And in time his messengers
came back and said that they had found in Ulster, by the Bay of
Cichmany, the fairest and most accomplished maiden in Ireland, and her
name was Etain, daughter of Etar, lord of the territory called Echrad.
So Eochy, when he had heard their report, went forth to woo the
maiden.
When he drew near his journey's end he passed by a certain spring of
pure water where it chanced that Etain and her maids had come down
that she might wash her hair. She held in her hand a comb of silver
inlaid with gold, and before her was a bason of silver chased with
figures of birds, and around the rim of it red carbuncles were set.
Her mantle was purple with a fringe of silver, and it was fastened
with a broad golden brooch. She wore also a tunic of green silk, stiff
with embroidery of gold that glittered in the sun. Her hair before she
loosed it was done in two mighty tresses, yellow like the flower of
the waterflag, each tress being plaited in four strands, and at the
end of each strand a little golden ball. When she laid aside her
mantle her arms came through the armholes of her tunic, white as the
snow of a single night, and her cheeks were ruddy as the foxglove.
Even and small were her teeth, as if a shower of pearls had fallen in
her mouth. Her eyes were hyacinth-blue, her lips scarlet as the
rowan-berry, her shoulders round and white, her fingers were long and
her nails smooth and pink.
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