you?"
"I don't see that I'm called upon to do that; there is a power more
cattle down there. Why shouldn't I have them all to myself?"
"Faith, they may well say, the richer you get, the harder the heart.
You always were a neighbourly lad, Donald. You wouldn't wish to keep
the luck all to yourself?"
"True for you, Hudden, though 'tis a bad example you set me. But
I'll not be thinking of old times. There is plenty for all there, so
come along with me."
Off they trudged, with a light heart and an eager step. When they
came to the Brown Lake, the sky was full of little white clouds,
and, if the sky was full, the lake was as full.
"Ah! now, look, there they are," cried Donald, as he pointed to the
clouds in the lake.
"Where? where?" cried Hudden, and "Don't be greedy!" cried Dudden,
as he jumped his hardest to be up first with the fat cattle. But if
he jumped first, Hudden wasn't long behind.
They never came back. Maybe they got too fat, like the cattle. As
for Donald O'Neary, he had cattle and sheep all his days to his
heart's content.
The Shepherd of Myddvai
*
Up in the Black Mountains in Caermarthenshire lies the lake known as
Lyn y Van Vach. To the margin of this lake the shepherd of Myddvai
once led his lambs, and lay there whilst they sought pasture.
Suddenly, from the dark waters of the lake, he saw three maidens
rise. Shaking the bright drops from their hair and gliding to the
shore, they wandered about amongst his flock. They had more than
mortal beauty, and he was filled with love for her that came nearest
to him. He offered her the bread he had with him, and she took it
and tried it, but then sang to him:
Hard-baked is thy bread,
'Tis not easy to catch me,
and then ran off laughing to the lake.
Next day he took with him bread not so well done, and watched for
the maidens. When they came ashore he offered his bread as before,
and the maiden tasted it and sang:
Unbaked is thy bread,
I will not have thee,
and again disappeared in the waves.
A third time did the shepherd of Myddvai try to attract the maiden,
and this time he offered her bread that he had found floating about
near the shore. This pleased her, and she promised to become his
wife if he were able to pick her out from among her sisters on the
following day. When the time came the shepherd knew his love by the
strap of her sandal. Then she told him she would be as good a wife
to him as any earthly maiden could be unless he should strike her
three times without cause. Of course he deemed that this could never
be; and she, summoning from the lake three cows, two oxen, and a
bull, as her marriage portion, was led homeward by him as his bride.
The years passed happily, and three children were born to the
shepherd and the lake-maiden. But one day here were going to a
christening, and she said to her husband it was far to walk, so he
told her to go for the horses.
"I will," said she, "if you bring me my gloves which I've left in
the house."
But when he came back with the gloves, he found she had not gone for
the horses; so he tapped her lightly on the shoulder with the
gloves, and said, "Go, go."
"That's one," said she.
Another time they were at a wedding, when suddenly the lake-maiden
fell a-sobbing and a-weeping, amid the joy and mirth of all around
her.
Her husband tapped her on the shoulder, and asked her, "Why do you
weep?"
"Because they are entering into trouble; and trouble is upon you;
for that is the second causeless blow you have given me. Be careful;
the third is the last."
The husband was careful never to strike her again. But one day at a
funeral she suddenly burst out into fits of laughter. Her husband
forgot, and touched her rather roughly on the shoulder, saying, "Is
this a time for laughter?"
"I laugh," she said, "because those that die go out of trouble, but
your trouble has come. The last blow has been struck; our marriage
is at an end, and so farewell." And with that she rose up and left
the house and went to their
"I don't see that I'm called upon to do that; there is a power more
cattle down there. Why shouldn't I have them all to myself?"
"Faith, they may well say, the richer you get, the harder the heart.
You always were a neighbourly lad, Donald. You wouldn't wish to keep
the luck all to yourself?"
"True for you, Hudden, though 'tis a bad example you set me. But
I'll not be thinking of old times. There is plenty for all there, so
come along with me."
Off they trudged, with a light heart and an eager step. When they
came to the Brown Lake, the sky was full of little white clouds,
and, if the sky was full, the lake was as full.
"Ah! now, look, there they are," cried Donald, as he pointed to the
clouds in the lake.
"Where? where?" cried Hudden, and "Don't be greedy!" cried Dudden,
as he jumped his hardest to be up first with the fat cattle. But if
he jumped first, Hudden wasn't long behind.
They never came back. Maybe they got too fat, like the cattle. As
for Donald O'Neary, he had cattle and sheep all his days to his
heart's content.
The Shepherd of Myddvai
*
Up in the Black Mountains in Caermarthenshire lies the lake known as
Lyn y Van Vach. To the margin of this lake the shepherd of Myddvai
once led his lambs, and lay there whilst they sought pasture.
Suddenly, from the dark waters of the lake, he saw three maidens
rise. Shaking the bright drops from their hair and gliding to the
shore, they wandered about amongst his flock. They had more than
mortal beauty, and he was filled with love for her that came nearest
to him. He offered her the bread he had with him, and she took it
and tried it, but then sang to him:
Hard-baked is thy bread,
'Tis not easy to catch me,
and then ran off laughing to the lake.
Next day he took with him bread not so well done, and watched for
the maidens. When they came ashore he offered his bread as before,
and the maiden tasted it and sang:
Unbaked is thy bread,
I will not have thee,
and again disappeared in the waves.
A third time did the shepherd of Myddvai try to attract the maiden,
and this time he offered her bread that he had found floating about
near the shore. This pleased her, and she promised to become his
wife if he were able to pick her out from among her sisters on the
following day. When the time came the shepherd knew his love by the
strap of her sandal. Then she told him she would be as good a wife
to him as any earthly maiden could be unless he should strike her
three times without cause. Of course he deemed that this could never
be; and she, summoning from the lake three cows, two oxen, and a
bull, as her marriage portion, was led homeward by him as his bride.
The years passed happily, and three children were born to the
shepherd and the lake-maiden. But one day here were going to a
christening, and she said to her husband it was far to walk, so he
told her to go for the horses.
"I will," said she, "if you bring me my gloves which I've left in
the house."
But when he came back with the gloves, he found she had not gone for
the horses; so he tapped her lightly on the shoulder with the
gloves, and said, "Go, go."
"That's one," said she.
Another time they were at a wedding, when suddenly the lake-maiden
fell a-sobbing and a-weeping, amid the joy and mirth of all around
her.
Her husband tapped her on the shoulder, and asked her, "Why do you
weep?"
"Because they are entering into trouble; and trouble is upon you;
for that is the second causeless blow you have given me. Be careful;
the third is the last."
The husband was careful never to strike her again. But one day at a
funeral she suddenly burst out into fits of laughter. Her husband
forgot, and touched her rather roughly on the shoulder, saying, "Is
this a time for laughter?"
"I laugh," she said, "because those that die go out of trouble, but
your trouble has come. The last blow has been struck; our marriage
is at an end, and so farewell." And with that she rose up and left
the house and went to their
Similar Books
