The Liar

The manuscript of this poem originally revealed the name of the liar,
which contained the letters s, m, p, a, and t, but he has so far
escaped further immortality. Mananaun’s swine could be endlessly
killed and came endlessly to life again.

O you liar tell me this
  How can anyone repay
When he cannot even count
  All the lies you give away?

Many and many a poor man turns
  Empty from your neighbours’ doors;
Praise the Lord who keeps you rich,
  All men get their fill at yours.

For you sufer no decrease-—
  Such is liars’ luck they say;
And you never had a lie
  But ycu gave the lie away.

And since what you give you keep,
  No whit poorer when ’tis gone,
Woe to him who after you
  Puts abridle on his tongue.

Curse on any stingy wretch
  Who would keep a falsehood in
Since the yarn you Spun last night
  Once again tonight you spin.

Now I know the poet meant
  That :he swine of Mananaun
Were the lies killed overnight
  Rising from the dead with dawn.


Source: O'Connor, Frank (tr); Kings, Lords, & Commons: An Anthology
from the Irish; 1962; London; Macmillan & Co; p.74