.o.d, in Whose Name his horse was resurrected.

IV. HOW CIARAN TURNED WATER INTO HONEY

3. Moreover it fell out on a certain day that the mother of Kera.n.u.s himself found fault with him, for that he did not bring wild honey such as the other boys were wont to carry to their parents. When the beloved of G.o.d and men heard this, he raised his thoughts to the Boy who was subject to His parents, and blessed water, brought from a neighbouring spring, in His Name who is able to draw honey from the rock, and oil from the hardest stone; and presently that water is changed, with the help of G.o.d, into the sweetest honey, and so it is brought to his mother. This honey his parents sent to Saint Dermicius the deacon, surnamed Iustus, who baptized him.

XVII. HOW CIARAN WENT WITH HIS COW TO THE SCHOOL OF FINDIAN

4. Now when the rudiments of letters had been read [with him] by the saint aforesaid, he proposed to go to the blessed abbey of Cluayn Hirard for instruction. And as he wished to fulfil in deed what he had begun to conceive of in his mind, he asked a cow of his parents for his sustenance. But when his mother would not grant his pet.i.tion, the Heavenly Father, Who loveth those whom He regardeth as a mother her son, did not tarry to fulfil the desire of his beloved. For a milch cow, together with her calf, followed him as though she had been driven after him by her herdsman.

When he had come to the sacred college of Saint Fynnia.n.u.s, they all had no small joy at his arrival. But the cow, which had followed him, was pastured along with her calf, nor did it [the calf] attempt to touch the udders of its mother without permission. Kera.n.u.s so separated and divided its pastures, that the mother would only lick the calf, and would not offer to suckle it. Now the milk of that cow was rich in such abundance that, divided daily, it would supply a sufficiency of provision for twelve men.

But the holy youth Kera.n.u.s, deeply occupied with the sacred Scripture, shone in holiness and wisdom among his fellow-students as a brilliant star among the other stars. For he was filled with the fragrance of perfect charity, with moral worth, with holiness of life, and with sweetness of humility, gracious, honourable, and admirable to present and to absent.

XXVI. HOW CIARAN FREED A WOMAN FROM SERVITUDE

5. One day he made his way to a king, Tuathlus by name, to intercede for the liberation of a certain bond-maid. When he besought the king fervently for her, and _he_ rejected the prayers of the servant of G.o.d as though they were ravings, he thought out a new method of liberating her, and determined that he himself should serve the king in her place. Now when he was coming to the house in which the girl was grinding, the doors which were shut opened to him. Entering, he showed himself a second Bishop Paulinus to her. Without delay the king freed her, and further presented his vesture to the servant of G.o.d.

Receiving this, he forthwith distributed it to the poor.

XXIV. THE STORY OF THE MILL AND THE BAILIFF'S DAUGHTER _(abstract only)_

6. It fell out one night that the eminent doctor Finnia.n.u.s sent him with grain of wheat to the mill. Now a certain kingling who lived near, learning that one of the disciples of the man of G.o.d had come thither, sent him flesh and ale by a servant. When they had presented the gift of such a man, he answered, "That it may be common," said he, "to the brethren, cast it all on the surface of the mill." When the messenger had done this, it was all turned into wheat. When he heard this, the king gave him the steading in which he was dwelling, with all his goods, in perpetuity: but Kera.n.u.s made it over to his master, for a monastery was afterwards erected there. But the bread made of that grain tasted to the brethren like flesh and ale, and so it refreshed them.

x.x.x. THE ADVENTURE OF THE ROBBERS OF LOCH ERNE

7. Now when a s.p.a.ce of time had pa.s.sed, the licence and benediction of his master having been obtained, he made his way to Saint Nynnidus who was dwelling in a wood _(sic)_ of Loch Erny. Now when he had arrived he was received with great joy and unfeigned love. As he was daily becoming perfect in the discipline of manners and of virtue, on a certain day, as one truly obedient, he went forth to the groves hard by with brethren to cut timber. For it was a custom in that sacred college, that three monks, with an elder, always went out in prescribed order to transport timber. As the others were cutting wood, he by himself, as was his wont, was intent on prayer to G.o.d. Meanwhile certain wicked robbers, ferried over in a boat to that island, fell upon the aforesaid brethren and slew them, and bore away their heads.

But Kera.n.u.s, not hearing the sound of his companions hacking, was surprised, and in wonder he hurried to the place where he had left them labouring. When he saw what had been done to the brethren he heaved heavy sighs and was deeply grieved; and he followed the murderers by their track, and found them in the harbour, sweating to carry their boat in the harbour to the water, but unable to do so. For G.o.d so fastened their skiff to the land that by no means could they remove it. So being unable to resist the will of the All-Powerful, they beseech as suppliants pardon of the man of G.o.d, then present.

Mindful of his Master as He prayed for the Jews who were crucifying Him, he, a holy one, poured forth prayers for them, unworthy as they were, to the Fount of Piety; and strengthened by the virtue of his prayer, they were able to convey their boat quite easily to the water.

In payment for this benefit he obtained from the robbers the heads of his brethren. When he had received these, he made his way back to the place where their bodies had been lying, and fervently asked of G.o.d to show forth His omnipotence in the resuscitation of His servants in this life. Wondrous is what I relate, but in the truth of fact most manifest. He fitted the heads to the bodies, and recalled them to life by the virtue of the holy prayer--nay, rather, what is more correct, he obtained their recall. These, thus marvellously resuscitated, bore timber back to the monastery. But so long as they lived they bore the scars of the wounds on their necks.

IX. HOW CIARAN RESTORED A CALF WHICH A WOLF HAD DEVOURED

8. At another time when he was keeping the herds of his parents in a certain place, a cow gave birth to a calf in his presence. But a [hound], altogether wasted with leanness, came, desiring to fill [his belly] with whatso falleth from the body of the mother with the calf, and stood before the dutiful shepherd. To which he said, "Eat, poor wretch, yonder calf, for great is thy need of it." The hound, fulfilling the commands of Quera.n.u.s, devoured the calf down to the bones. But as Quera.n.u.s returned with the kine to the house, that one, recalling her calf to memory, was running hither and thither, lowing; and the mother of Quera.n.u.s, recognising the cause of the lowing, said with indignation to the boy, "Quira.n.u.s, restore the calf, though it be burnt with fire or drowned with water." But he, obeying his mother's commands, making his way to the place where the calf had been devoured, collected its bones and resuscitated the calf.

V. HOW CIARAN WAS DELIVERED FROM A HOUND

9. At a certain time, when he was pa.s.sing along a road, certain men spurred by a malignant spirit incited a most savage dog to do him a hurt. But Quera.n.u.s, trusting in his Lord, fortified himself with the shield of devout prayer, and said, "Deliver not to beasts the souls of them that trust in Thee, O Lord": and soon that dog died.

x.x.xI. HOW CIARAN FLOATED A FIREBRAND ON THE LAKE

10. At another time when he was left alone in that island, he heard a poor man in the harbour asking that fire be given to him. For it was now the time of cold: but he had no boat whereby to satisfy the pet.i.tion of the poor man, though much he desired to do so. And because charity suffereth all things, he cast a burning firebrand into the lake, and the heat of love that sent it prevailing over the waters, it came to the poor man.