Timeless.

Ancient Irish sagas, I am finding, are not often the stuff of great reading. I think something may be getting lost in the time and translation. It was written 8,000 years ago. That's Bronze Age, for those who are counting. Most other civilizations were still in their infancy, still rooting for berries n' stuff. The Celtic bards were memorizing stories. So, okay, it's old. But this stuff is usually dry, sometimes confusing. Typical excerpt:

In Eiru, there was complete peace during Conare's reign, save that battle was proposed in Tuadmumu between two men named Coirpre, both foster-brothers of Conare, and th matter was not put right until Conare arrived. There was a geiss against his going to settle a quarrel before the quarrelers came to him, but he went all the same and made peace between them. He stayed five nights with each man, and there was also a geiss against that.

......*blink*

Sometimes, there is a sparkling moment. A rare literary gem among the clogged arteries of complicated names and battle catalogs. 

Just read this. You'll love this.

In The Only Jealousy of Emer, Ireland's greatest warrior, Cu Chualind (Koo-kul-ind) cheats on his wife Emer (Ee-mer) with this beautiful banshee, Fand. Here's how that goes:

"Where will we meet again?" Fand asked. They decided upon Ibor Cind Trachta. This was told to Emer, and she prepared knives with which to kill Fand.

Ha! So, she's miffed. Poor Emer! She confronts Cu Chualind.

"Why, Cu Chulaind, have you dishonoured me before the women of the province and the women of Eiru (Ireland) and all the people of rank?" asked Emer.

"Emer, why will you not permit me to see this woman? She is pure and modest, fair and clever..."

Yeah yeah. Let me cut you off there, buddy. Emer answers like any woman would:

"Perhaps this woman you have chosen is no better than I," answered Emer. "But what's red is beautiful, what's new is bright, what's tall is fair, what's familiar is stale. The unknown is honored, the known is neglected -- until all is known."

So true! Many a woman has been burned by this very truth. Then, Emer brings it home.

"Lad, we lived together in harmony once, and we could do so again if only I still pleased you."

Oh! Swoon swoon swoon. I love this! Tattoo this on me. Tattoo this on my cat. Write this on the inside of my Trapper Keeper and tape it up over my Joey McIntyre wall poster. How lovely! How sad! How horribly, terribly loving.

Isn't that wonderful? Isn't it amazing to connect with a story told 8,000 years ago? 6,000 years before the Bible. Before the Romans, the Egyptians. Before bronze. The metal, bronze! Emer's story connects us with the universal, down through the ages.