Kuno Meyer
(20 December 1858 – 11 October 1919) was a German scholar, distinguished in the
field of Celtic literature.
On 1911 he
published the work Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry
Alexander the Great
Four men
stood by the grave of a man,
The grave
of Alexander the Proud:
They sang
words without falsehood
Over the
prince from fair Greece.
Said the
first man of them:
‘Yesterday
there were around the king
The men of
the world – a sad gathering!
Though
today he is alone.’
‘Yesterday
the king of the brown world
Rode upon
the heavy earth:
Though
to-day it us the earth
That rides
upon his neck.’
‘Yesterday’,
said the third wise author,
‘Philip’s
son owned the whole world:
Today he
has nought
Save seven
feet of earth’.
‘Alexander
the liberal and great
Was wont to
bestow silver and gold;
Today’ said
the fourth man,
‘The gold
is here and it is nought’.
Thus truly
spoke the wise men
Around the
grave of the high-king:
It was not
foolish women’s talk
What those
four sang.