" And Oisin had no answer to give him. And just then Caoilte
came where they were, and he looked at Osgar. "What way are you now, my
darling?" he said. "The way you would like me to be," said Osgar.
Then Caoilte searched the wound, and when he saw how the spear had torn
its way through to the back, he cried out, and a cloud came over him and
his strength failed him. "O Osgar," he said, "you are parted from the
Fianna, and they themselves must be parted from battle from this out,"
he said, "and they must pay their tribute to the King of Ireland."
Then Caoilte and Oisin raised up Osgar on their shields and brought him
to a smooth green hill till they would take his dress off. And there was
not a hands-breadth of his white body that was without a wound.
And when the rest of the Fianna saw what way Osgar was, there was not a
man of them that keened his own son or his brother, but every one of
them came keening Osgar.
And after a while, at noonday, they saw Finn coming towards them, and
what was left of the Sun-banner raised on a spear-shaft. All of them
saluted Finn then, but he made no answer, and he came up to the hill
where Osgar was. And when Osgar saw him coming he saluted him, and he
said: "I have got my desire in death, Finn of the sharp arms." And Finn
said: "It is worse the way you were, my son, on the day of the battle at
Beinn Edair when the wild geese could swim on your breast, and it was my
hand that gave you healing.
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