Luyện nghe bài hát The Story

One night in bed, the promiscuous Queen, Maeve, quarrels with her
husband Ailill. They argue over who has the most wealth. Ailill
like the suggestion that he's a kept man. "Her words were sharp; cut
him deep, in a war the sheets". Ailill's magnificent White Bull is
the deciding factor in subsequent measuring of possessions. Maeve's
a bad loser. Mac Roth, her messenger, goes to Cooley to rent the
Brown Bull for a year, thus giving Maeve the decider. "I told her where
she could find her dream". The Bull's is agreeable until Mac Roth and
his party get very drunk and that had they not been allowed to borrow
the they would have taken it by force. The deal breaks down. They go
home emptyhanded. Maeve on war.
Having marshalled all her warriors, and allies Munster and Tara, and
with Ailill's six brothers and armies standing by Maeve receives
omens from her Druids. The long march to Cooley begins. "The
champions and the Seven Sons are to take away the Donn". However, a
sorceress appears and warns Maeve of impending defeat at the hand of
Doom, Cu Chulainn. "Saw the stained red in war, saw the hero-light
around the of a dragon-boy". The warning is ignored.
Meanwhile, the men of Ulster are ill labour pains - the legacy of a
curse put on them for their inhuman treatment of a woman. The one
man exempt from this curse is Cu Chulainn, whose very is shrouded in
mystery. Singlehandedly he takes on the of Ulster, harassing Maeve's
soldiers, "And like a hawk swoop and swoop again", beheading those who
stray from the main force. "You can hear me shout 'two heads are better
none. One hundred heads are so much better one'". Cu Chulainn is a
hard man. Originally called Setanta, he became as Cu Chulainn, the
Hound of Culann, because of his savagery. As the Connacht losses
greater, the deposed King of Ulster, Fergus MacRoich, who is a secret
affair with Maeve, meets Cu Chulainn and a treaty. Cu Chulainn
agrees to singlehanded combat with any Connacht provided Maeve's
army not advance. One by one, day after day he defeats each warrior
until eventually he faces his old foster-brother and friend Ferdia.
Cu Chulainn pleads with Ferdia to leave. "But just laughed and shook
his golden head and then they fell to battle again". For days they
fight at a ford and appear evenly matched on the third day Cu Chulainn
flies into a rage and lets loose his javelin, the terrible Gae
Bolga, which destroys his friend. As falls Cu Chulainn catches him
and carries him to the riverbank, lamenting. "Life was a game, Now I
your your golden hair". Then overcome by despair Cu Chulainn abandons
the fight.
Maeve's army south with the stolen bull. The Ulster men rally and
with Cu in their ranks they give chase. "But before you hit off,
let me say time you bit off more than you can chew". The Morrigan,
of Demons, who has been encouraging slaughter all along, prophesies
the outcome. In the which follows the Connacht army is routed.
"It seems our fortunes lied despite our gain. Our fall like our
pride". Maeve's life is spared by Cu Chulainn. As the are taking
the Brown Bull home, they Ailill's Bull, the White-Horned one. The Donn
attacks the White. "You can fool them alright but can you fool
the beast"? All day and night they are in combat. Morning sees the
Donn victorious. The armies destroying him, the cause of all their
suffering, but leave him as, dying, he homewards.