Princess Úll lived at the top of the tallest tower, In the land of the many long-barrows, Where the saol eile waterfall met the river. She was an extremely intelligent woman, And it was told, to her royal parents, That she held a great power, That a single kiss would grant wisdom To whomever did plant one upon her lips. Her mother and father feared this, Feared that those who sought her blessing, Would misuse such knowledge. And that was why she was kept away, In the tallest tower by the waterfall. Even though she remained hidden, There were some who knew of her location, Knew of her secret, And longed to have a kiss from her, That would grant them the mind of all things. |
Three brothers,
Princes to be precise,
Planned how they could get to the princess.
Herman, Tristan and Awst,
Made their journey across the lands,
Past the waterfall of saol eile,
And arrived at the tallest tower,
In the land of many long-barrows.
The brothers argued who should go first.
Herman said “I am the fastest of us,
I will be quicker than both of you.”
Tristan said “I am the youngest of us three,
Therefore I am fitter than both of you.”
Awst said “I am the greatest of us,
I should go for I am better than you.”
The brothers drew straws,
And Herman went first.
He climbed up a tree that stretched high,
He climbed and climbed until he was at the top.
Once there, he ran across a branch and leaped,
Clutching, barely, to the window of the tower.
He pulled himself in,
And greeted the princess.
“Princess Úll, may I request the gift of a kiss?”
The princess granted the request,
And once they had kissed,
Herman was filled with wisdom.
However, for Princess Úll,
She began to age twenty years,
Until she was no longer,
Her sweet young self.
Herman rushed back to his brothers,
To tell them what he had learnt.
“Brothers, I have kissed Princess Úll,
I know all things,
And I know this.
Each kiss she grants,
Takes from her life.
She ages as we grow wiser.
I will go and think,
I will think of a way to stop this.”
Herman left.
The other brothers stayed by the tower,
They wanted to help but could not,
They could not suggest an idea,
Except for one that Awst conjured,
One that was selfish.
“Brother, I will go to the princess,
I will kiss her and gain wisdom,
And then I will help our brother think,
And solve this problem,
For two heads are better than one.”
And with that,
Awst climbed up the tree that stretched high,
He climbed and climbed until he was at the top.
Once there, he swing on a branch and leaped,
Clutching, barely, to the window of the tower.
He pulled himself in,
And greeted the princess.
“Princess Úll, may I request the gift of a kiss?”
The princess granted the request,
And once they had kissed,
Awst was filled with wisdom.
However, for Princess Úll,
She began to age twenty years,
Until she was suddenly,
No longer middle aged.
Awst rushed back to his brother,
To tell him of what he had learnt.
“Brother, I have kissed Princess Úll,
I know all things,
And I know this.
We must stop this,
It takes from her life.
She ages as we grow wiser.
I will go and tell Herman,
We must stop others from coming here.”
Awst left.
The other brother, Tristan,
Stayed by the tower,
He wanted to help but could not,
His brothers always left him behind,
They claimed him to young,
And then he thought to himself,
A thought that was terribly selfish.
“I know, I will go to the princess,
I will kiss her and gain wisdom,
And then I will think of a cure by myself,
And then my brothers will see,
I am not so naive after all!”
And with that,
Tristan climbed up the tree that stretched high,
He climbed and climbed until he was at the top.
Once there, he bounced on a branch and leaped,
Clutching, barely, to the window of the tower.
He pulled himself in,
And greeted the princess.
“Princess Úll, may I request the gift of a kiss?”
The princess granted the request,
And once they had kissed,
Tristan was filled with wisdom.
However, for Princess Úll,
She began to age twenty years,
Until she was suddenly,
No longer just elderly,
But instead frail,
And ill.
Tristan rushed back to his brothers,
To tell them of the princesses state.
“Brothers, I have kissed Princess Úll,
I know all things,
And what is more,
I saw this.
She is ill now and weak,
But I believe we can save her.
What should have happened is,
We should never have kissed her in the first place.
Then she would not have aged!”
The brothers agreed that this was the best solution,
They returned to Princess Úll to tell her,
But when they got there,
And climbed the tree,
And peered into the window,
All they could see,
Was an empty room.
They went to the nearby village,
Across from the waterfall,
And asked the people about the princess.
The princess had died of old age,
And now she was buried in her own barrow.
The brothers fell to their knees,
For it was too late.
And then, the brothers left.