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A Celtic Miscellany
This well-known anthology of Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish and Breton literature (now thoroughly revised for the Penguin Classics) is more representative than most collections because it draws on the prose as well as the poetry of the Celtic languages. The feats of the legendary hero Cú Chulainn and the infectious ribaldry of the fourteenth-century poet Daydd ap Gwilym combine with epigrams, tales of 'Celtic magic', descriptive passages, Bardic poetry, laments and poems of love and nature to reflect the whole spectrum of Celtic imagination, from the earliest times to the nineteenth century.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
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1427 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson
18 books3 followersProfessor Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson CBE FRSE FSA DLitt was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. He demonstrated how the text of the Ulster Cycle of tales, written circa AD 1100, preserves an oral tradition originating some six centuries earlier and reflects Celtic Irish society of the third and fourth century AD. His Celtic Miscellany is a popular standard.
In retirement, Jackson continued his work on place-names and Goidelic languages. However he suffered a stroke in 1984 that restricted his work.
An obituary was published in The Times on 8 March 1991 and in the journal Nomina.
In retirement, Jackson continued his work on place-names and Goidelic languages. However he suffered a stroke in 1984 that restricted his work.
An obituary was published in The Times on 8 March 1991 and in the journal Nomina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 23, 2017
This book has problems that made it nowhere near as worthwhile as I'd hoped:
First, it's full of fragments, except where the wholes are very short, anyway. Excerpts just make me want to see the full thing, to get the context and story properly. Second, there's poetry in here, but it's translated as prose. Whenever someone says, "It's not possible to translate poetry," they really mean, "I'm not up to the task but my ego won't allow me to admit it."
One does get a flavour of the literatures (all six Celtic languages) but it forever left me wanting more or better.
First, it's full of fragments, except where the wholes are very short, anyway. Excerpts just make me want to see the full thing, to get the context and story properly. Second, there's poetry in here, but it's translated as prose. Whenever someone says, "It's not possible to translate poetry," they really mean, "I'm not up to the task but my ego won't allow me to admit it."
One does get a flavour of the literatures (all six Celtic languages) but it forever left me wanting more or better.
June 11, 2022
A Celtic Miscellany offers a far-reaching assortment of Celtic works spanning the sixth to nineteenth centuries, mostly distributed across the Middle Ages, and covering all of the sub-Roman Celtic lands. Irish and Welsh works make up the majority, but there’s a good amount of Scottish Gaelic, and a small number of Manx, Cornish, and even Breton works. This is probably the most diverse and eclectic of any Celtic compilations I’ve come across.
The pieces here are a mix of short stories, excerpts from longer tales and myths, poems, elegies, ballads, and traditional folk songs. Hero and adventure tales comprise the first sections, mostly as samples from longer works. Some terrific selections are interspersed with some so-so — but still historically and culturally interesting — pieces.
Poetry and epigrams and stories about nature, love, Celtic magic, myth, and religion fill out most of the book. Many of the poems are beautiful in uniquely Celtic ways, whether it is the haunting, descriptive passages about nature or death or longing or otherworldly things, or the humorous and satirical Bardic poetry. Although these works are hundreds of years old, sometimes over a thousand years old, they exhibit familiar psychology and concerns. They are a direct line to lost ages, the voices of mostly anonymous scribes whose peculiarities and charms and age do not mask their similarity to us contemporary folk who think we’ve advanced beyond the ancients.
The epigrams are deceptively simple, often elegant and evocative despite being only a line or two. The majority of poems and stories are attributed to unknown authors, but certain known writers are also represented here, like the 14th century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, and the mysterious ninth century Welsh poet Llywarch Hen. Most of the Bardic poetry is credited to the Welsh, Irish, and Scottish-Irish bards who composed and performed these works, predominately dating from the eleventh through fourteenth centuries.
Most of the Irish and Welsh excerpts from myth, like the writings about Cu Chulainn or the samples from the Mabinogion, are by now familiar to me. Their incompleteness here didn’t matter, since I have the complete versions. But the excerpts from less known works I wasn’t familiar with felt too short and incomplete to be satisfying. You can tell there is a lot left out, and this makes me want to seek out the fuller work. The inclusion of these works, although short and leaving out important parts, was still a great choice. Obviously, if every shortened piece was presented at its full length, this book would be thousands of pages.
The elegies are strangely harrowing. I say strangely because they are wonderfully composed, so it is easy to admire the art of the writing and the style, and to appreciate them as fascinating historical and cultural curiosities. But the emotion and intensity of grief on display in a number of these is disarming. One expects an elegy to be sad of course, but when reading an elegy from hundreds of years ago about people you don’t know, you don’t expect to be moved. You certainly don’t expect that to happen more than once or twice. These are about dead lords, dead lovers, dead heroes, dead children, and even the death of freedom and loss of health, mobility, and mind. It’s hard to describe the sensation of reading a bunch of elegies back to back that are simultaneously alluring for their imagery and art, and that can knock the wind out of you for their sheer sadness.
The religious writings have a distinct Celticism to them, with elements of pagan heritage blended with the ideas and beliefs that developed far away from mainland Europe over the Middle Ages. They often write of saints who were, in an older time, pagan deities or heroes.
These poems and parables and tales evoke the esoteric feel of mysticism and a comfort with nature and a fear of Hell. One of the stand out excerpts here comes from a writing called “The Vision of Adhamhnán”. Adhamhán was a “great Sage of the Western world”, we are told. He dies, and his guardian angel gives him a tour of Heaven and Hell, to which we are granted magnificent visual description. One can’t help but be reminded of Dante’s Divine Comedy, although this story predates it by at least two hundred years.
This is a very well done anthology. Its breadth is incredible. It presents a compact but carefully handpicked survey of representative writings from an expansive culture and body of literature. It is hard to do this sort of thing justice in a few hundred pages. What we have here is an example that such an undertaking can be done and is worth doing.
The pieces here are a mix of short stories, excerpts from longer tales and myths, poems, elegies, ballads, and traditional folk songs. Hero and adventure tales comprise the first sections, mostly as samples from longer works. Some terrific selections are interspersed with some so-so — but still historically and culturally interesting — pieces.
Poetry and epigrams and stories about nature, love, Celtic magic, myth, and religion fill out most of the book. Many of the poems are beautiful in uniquely Celtic ways, whether it is the haunting, descriptive passages about nature or death or longing or otherworldly things, or the humorous and satirical Bardic poetry. Although these works are hundreds of years old, sometimes over a thousand years old, they exhibit familiar psychology and concerns. They are a direct line to lost ages, the voices of mostly anonymous scribes whose peculiarities and charms and age do not mask their similarity to us contemporary folk who think we’ve advanced beyond the ancients.
The epigrams are deceptively simple, often elegant and evocative despite being only a line or two. The majority of poems and stories are attributed to unknown authors, but certain known writers are also represented here, like the 14th century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, and the mysterious ninth century Welsh poet Llywarch Hen. Most of the Bardic poetry is credited to the Welsh, Irish, and Scottish-Irish bards who composed and performed these works, predominately dating from the eleventh through fourteenth centuries.
Most of the Irish and Welsh excerpts from myth, like the writings about Cu Chulainn or the samples from the Mabinogion, are by now familiar to me. Their incompleteness here didn’t matter, since I have the complete versions. But the excerpts from less known works I wasn’t familiar with felt too short and incomplete to be satisfying. You can tell there is a lot left out, and this makes me want to seek out the fuller work. The inclusion of these works, although short and leaving out important parts, was still a great choice. Obviously, if every shortened piece was presented at its full length, this book would be thousands of pages.
The elegies are strangely harrowing. I say strangely because they are wonderfully composed, so it is easy to admire the art of the writing and the style, and to appreciate them as fascinating historical and cultural curiosities. But the emotion and intensity of grief on display in a number of these is disarming. One expects an elegy to be sad of course, but when reading an elegy from hundreds of years ago about people you don’t know, you don’t expect to be moved. You certainly don’t expect that to happen more than once or twice. These are about dead lords, dead lovers, dead heroes, dead children, and even the death of freedom and loss of health, mobility, and mind. It’s hard to describe the sensation of reading a bunch of elegies back to back that are simultaneously alluring for their imagery and art, and that can knock the wind out of you for their sheer sadness.
The religious writings have a distinct Celticism to them, with elements of pagan heritage blended with the ideas and beliefs that developed far away from mainland Europe over the Middle Ages. They often write of saints who were, in an older time, pagan deities or heroes.
These poems and parables and tales evoke the esoteric feel of mysticism and a comfort with nature and a fear of Hell. One of the stand out excerpts here comes from a writing called “The Vision of Adhamhnán”. Adhamhán was a “great Sage of the Western world”, we are told. He dies, and his guardian angel gives him a tour of Heaven and Hell, to which we are granted magnificent visual description. One can’t help but be reminded of Dante’s Divine Comedy, although this story predates it by at least two hundred years.
This is a very well done anthology. Its breadth is incredible. It presents a compact but carefully handpicked survey of representative writings from an expansive culture and body of literature. It is hard to do this sort of thing justice in a few hundred pages. What we have here is an example that such an undertaking can be done and is worth doing.
January 29, 2013
Though these words date from the 8th century and beyond, the poetry is fresh, lyrical and frankly fascinating.
February 17, 2023
When they call this a Miscellany, it truly is miscellaneous. It gives a very concise retelling of Deidre of the Sorrows all the way down to a little bit of a song about how in the 15th century men where still lying to virgins. Great collection of old bits, songs, and stories.
I recommend to people who want a good sampling of Celtic lit from around the Isles.
I recommend to people who want a good sampling of Celtic lit from around the Isles.
October 7, 2014
This book is a must for all those who want to immerse themselves into the world of the Celtic literature, so distant yet, in certain aspects, so close to us. Divided into ten sections, it shows us that the Celtic nations (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Manx) were the masters of the Word(s).
February 13, 2023
This collection covers a wide variety of texts both in terms of genre/content and time period. As such I found it an interesting broader source than the legendary/heroic material I had read so far. I like Hurlstone Jackson's no-nonsense approach and his comments dismissing the so-called 'Celtic Twilight' or mysticism which these materials clearly show does not suit the actual material at all.
November 17, 2017
3-3.5/5
+1 Well organized with interesting notes and commentary at the start of every section
-1 Barring the masculine generics and general invisibilization of women to be found everywhere :/ The author always refers to the writers, oral poets and readers/audience as 'he/man/men', while in reality, even taking a patriarchal system into account, there were some female writers and poets to be found in Medieval Celtic literature (cf. for example Peter Berresford Ellis' Celtic Women).
-1 One thing I would have really liked was for this to be a bilingual version with the originals in Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Manx and Breton.
+1 I especially liked the selection of nature-themed poems in the 'Nature' and 'Epigram' sections. I also like the way Celtic style handles description in general, adventure and imagination, so the sections about 'Description' and 'Celtic Magic' were enjoyable too.
- Apart from a selection of epic and magical content in the 'Epics' and 'Celtic Magic' sections, though, there wasn't a lot of mythological content in this anthology (that's all right, though, because I already have a handful of Celtic mythology books).
+1 The anthology includes a couple of poems and excerpts written by women and a small handful of poems from the point of view of women. Some of them are probably written by women (tagged under 'anonymous'), especially the remarkable poem 'Trust No Man' from the 15th-16th Century, critisizing those men who use and lie to women ("A false love is the love of men - woe to the woman who does their will! Though their fine talk is sweet, their hearts are hidden deep within.
(...) Not me alone have they deceived, many a one has been tricked before by the inconstant love of men; och, woe to her who has gone my way!" Hell yeah!) - a rare gem found among a very illustrative male entitlement-fest of 'love' poems featuring whiny brats complaining about women 'tormenting them' and not wanting to sleep with them (LOL).
-1 But, given the invisibility mentioned before, the female representation is quite low, and there are a lot of patriarchal values and mindset floating around - I highlight the already mentioned massive male entitlement found in many of the poems of the "love" section. I found many of these, like I said before, very illustrative to read because the mindset is exactly the same as the one found among modern day MRAs and entitled brats. Sadly, we can find the exact Nice Guy™ behaviour depicted in many of these poems right before our noses today in the 21st Century (an honorary mention goes to the 13th-14th Century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, because wow what an specimen) (so don't tell me we're in no need of feminism anymore because there are poems here from Medieval+ times that could have easily been the whiny, entitled and misogynistic online messages of MRAs today, minus the more elaborate language). I'm actually thinking of blogging more extensively about the very modern male entitlement found in these poems because they're just perfect examples of the Entitled Nice Guy™ persona :S xD.
-1 There is quite a lot of sexism to be found in other sections as well, from the sexism of male-dominated epic content in 'Epics', to the 'Humour and Satire' (much of this so-called humour is in reality plain misogyny and rape culture).
-1 I also didn't care for the 'Religion' section, but that's to be expected from someone who's 0% a fan of Monotheisms and religion in general. To be fair, the Chritianity literature I tolerate the most is the Irish/Celtic-inspired one, seeing as it's remarkably influenced by the earlier Celtic imagination, aesthetics and sense of magic and adventure (Monks describing nature in a lyrical way, or immrama ('navigational stories') like the voyage of Saint Brendan, for example, featuring monks going on adventures, are very much in the style of earlier Celtic mythological tales). Still full of the usual 'sin' nonsense, though, and this selection was more about praising God and less about (religious) people having adventures or describing nature, so meh.
+1 Well organized with interesting notes and commentary at the start of every section
-1 Barring the masculine generics and general invisibilization of women to be found everywhere :/ The author always refers to the writers, oral poets and readers/audience as 'he/man/men', while in reality, even taking a patriarchal system into account, there were some female writers and poets to be found in Medieval Celtic literature (cf. for example Peter Berresford Ellis' Celtic Women).
-1 One thing I would have really liked was for this to be a bilingual version with the originals in Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Manx and Breton.
+1 I especially liked the selection of nature-themed poems in the 'Nature' and 'Epigram' sections. I also like the way Celtic style handles description in general, adventure and imagination, so the sections about 'Description' and 'Celtic Magic' were enjoyable too.
- Apart from a selection of epic and magical content in the 'Epics' and 'Celtic Magic' sections, though, there wasn't a lot of mythological content in this anthology (that's all right, though, because I already have a handful of Celtic mythology books).
+1 The anthology includes a couple of poems and excerpts written by women and a small handful of poems from the point of view of women. Some of them are probably written by women (tagged under 'anonymous'), especially the remarkable poem 'Trust No Man' from the 15th-16th Century, critisizing those men who use and lie to women ("A false love is the love of men - woe to the woman who does their will! Though their fine talk is sweet, their hearts are hidden deep within.
(...) Not me alone have they deceived, many a one has been tricked before by the inconstant love of men; och, woe to her who has gone my way!" Hell yeah!) - a rare gem found among a very illustrative male entitlement-fest of 'love' poems featuring whiny brats complaining about women 'tormenting them' and not wanting to sleep with them (LOL).
-1 But, given the invisibility mentioned before, the female representation is quite low, and there are a lot of patriarchal values and mindset floating around - I highlight the already mentioned massive male entitlement found in many of the poems of the "love" section. I found many of these, like I said before, very illustrative to read because the mindset is exactly the same as the one found among modern day MRAs and entitled brats. Sadly, we can find the exact Nice Guy™ behaviour depicted in many of these poems right before our noses today in the 21st Century (an honorary mention goes to the 13th-14th Century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, because wow what an specimen) (so don't tell me we're in no need of feminism anymore because there are poems here from Medieval+ times that could have easily been the whiny, entitled and misogynistic online messages of MRAs today, minus the more elaborate language). I'm actually thinking of blogging more extensively about the very modern male entitlement found in these poems because they're just perfect examples of the Entitled Nice Guy™ persona :S xD.
-1 There is quite a lot of sexism to be found in other sections as well, from the sexism of male-dominated epic content in 'Epics', to the 'Humour and Satire' (much of this so-called humour is in reality plain misogyny and rape culture).
-1 I also didn't care for the 'Religion' section, but that's to be expected from someone who's 0% a fan of Monotheisms and religion in general. To be fair, the Chritianity literature I tolerate the most is the Irish/Celtic-inspired one, seeing as it's remarkably influenced by the earlier Celtic imagination, aesthetics and sense of magic and adventure (Monks describing nature in a lyrical way, or immrama ('navigational stories') like the voyage of Saint Brendan, for example, featuring monks going on adventures, are very much in the style of earlier Celtic mythological tales). Still full of the usual 'sin' nonsense, though, and this selection was more about praising God and less about (religious) people having adventures or describing nature, so meh.
June 20, 2022
Good informative book covering a wide variety of celtic stories. The book can become quite dry and drag at times, but a tale will often come along that'll get you right back into it.
September 23, 2022
Could have been constructed out of better works but it's a miscellany of various smaller pieces of Celtic literature, such is its nature
April 16, 2008
An interesting collection but I wish they hadn't cut so much out. There are frequently entries to things like the Mabinogion, which I can get in a full text edition. I would have preferred more obscure texts that weren't available in other English editions.
March 14, 2023
I purchased this beautiful book while in Aviemore when I was in the Scottish Highlands in December of 2022. It is filled with poetry, mythology, history, and religion. My favorite piece in the book that I have read numerous times is "The Harp of Cnoc I’Chosgair." It is very poignant, and quoted below.
"Harp of Cnoc I’Chosgair, you who bring sleep
to eyes long sleepless;
sweet subtle, plangent, glad, cooling grave.
Excellent instrument with smooth gentle curve,
trilling under red fingers,
musician that has charmed us,
red, lion-like of full melody.
You who lure the bird from the flock,
you who refresh the mind,
brown spotted one of sweet words,
ardent, wondrous, passionate.
You who heal every wounded warrior,
joy and allurement to women,
familiar guide over the dark blue water,
mystic sweet sounding music.
You who silence every instrument of music,
yourself a sweet plaintive instrument,
dweller among the Race of Conn,
instrument yellow-brown and firm.
The one darling of sages,
restless, smooth, sweet of tune,
crimson star above the Fairy Hills,
breast jewel of High Kings.
Sweet tender flowers, brown harp of Diarmaid,
shape not unloved by hosts, voice of cuckoos in May!
I have not heard music ever such as your frame makes
since the time of the Fairy People,
fair brown many coloured bough,
gentle, powerful, glorious.
Sound of the calm wave on the beach,
pure shadowing tree of pure music,
carousals are drunk in your company,
voice of the swan over shining streams.
Cry of the Fairy Women from the Fairy Hill of Ler,
no melody can match you,
every house is sweet stringed through your guidance,
you the pinnacle of harp music."
– Gofraidh Fion O Dalaigh. 1385]
"Harp of Cnoc I’Chosgair, you who bring sleep
to eyes long sleepless;
sweet subtle, plangent, glad, cooling grave.
Excellent instrument with smooth gentle curve,
trilling under red fingers,
musician that has charmed us,
red, lion-like of full melody.
You who lure the bird from the flock,
you who refresh the mind,
brown spotted one of sweet words,
ardent, wondrous, passionate.
You who heal every wounded warrior,
joy and allurement to women,
familiar guide over the dark blue water,
mystic sweet sounding music.
You who silence every instrument of music,
yourself a sweet plaintive instrument,
dweller among the Race of Conn,
instrument yellow-brown and firm.
The one darling of sages,
restless, smooth, sweet of tune,
crimson star above the Fairy Hills,
breast jewel of High Kings.
Sweet tender flowers, brown harp of Diarmaid,
shape not unloved by hosts, voice of cuckoos in May!
I have not heard music ever such as your frame makes
since the time of the Fairy People,
fair brown many coloured bough,
gentle, powerful, glorious.
Sound of the calm wave on the beach,
pure shadowing tree of pure music,
carousals are drunk in your company,
voice of the swan over shining streams.
Cry of the Fairy Women from the Fairy Hill of Ler,
no melody can match you,
every house is sweet stringed through your guidance,
you the pinnacle of harp music."
– Gofraidh Fion O Dalaigh. 1385]
January 4, 2026
In seinem Buch hat der Autor Texte aus dem Gälischen, Cornischen, Bretonischen und Manx neu übersetzt. Es ist eine Sammlung der unterschiedlichsten Texten- von Heldensagen über die Poesie der Barden, Geschichten von Magie bis hin zu religiösen Texten.
Eigentlich sollte ich das Buch verschlingen, schließlich liebe ich alles Gälische. Trotzdem hatte ich das Buch für meine Verhältnisse sehr lange daheim liegen, bis ich mich endlich ans Lesen gemacht habe. Der Grund ist einfach: ich tue mich generell schwer mit dieser Art Sammlungen. Zu oft passiert es, dass sich die Geschichten wiederholen. Einzeln sind sie spannend, aber in der Menge wirken sie oft durchschnittlich.
So war es leider auch hier. Ich habe mir viel von der Mischung der unterschiedlichen Einflüsse versprochen, aber anscheinend gibt es nur eine begrenzte Anzahl Motive, die man in jedem Land wiederfindet. So haben mir die Geschichten anfangs gut gefallen, später habe ich immer schneller gelesen, weil mir zu vieles zu bekannt vorkam.
Auch die Unterteilung in verschiedene Gebiete hat das Buch für mich nicht gerettet. Am besten gefallen hat mir der Abschnitt Epigram, in dem kurze, oft sehr berührende Sätze über den Tod standen. Auch über der Abschnitt Magic hat mir gut gefallen. Hier geht es nicht um Märchen, sondern um den Versuch, unerklärliche Dinge ein wenig verständlicher zu machen. Insgesamt haben diese beiden Highlights aber nicht gereicht, um mich wirklich für zu begeistern.
Eigentlich sollte ich das Buch verschlingen, schließlich liebe ich alles Gälische. Trotzdem hatte ich das Buch für meine Verhältnisse sehr lange daheim liegen, bis ich mich endlich ans Lesen gemacht habe. Der Grund ist einfach: ich tue mich generell schwer mit dieser Art Sammlungen. Zu oft passiert es, dass sich die Geschichten wiederholen. Einzeln sind sie spannend, aber in der Menge wirken sie oft durchschnittlich.
So war es leider auch hier. Ich habe mir viel von der Mischung der unterschiedlichen Einflüsse versprochen, aber anscheinend gibt es nur eine begrenzte Anzahl Motive, die man in jedem Land wiederfindet. So haben mir die Geschichten anfangs gut gefallen, später habe ich immer schneller gelesen, weil mir zu vieles zu bekannt vorkam.
Auch die Unterteilung in verschiedene Gebiete hat das Buch für mich nicht gerettet. Am besten gefallen hat mir der Abschnitt Epigram, in dem kurze, oft sehr berührende Sätze über den Tod standen. Auch über der Abschnitt Magic hat mir gut gefallen. Hier geht es nicht um Märchen, sondern um den Versuch, unerklärliche Dinge ein wenig verständlicher zu machen. Insgesamt haben diese beiden Highlights aber nicht gereicht, um mich wirklich für zu begeistern.
July 5, 2019
This is an utterly lovely book.
I think for anyone who already knows a lot about Celtic verse this is going to be a bit like a 'Greatest Hits' album, so not that interesting, but I didn't know anything (or not much) about it, so for me it hit at exactly the right angle.
What is it that gives a culture one mind and not another? I'm familiar with the slow advance of colour words in language and discovered from this, though not to my surprise, that the Celts were in advance of others. Certainly from Anglo-Saxon poetry I recall only light and shade, and many glitters and gleams, from blade edges and gems.
Where does imagination come from and why should they have this particular, active, lively, overflowing and playful mindscape, these outrushings of vivid originality, this intensely and directly imagined natural world? Why do they think, and see, like this?
Questions to deep for the sadly minimal time I have to write about this.
Nothing could give a better view than the contents themselve so here is the smallest fragment;
"She's the white flower of the blackberry, she's the sweet flower of the rasberry, she's the best herb in excellence for the sight of the eyes.
She's my pulse, she's my secret, she's the scented flower of the apple, she's summer in the cold time between Christmas and Easter."
I think for anyone who already knows a lot about Celtic verse this is going to be a bit like a 'Greatest Hits' album, so not that interesting, but I didn't know anything (or not much) about it, so for me it hit at exactly the right angle.
What is it that gives a culture one mind and not another? I'm familiar with the slow advance of colour words in language and discovered from this, though not to my surprise, that the Celts were in advance of others. Certainly from Anglo-Saxon poetry I recall only light and shade, and many glitters and gleams, from blade edges and gems.
Where does imagination come from and why should they have this particular, active, lively, overflowing and playful mindscape, these outrushings of vivid originality, this intensely and directly imagined natural world? Why do they think, and see, like this?
Questions to deep for the sadly minimal time I have to write about this.
Nothing could give a better view than the contents themselve so here is the smallest fragment;
"She's the white flower of the blackberry, she's the sweet flower of the rasberry, she's the best herb in excellence for the sight of the eyes.
She's my pulse, she's my secret, she's the scented flower of the apple, she's summer in the cold time between Christmas and Easter."
August 31, 2024
"The Air Ship -- One day the Monks of Clonmacnoise were holding a meeting on the floor of the church, and as they were at their deliberations there they saw a ship sailing over them in the air, going as if it were on the sea. When the crew of the ship saw the meeting and the inhabited place below them, they dropped anchor, and the anchor came right down on to the floor of the church, and the priests seized it. A man came out of the ship after the anchor, and he was swimming as if he were in the water, till he reached the anchor; and they were dragging him down then. 'For God's sake let me go!' said he, 'for you are drowning me.' Then he left them, swimming in the air as before, taking his anchor with him."
November 9, 2024
I knew I was getting a collection of fragments when I started this read, but the content here is so fragmented that I found myself constantly annoyed by how much was lost in the divvying up. The fragments are arranged by topic (a chapter on nature, one on heroes, another on religion, etc.), a choice I simply can’t understand. You’re getting almost no real stories here, just odd paragraphs floating in the void. A lot of the content is awesome, but I wish more context was preserved. There aren’t even notes to accompany each fragment, so you have no idea what larger work each piece is from. You need to go to the back of the book for that, but at that point you’re just reading bibliography. Cool collection kneecapped by a baffling structure.
April 18, 2025
The separation of the examples into broad 'themes' was helpful, and the brief introductions to each section (Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson, thank you) assisted comprehension of what had been included and why. Two things stuck with me: modern literature is so much more sophisticated, but what is written about has not changed over the centuries. Petty squabbles, pretence, wow-moments, falling in love, fears, dreams etc, there's nothing new under the sun.
December 10, 2023
This is a collection of early works by Irish, Scottish, and Welsh authors. Each section has an introduction, which explains the relevant genre of literature. There was quite a bit of lovely prose, but I wish the editor/translator had included more material on the similarities and differences among the various Celtic groups.
January 31, 2025
I know it's literally what it says on the tin but this was too much of a miscellany for little old me. I would get hooked and then pushed along like an evil teacup ride. I need to read The Táin. I KNOW I DO. But this was still scrumptious.
January 18, 2020
it was neat to read Celtic literature across the centuries.
did-not-finish-or-start
July 16, 2021DNS 7/15/2021
March 11, 2022
Boring
March 14, 2023
Title is fairly self explanatory
April 15, 2023
i absolutely could breathe in this book, something about the history and freshness of it is so relaxing and just easy to read it really transports you - read it!!!
May 14, 2024
A little disappointing but overall enjoyable
Read
July 24, 20248th-19th
Including works from Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Breton and Manx,
Including works from Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Breton and Manx,
July 22, 2025
Quite a survey of the field, and that has its advantages and disadvantages. You won't get a complete picture of anything here, but what is here is meant to entice you to read more. I now want to read The Tain, Cu Chulainn is basically lad iron age superman and I'm here for that kinda vibe.
July 4, 2016
I read A Celtic Miscellany recently, which is a collection of Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Breton, and Manx poetry and prose selected and translated by Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson. It’s aptly named; this collection is definitely a hodgepodge. Some of it is brilliant:
"I shall not go to my bed tonight, my love is not in it; I shall lie on the gravestone–break, if you must, my poor heart. There is nothing between him and me tonight but earth and coffin and shroud; I have been further many a time, but never with a heavier heart."–Welsh; traditional verses; seventeenth century?
Some of it is wryly entertaining:
"The world has laid low, and the wind blows away like ashes Alexander, Caesar, and all who were in their trust; grass-grown is Tara, and see Troy now how it is–and the English themselves, perhaps they too will pass!"–Irish; author unknown; seventeenth-eighteenth century.
Granted, some of it is dull too, and I was disappointed that so many of the selections were fairly modern (sixteenth through eighteenth centuries) when I was hoping for more of the older, harder-to-find Celtic poetry of the first thousand years AD. Some of the excerpts seemed to leave off in odd spots. Overall, though, I enjoyed the somewhat random assembly of stories and poetry.
"I shall not go to my bed tonight, my love is not in it; I shall lie on the gravestone–break, if you must, my poor heart. There is nothing between him and me tonight but earth and coffin and shroud; I have been further many a time, but never with a heavier heart."–Welsh; traditional verses; seventeenth century?
Some of it is wryly entertaining:
"The world has laid low, and the wind blows away like ashes Alexander, Caesar, and all who were in their trust; grass-grown is Tara, and see Troy now how it is–and the English themselves, perhaps they too will pass!"–Irish; author unknown; seventeenth-eighteenth century.
Granted, some of it is dull too, and I was disappointed that so many of the selections were fairly modern (sixteenth through eighteenth centuries) when I was hoping for more of the older, harder-to-find Celtic poetry of the first thousand years AD. Some of the excerpts seemed to leave off in odd spots. Overall, though, I enjoyed the somewhat random assembly of stories and poetry.
December 12, 2017
As someone researching these tales and trying to go a little deeper I was constantly annoyed that the author didn't source his material beyond mentioning 'manuscripts' vaguely. For example, is the story of the Four Good Seasons from the Book of Ballymote? The Yellow Book of Lecan? Where? For a student this was intensely frustrating. If you're doing translations, citing the original material ought to be step one.
March 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this collection, experiencing a range of Celtic literature.
Unfortunately, the excerpts only whetted my appetite for wanting to read the rest of the works, but then it was time to move on to the next subject.
The author made a choice to not attempt to rhyme the poetic excerpts and instead focus on meaning, which I understand, but I would have liked perhaps to see the original as well, so I could get some idea of the rhythm and rhyme of the native language.
Unfortunately, the excerpts only whetted my appetite for wanting to read the rest of the works, but then it was time to move on to the next subject.
The author made a choice to not attempt to rhyme the poetic excerpts and instead focus on meaning, which I understand, but I would have liked perhaps to see the original as well, so I could get some idea of the rhythm and rhyme of the native language.
April 5, 2007
I always want to like Celtic writing more than I do, but then that tends to be true for most medieval lit, the sagas being the only true exception. Like much of Penguin's medieval publications, the translation is old but serviceable. If you can get something better, do, but Penguin is there for all of us that don't have ready access to more accademic tomes.
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