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. Her feet also were slim, and white as
sea-foam. The radiance of the moon was in her face, pride in her
brows, the light of wooing in her eyes. Of her it was said that there
was no beauty among women compared with Etain's beauty, no sweetness
compared with the sweetness of Etain.

When the King saw her his heart burned with love for her, and when he
had speech with her he besought her to be his bride. And she consented
to that, and said, "Many have wooed me, O King, but I would none of
them, for since I was a little child I have loved thee, for the high
tales that I heard of thee and of thy glory." And Eochy said, "Thine
alone will I be if thou wilt have me." So the King paid a great
bride-price for her, and bore her away to Tara, and there they were
wedded, and all men welcomed and honoured the Queen. Nor had she dwelt
long in Tara before the enchantment of her beauty and her grace had
worked upon the hearts of all about her, so that the man to whom she
spoke grew pale at the womanly sweetness of her voice, and felt
himself a king for that day. All fair things and bright she loved,
such as racing steeds and shining raiment, and the sight of Eochy's
warriors with their silken banners and shields decorated with rich
ornament in red and blue. And she would have all about her happy and
joyous, and she gave freely of her treasure, and of her smiles and
loving words, if she might see the light of joy on the faces of men,
but from pain or sadness that might not be cured she would turn away.
In one thing only was sadness endurable to her and that was in her
music, for when she sang or touched the harp all hearts were pierced
with longing for they knew not what, and all eyes shed tears save hers
alone, who looked as though she beheld, far from earth, some land more
fair than words of man can tell; and all the wonder of that land and
all its immeasurable distance were in her song.

Now Eochy the King had a brother whose name was Ailill Anglounach, or
Ailill of the Single Stain, for one dark spot only was on his life,
and it is of this that the story now shall tell. One day, when he had
come from his own Dun to the yearly Assembly in the great Hall of
Tara, he ate not at the banquet but gazed as it were at something afar
off, and his wife said to him, "Why dost thou gaze