Irish Faerie Tales #2

The Legend Of Knockgrafton

There was once a poor man who lived in the fertile glen of Aherlow, at the foot of the gloomy Galtee mountains, and he had a great hump on his back: he looked just as if his body had been rolled up and placed upon his shoulders; and his head was pressed down with the weight so much that his chin, when he was sitting, would rest upon his knees for support. The country people were rather shy of meeting him in any lonesome place, for though the poor creature was as harmless and as inoffensive as a new-born infant his deformity was so great that he scarcely appeared to be a human being, and some ill-minded people had set strange stories about him afloat. He was said to have great knowledge of herbs and charms, but certain it was that he had a mighty skillful hand in plaiting straw and rushes into hats and baskets, which was how he made his livelihood.

Lusmore, for that was the nickname granted him for the sprig of fairycap* in his little straw hat, would ever get a higher penny for his plaited work than anyone else, and perhaps that was the reason why someone, out of envy, had circulated the strange stories about him. Be that as it may, it happened that he was returning one evening from the pretty town of Cahir towards Cappagh, and as little Lusmore walked very slowly, on account of the great hump on his back, it was quite dark when he came to the old moat of Knockgrafton, which stood on the right side of his road. Tired and weary was he, and not comfortable in his own mind at thinking how much farther he had to travel, and that he should be walking all night. So he sat down under the moat to rest himself, and he began looking mournfully at the moon, which rising in clouded majesty, at length,
Apparent Queen, unveiled her peerless light,
And o’er the dark her silver mantle threw.

Presently there rose a wild strain of unearthly melody upon the ear of little Lusmore. He listened and he thought that he had never heard such ravishing music before. It was like the sound of many voices, each mingling and blending with the other so strangely that they seemed to be one, though all singing different strains, and the words of the song were these:-
Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan Da Mort, when there would be a pause before the round of melody went on again.

Lusmore listened attentively, barely drawing a breath lest he might lose the slightest note. He now plainly could tell that the singing came from within the moat and, though at first it had charmed him so, he began to get tired of hearing the same round sung over and over so often without any change, so availing of the pause when the "Da Luan, Da Mort" had been sung three times, he took up the tune and raised it with the words "augus Da Cadine," and then went on singing with the voices inside of the moat, "Da Luan, Da Mort," finishing the melody when again the pause came with "augus Da Cadine." **

The faeries within Knockgrafton, for the song was a faerie melody, when they heard this addition to their tune were so delighted that with instant resolve it was determined to bring the mortal among them whose musical skill so far exceeded theirs, and little Lusmore was conveyed into their company with the eddying speed of a whirlwind. Glorious to behold was the sight that burst upon him as he came down through the moat, twirling round and round and round with the lightness of a straw, to the sweetest music that kept time to his motion. The greatest honour was then paid him, for he was put up above all the musicians, and he had servants attending upon him and everything to his heart’s content, and a hearty welcome to all. In short he was made as much of as if he had been the first man in the land.

Presently Lusmore saw a great consultation going forward amongst the faeries and, notwithstanding their civility, he felt very much frightened until one, stepping out from the rest, came up to him and said,

Lusmore! Lusmore!
Doubt not, nor deplore,
For the hump which you bore,
upon your back is no more!
Look down on the floor,
And view it, Lusmore!

When these words were said, poor little Lusmore felt himself so light and so happy that he thought he could have bounded at one jump over the moon, and he saw, with inexpressible pleasure, his hump tumble down to the ground from his shoulders. He then tried to lift up his head, and did so with becoming caution, fearing that it might knock against the ceiling of the grand hall where he was. He looked round and round again with the greatest wonder and delight upon everything which appeared more and more beautiful, and, overpowered at beholding such a resplendent scene, his head grew dizzy and his eyesight became dim. at last he fell into a sound sleep. When he awoke he found that it was broad daylight, the sun was shining brightly, the birds were sweetly singing, and he was lying just at the foot of the moat of Knockgrafton with the cows and sheep grazing peacefully around about him. The first thing Lusmore did after saying his prayers was to put his hand behind his back to feel for the hump, but there was no sign of it at all, and he looked at himself with great pride for he had now become a well-shaped dapper little fellow, and more than that, he found himself in a full suit of new clothes, which he concluded the faeries had made for him.

Towards Cappagh he went, stepping out as lightly and springing with every step as if he had for all his life been a dancing master. Not a creature who met Lusmore knew him without his hump and he had a hard time to persuade everyone that he was the same man – in truth he was not, so far as outward appearances went.

Of course it was not long before the story of Lusmore’s hump got about, and a great wonder was made of it. Throughout the country it was the talk of everyone, high and low.

One morning as Lusmore was sitting contented enough at his cabin door, up came an old woman to him, and asked if he could direct her to Cappagh.

"I need give you no directions, my good woman," said Lusmore, "for this is Cappagh. And who do you want here?"

"I have come," said the woman, "out of Decie’s country, in the county of Waterford, looking for one called Lusmore who, I have heard tell, had his hump taken off by the faeries, for there is a son of a gossip of mine has got a hump on him that will be his death, and maybe if he could use the same charm as Lusmore the hump may be taken off of him. And now I have told you the reason for my coming so far ‘tis to find out about this charm if I can."

Lusmore, who was ever a good-natured fellow, told the woman all the particulars, how he had raised the tune for the faeries at Knockgrafton, how his hump had been removed from his shoulders and how he had got a new suit of clothes into the bargain.

The woman thanked him very much and then went away quite happy and easy in her own mind. When she came back to her gossip’s house in the county of Waterford, she told her everything that Lusmore had said, and they put the little hump-backed man, who was a cunning and peevish creature from his birth, upon a carriage and took him all the way across the country. It was a long journey, but they did not care for that, so the hump was taken off from him, and they brought him just at nightfall and left him at the old moat of Knockgrafton.

Jack Madden, for that was the hump-backed man’s name, had not been sitting there long when he heard the tune going on within the moat much sweeter than before, for the faeries were singing it the way Lusmore had settled their music for them, and the song was going on: Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, augus Da Cadine, without ever stopping. Jack Madden, who was in such a hurry to get rid of his hump, never thought of waiting until the faeries had done, or watching for a fit opportunity to raise the tune higher again than Lusmore had. So, having heard them sing it over and over seven times without stopping, out he bawls, never minding the time or the humour of the tune, or how he would bring his words in properly, augus Da Cadine, augus Da Hena***, thinking that if one day was good, two were better, and that if Lusmore had one new suit of clothes given to him, he should have two.

No sooner had the words passed his lips than he was taken up and whisked into the moat with prodigious force, and the faeries came crowding around him with great anger, screeching and screaming, and roaring out, "who spoiled our tune? Who spoiled our tune?" and one stepped up to him above the rest and said,

Jack Madden! Jack Madden!
Your words came so bad in
The tune we feel glad in –
This castle you’re had in,
That your life we may sadden:
Here’s two humps for Jack Madden!

And twenty of the strongest faeries brought Lusmore’s hump and put it down upon poor Jack’s back, over his own, where it became fixed as firmly as if it was nailed on with twelvepenny nails by the best carpenter that ever drove one. Out of their castle they then kicked him, and in the morning when Jack Madden’s mother and her gossip came to look after their little man, they found him half dead, lying at the foot of the moat with the other hump upon his back. Well, to be sure, how they did look at each other! But they were afraid to say anything lest a hump be put upon their own shoulders. Home they brought the unlucky Jack Madden with them, as downcast in their hearts and their looks as ever two gossips were, and what through the weight of his other hump and the long journey, he died soon after, leaving his heavy curse to anyone who would go to listen to faerie tunes again.

***and Wednesday and Thursday