A Áine, I agree. It's not a literal translation, because a literal translation would probably have been cumbersome He captured the spirit of the original, and his internal rhymes are more consistent (and mellifluous). "Ag ceiliúr 's ag ceol agus draíocht ina ghlór," is better than "He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang."

But verse for verse, he pretty much matches the story line, which is what I meant by "direct". Le meas.
Seamus