Triad #68
TopazOwl

Sat Jan 16 14:46:35 1999
     I think #s 66 & 67 are pretty straightforward, but I find that I have some trouble with triad # 68.*p*Triad # 68:*p*"Trí bróin ata ferr fáilti: brón treóit oc ithe messa, brón guirt apaig, brón feda fo mess."*p*Meyer translation:*p*"Three sorrows that are better than joy: the heaviness of a herd feeding on mast, the heaviness of a ripe field, the heaviness of a wood under mast."*p*     First, what the heck is mast? I am unfamiliar with that word both in English and in Irish! I can't really know the precise meaning of this triad without knowing that word, so I looked it up. Definition follows:*p*     "Mast - the fruit of forest trees, used as a food for animals."*p*     Something tells me this triad might be a play on the words "sorrow" and "heavy"...but first, I'd like to know why your herd feeding on mast, or a great crop ready to come in, is a "sorrow that is better than joy." Why would either of those things be a sorrow at all?*p*     ::: Owlie scratching her head in puzzlement with one long talon :::*p*Leigh