[10940]Bai Mongan hi Ráith Móir1 Maigi Lini2
inna rigu. Dolluid
[10941]
Forgoll3 file a dochum. Boí leis for cui
ilar lánomnae
[10942]
ndó. Infeded in fili scél cacha aidche do
Mongán. Bá sí a
[10943]
chomsae a mboth samlaid ó Samuin co
Béltaine. Seóit 7 bíad
[10944]
ho Mongán. Imcomarchuir Mongán a filid laa
n-and cía
[10945]
haided Fothaid Airgtig. Asbert Forgoll goíte i
nDubthair
[10946]
Lagen4. Asbert Mongán ba gó. Asbert in fili
nod n-aírfed dia
[10947]
áithgiud 7 no áerfad a athair
7 a máthair 7 a senathair, 7
[10948]
docechnad fora n-usciu conná gébtha
íasc ina inberaib. Do-
[10949]
cechnad fora fedaib conna tibertaís torad fora
maige, comtis
[10950]
ambriti chaidchi cacha clainde. Dofarraid5 Mongán
a réir dó
[10951]
di sétaib co tici secht cumala ł da secht
cumala ł tri secht cumala.
[10952]
Torgid asennad trían ł leth a feraind
ł a ferand óg asennad acht
[10953]
a soíri a óenur cona mnai
Breóthigirnd mani forsulcad co cend
[10954]
p.
133btrisse. At
| bobuid in fili uile
acht mad cussin mnaí. Atdámuir
[10955]
Mongan fo bíth a énech. Bá
brónach in ben immeressan. Ni
[10956]
gattad dér di gruaid. Asbert Mongán fria
arnábad brónach;
[10957]
bés dosnísed cobair.
[10958]Tánic de co tici a tres laa. Gabais in fili
día nadmim.
[10959]
Asbert Mongán anad co fescor. Boí Mongan
7 a ben inna
[10960]
ngríanan. Ciid in ben in tan bá nessam a
n-idnacul 7 nád
[10961]
accai a cobair. Asbert Mongan: 'Nadbad6 brónach, a
ben! Ásáe
[10962]
fer dotháet indossa diar cobair; adhaim a chossa
hi Labrinni7.'
[10963]
Anit etir.
[10964]Cích in ben aithiruch. 'Ná cíi, a
ben! Ásae fer dotháet diar
[10965]
cobair indosso; adhaim a chossa hi Máin.' No antais
eter cach
[10966]
dá tráth in tucht sin isind
lóo. No chiadsi. Asberadsa beus:
[10967]
'Ná cí, a ben! Fer dotháet diar cobair
indossa, adhaim a chossa hi
[10968]
Lemuin, hi Loch Léin, hi Samaír
eter Uí Fidgente 7 Aradu, hi
[10969]
Siúir ar Femun8 Muman, hi nEchuir, hi
mBerbi, hi Rurthig, hi
[10970]
mBoind, hi Níth, hi Rig, hi nOlarbi ar bélaib
Rátha Móri.'
[10971]In tan dunnánic adaig, boí
Mongán inna chétud inna
[10972]
rígthaíg 7 a ben fora
déserud osí brónach. In fili oca fúacru
[10973]
fora nglinne 7 a nadmand. Tráth
mbátár and, adfógarar fer
[10974]
dun raith andes. A brat hi forcepul immi 7
dícheltir inna láim
[10975]
nádbu érbec. Toling frissa crand sin tarna
teóra ratha co mboí
[10976]
for lár lis; di sudiu co mboí for
lár ind rígthaige; di sudiu co
[10977]
mboí eter Mongán 7
fraigid forsind adart. In fili i n-íarthur
[10978]
in taige fri ríg aníar. Segair in chest
isin tig feád ind oclaig
[10979]
dudánic. 'Cid dathar sund?' ol sudiu. 'Ro gellsom,' ol
Mongán, '7
[10980]
in fili ucut im aidid Fothaid Airgtig. Asrubairtsom: "Is i
[10981]
nDubthor Lagen"; asrubartsa: "Is gó".' Asbert
int óclách bá gó
[10982]
dond ilid. 'Bid aithlig,' ol Forgoll cille, 'dano dumm
áithgeód.'
[10983]
'Ni baa són,' ol int óclách.
'Proimfithir. Bámárni latsu, la Find,'
[10984]
ol int óclach. 'Adautt!' ol Mongán. 'Ní maith sin.'
'Bámárni la
[10985]
Find trá,' ol se. 'Dulodmar di Albae.
Immarnacmár fri Fothud
[10986]
nAirgtech hi sund accut for Ollorbi. Fichimmir scandal
n-and
[10987]
Fochartso erchor fair co sech trít co lluid hi
talmain friss anall
[10988]
7 co facab a iarnd hi talam. Iss ed a
ndíceltar so ro boí isin gai
[10989]
p. 134asin. Fugebthar
| in
máelcloch día rolusa a roud sin 7 fogebthar
[10990]
a n-airiarnn isin talam 7 fogebthar a ulad
Fothaid Airgtig fris
[10991]
anair bic. Ata comrar chloche imbi and hi talam. Ataat a
di
[10992]
foil airgit 7 a di bunne doat 7 a
muintorc argit fora chomrair.
[10993]
7 atá coirthe oca ulaid. 7
atá ogom isin chind fil hi talam din
[10994]
corthi. Iss ed fil and: "Eochaid9 Airgtech inso.
Ra mbí Caílte i
[10995]
n-imaeriuc fri Find".'
[10996]Éthe10 lasin n-óclaic aricht samlaid ule
7 fofrítha. Ba hé
[10997]
Caílte dalta Find dodánic. Ba hé
Find dano inti Mongán acht
[10998]
nad leic a forndisse.
Mongán was in Rathmore of Moylinny in his kingship. To him went Forgoll the poet. Through him many a married couple was complaining to Mongán. Every night the poet would recite a story to Mongán. So great was his lore that they were thus from Halloween to May-day. He had gifts and food from Mongán.
One day Mongán asked his poet what was the death of Fothad Airgdech. Forgoll said he was slain at Duffry in Leinster. Mongán said it was false. The poet said he would satirise him with his lampoons, and he would satirise his father and his mother and his grandfather, and he would sing (spells) upon their waters, so that fish should not be caught in their river-mouths. He would sing upon their woods, so that they should not give fruit, upon their plains, so that they should be barren forever of any produce. Mongán promised him his will of precious things as far as (the value of) seven bondmaids, or twice seven bondmaids, or three times seven. At last he offers him one-third, or one-half of his land, or his whole land; at last (anything) save only his own liberty with (that of) his wife Breóthigernd, unless he were redeemed before the end of three days. The poet refused all except as regards the woman. For the sake of his honour Mongán consented. Thereat the woman was sorrowful. The tear was not taken from her cheek. Mongán told her not to be sorrowful, help would certainly come to them.
So it came to the third day. The poet began to enforce his bond. Mongán told him to wait till evening. He and his wife were in their bower. The woman weeps as her surrender drew near and she saw no help. Mongán said: ‘Be not sorrowful, woman. He who is even now coming to our help, I hear his feet in the Labrinne.’ They wait a while.
Again the woman wept. ‘Weep not, woman! He who is now coming to our help, I hear his feet in the Máin.’ Thus they were waiting between every two watches of the day. She would weep, he would still say: ‘Weep not woman! He who is now coming to our help, I hear his feet in the Laune, in Lough Leane, in the Morning-star River between the Úi Fidgente and the Arada, in the Suir on Moy-Fevin in Munster, in the Echuir, in the Barrow, in the Liffey, in the Boyne, in the Dee, in the Newry river, in the Larne Water in front of Rathmore.’
When night came to them, Mongán was on his couch in his palace, and his wife at his right hand, and she sorrowful. The poet was summoning them by their sureties and their bonds. While they were there, a man is announced approaching the rath from the south. His cloak was in a fold around him, and in his hand a headless spear-shaft that was not very small. By that shaft he leapt across the three ramparts, so that he was in the middle of the garth, thence into the middle of the palace, thence between Mongán and the wall at his pillow. The poet was in the back of the house behind the king. The question is argued in the house before the warrior that had come. ‘What is the matter here?’ said he. ‘I and the poet yonder,’ said Mongán, ‘have made a wager about the death of Fothad Airgdech. He said it was at Duffry in Leinster. I said that was false.’ The warrior said the poet was wrong. ‘It will be (the task) of a former warrior,’ said Forgoll of the church, ‘moreover, to contradict me.’ ‘That were not good,’ said the warrior. ‘It shall be proved. We were with thee, with Find,’ said the warrior. ‘Hush!’ said Mongán, ‘that is not fair.’ ‘We were with Find, then,’ said he. ‘We came from Scotland. We met with Fothad Airgdech here yonder on the Larne river. There we fought a battle. I made a cast at him, so that it passed through him and went into the earth beyond him and left its iron head in the earth. This here is the shaft that was in that spear. The bare stone from which I made that cast will be found, and the iron head will be found in the earth, and the tomb of Fothad Airgdech will be found a little to the east of it. A stone chest is about him there in the earth. There, upon the chest, are his two bracelets of silver, and his two arm-rings, and his neck-torque of silver. And by his tomb there is a stone pillar. And on the end of the pillar that is in the earth there is Ogam. This is what it says: “This is Eochaid Airgdech. Cáilte slew him in an encounter against Find.”’
They went with the warrior. Everything was found thus. It was Cáilte, Find’s foster-son, that had come to them. Mongán, however, was Find, though he would not let it be told.