FORESPEECH

He thought well of him, for the staying of the poets or the releasing of Scannlan Scannlan Mor, a prince of Ossory held prisoner by the High King was not pleasing to the King. Consequently, Columba blessed this Domnall Domnall mac Aedo, son of the High King Aed mac Ainmuirech because he was so reverent. However, his blessing was disliked by the Queen, for Domnall was her stepson. The cleric grew angry toward her, and she said to him: "Very great is the 'craning' original: craneing; likely a pun or reference to stretching the neck in pride or interference you are engaged in."

"You have leave," said the cleric, "to be in a 'craning' yourself; you have leave to be a crane."

Immediately, she was turned into a crane. Her handmaid then began to reproach the cleric, so he turned her into another crane as well. It is said by some that those two cranes have remained at Druim Ceta from that time until now.

After that, the poets came into the assembly, bringing a poem of praise for him. Aidbsi aidbsi: a choral song or solemn chant is the name of that music; and it was a surpassing music, as Colman Mac Lenene A famous poet and contemporary of Columba said:

Blackbirds beside swans, ounces beside masses,
Forms of peasant women beside forms of queens,
Kings beside Domnall, a murmur beside a chorus,
A taper beside a candle—so is a sword beside my sword.

And they used to perform that music together. A great dignity of mind likely referring to a state of spiritual ecstasy or pride came over the cleric, so that the sky above his head was filled with demons. This was revealed to Baithene Columba's cousin and successor as Abbot of Iona, who rebuked the cleric. After this, the cleric covered his head and performed penance. When he finally raised his head from its cover, a great fog sprang from it, and the demons scattered before that fog.

The number of the poets was twelve hundred, as a certain person said:

As Mael Choba A King of Ireland and patron of the arts of the companies was once
At Ibar Chind Trachta Newry in the west:
Twelve hundred poets—he found them
By the Yew tree in the north-west.
Provision for three melodious years
Mael Choba the chief gave to them:
It shall live until the day of pale judgment
For the well-formed race of Deman.