Poems: A pagan psalm?

Hi guys!

Today I have another poem for you, just because Celtic poems are too damn awesome.This poem is written in Latin, so it's not linguistically Celtic, but it is written down (so it may have been written earlier) by Tírechán, an Irish bishop. James Carney dates the poem to the 6th century.
The translation is primarly by James Carney but I changed it somewhat because I like to translate more literally than he does.

Quis est Deus?                                      Who is God?

et ubi est Deus                                      And where is God

et cuius est Deus                                        And of whom is God

et ubi habitaculum eius?                            And where is his dwelling?

Si habet filios et filias,                           Has He sons and daughters,

aurum et argentum, Deus vester?                       of gold and silver, this God of yours?

Si vivus semper,                              Is He ever-living

si pulcher                                    Is He beautiful

si filium eius                                  Was his son

nutrierunt multi?                            Nurtured by many?

Si filiae eius                                         Are His daughters

carae et pulchrae sunt                         loved and beautiful

hominibus mundi?                            by the men of the world?

Si in caelo                                     Is He in the heaven

an in terra est?                                 or in the earth?

In aequore,                                             in the sea

in fluminibus,                                    in the rivers

in montanis,                                  in the mountains

in convallibus?                                 in the valleys?

Dic nobis                                 Tell us

notitiam eius:                                His tidings

Quomodo videbitur,                                  How will He be seen?

quomodo diligitur,                                 How is He loved?

quomodo invenitur?                                How is He found?

Si in iuventute,                                  Is it in youth

Si in senectute                               is it in old age

invenitur?                              that He is found?

Book of Kells

It is obviously a christian poem, but it doesn't feel like a standard psalm or praise-poem, which makes it way more interesting in my opinion. And if you look closely, it seems that the writer himself is a pagan, and asks a christian about his God, who is so different from the 'gods' of his pagan belief. The questions he asks even remind me of the people of the Otherworld, who never die and aren't young nor old, and live in the fairy mounds. 'Was his son nurtured by many?' It was an Irish custom to give your sons and daughters away for fostering, which is less normal in the christian customs. In the end, I think this poem sheds more light on the pagan beliefs than the Christian faith, and that's why I love this poem so much :)

I hope you have enjoyed it too,

Lian

James Carney 'Medieval Irish Lyrics' (Dublin 1967)