In his 1861 collection, the Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, Eugene O’Curry (1797-1862) gave a translation of the opening invocation from the Prologue to the Martyrology of Oengus. His translation, made from the copy of the text preserved in the Leabhar Breac, is distinct from that of Whitley Stokes, who published a translation of the Martyrology based on ten manuscripts in 1905. O’Curry’s version is much better suited to personal prayer and I reproduce it below, complete with his introduction to the work of Saint Oengus:

“This composition consists, properly, of three parts. The first is a poem of five quatrains, invoking the grace and sanctification of Christ for the poet and his undertaking.

The second is a poem, by way of preface, consisting of 220 quatrains, of which 80 are prefixed, and 140 postfixed to the main poem.

The third is the Festology itself, consisting of 365 quatrains.

The Invocation is written in the ancient Conachlann, or what modern Gaedhlic scholars call in English “chain-verse”; that is, an arrangement of metre by which the first words of every succeeding quatrain are identical with the last words of the preceding one. The following literal translation may not be out of place here [see original in Appendix, No. CXIIL]:

Sanctify, O Christ! my words: —
O Lord of the seven heavens!
Grant me the gift of wisdom,
O Sovereign of the bright sun!

O bright sun, who dost illuminate
The heavens with all thy holiness!
O King who governest the angels!
O Lord of all the people!

O Lord of the people!
O King all-righteous and good!
May I receive the full benefit
Of praising Thy royal hosts.

Thy royal hosts I praise,
Because Thou art my Sovereign;
I have disposed my mind,
To be constantly beseeching Thee.

I beseech a favour from Thee,
That I be purified from my sins
Through the peaceful bright-shining flock,
The royal host whom I celebrate.”

Eugene O’Curry, Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, (Dublin, 1861), 365-6.

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