duibithir éc, buidithir ór, glaisithir bun cuilinn

duibithir éc, buidithir ór, glaisithir bun cuilinn

(as black (as) * death * as yellow (as) * gold * as green (as) * trunk * of a holly tree)

as black as death, as yellow as gold, as green as a holly trunk

This dramatic set of similes is found in “Sanas Cormaic”, where it describes the spectacularly ugly youth who later is physically transformed and who reveals himself to be the Spirit of Poetry. The “yellow” and “green” refer to color of the tops and bottoms of his pre-transformation teeth!

Topics: Similes, Metaphors & Kennings