131: Òrain Dhòmhnaill Ailein Dhòmhnall na Bainich
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
Tha an litir ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Òrain Dhòmhnaill Ailein Dhòmhnall na Bainich
Aig an àm seo an-uiridh, bha na litrichean agam mu dheidhinn mìosan na bliadhna, agus chleachd mi am facal Gàidhlig as aithne dhomh airson calendar – “mìosachan”. Tha e stèidhichte air a’ Ghàidhlig airson month – mìos. Ach tha dà fhacal eile ann a chluinneas tu cuideachd airson calendar – caladair agus, seadh, “calendar”, dìreach mar a tha e ann am Beurla.
Tha sin nam inntinn an t-seachdain sa, oir bha mi a’ leughadh leabhar inntinneach air a bheil “Òrain Dhòmhnaill Ailein Dhòmhnall na Bainich”, a chaidh a dheasachadh leis an Athair Urramach Iain Aonghas Dòmhnallach, a tha na shagart anns a’ Ghearastan. Buinidh Mgr Iain Aonghas do dh’Uibhist a Deas, an dearbh eilean dhan do bhuin am bàrd mun do sgrìobh e. Mholainn an leabhar dhuibh, oir tha eadar-theangachadh ann do na h-òrain air fad.
Bha Dòmhnall Ailean Dhòmhnall na Bainich beò eadar na bliadhnaichean naoi deug ’s a sia agus naoi deug, naochad ’s a dhà, agus sgrìobh e na h-uibhir de dh’ òrain mhatha, nam measg “Gruagach Òg an Fhuilt Bhàin” agus “Moladh Uibhist”. Is tha òran snog spòrsail san leabhar air a bheil “Òran a’ Chalendar” – fear a tha furasta gu leòr do luchd-ionnsachaidh. Seo mar a tha e a’ tòiseachadh:
Hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh;
B’ fheàrr gun d’ chùm mi dhachaigh dìreach,
’S cha leiginn a leas bhith ’g innse
Do mhuinntir na tìr’ mar dh’èirich;
’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.
’S fhuair mi calendar bho Dhòmhnall
A chumadh fad na bliadhn’ air dòigh mi:
A h-uile mìos air sgrìobhte còmhla
’S pòcaid air bhiodh dhomhsa feumail;
’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.
Bha an t-ùghdar, Dòmhnall Ailean, air an rathad dhachaigh le calendar a fhuair e mar phreusant bho fhear air an robh Dòmhnall. Bha còir aige dhol dìreach dhachaigh leis, ach cha deach, oir thachair e ri fear a’ phuist, Nillidh Eairdsidh, taobh a-muigh Oifis a’ Phuist. Thuirt Nillidh ris, “nach tiugainn thu tacan suas air chèilidh?” Cha b’ urrainn do Dhòmhnall Ailean dhol seachad agus chaidh e a-steach airson cupa tì.
Ach fhad ’s a bha e shuas an staidhre, bha na boireannaich ri dibhearsan shìos, far an do dh’fhàg Dòmhnall Ailean a chalendar. Co-dhiù, nuair a chaidh e sìos an staidhre às dèidh dha cupa tì a ghabhail, bha an calendar dìreach far an do dh’fhàg e e, agus cha robh coltas ann gu robh e eadar-dhealaichte ann an dòigh sam bith. Ach bha. Seo na rannan mu dheireadh san òran, agus an t-ùghdar a’ toirt a’ chalendar gu bhean:
Ràinig mis’ an taigh gu druaipleach
Is shìn mi Cheit e airson fhuasgladh,
’S b’ fheàrr leam fhìn gu robh mi ’n uair sin
Nam cheò uain’ air feadh nan speuran;
’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.
Dhragh i pìos de phàipear cruaidh às,
Dh’fhaighneachd i dhomh, “An croch mi suas e?”
’S tha is’ a’ fanaid orm bhon uair sin
’S bu mhis’ a’ chulaidh-thruais ga h-èisteachd!”
’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.
Tuigidh sibh gun deach car a thoirt às leis na boireannaich ann an taigh Nillidh Eairdsidh – gun tug iad an calendar a-mach às a’ chèis is gun do chuir iad pìos pàipeir cruaidh innte na àite.
Bha comas aig Dòmhnall Ailean gàire a dhèanamh air fhèin – rud a tha math ann am bàrd sam bith. Agus bha e na bhàrd air leth. Bha e dhen bheachd nach robh “de dh’fhoghlam air an t-saoghal a dhèanadh duine na bhàrd” agus gur e comas a bh’ ann a bhuineadh do nàdar an duine fhèin. Bha an comas sin aigesan ann am pailteas.
Faclan na Litreach: ùghdar: author; preusant: present; thachair e ri: he met (with); Nillidh Eairdsidh: Neil, son of Archie; druaipleach: dozy; pàipear cruaidh: stiff paper
Abairtean na Litreach: a chaidh a dheasachadh leis an Athair Urramach Iain Aonghas Dòmhnallach: which was edited by Father John Angus MacDonald; buinidh X do dh’Uibhist a Deas: X belongs to South Uist; sgrìobh e na h-uibhir de dh’òrain mhatha: he wrote a lot of good songs; cha leiginn a leas a bhith ag innse: I needn’t be telling; do mhuinntir na tìre mar dh’èirich: (to) the people of the district what happened; ’s pòcaid air (a) bhiodh dhomhsa feumail: and a pocket on it which would be useful to me (the bard has changed the word order from the usual a bhiodh feumail dhomhsa); bha còir aige dhol dìreach dhachaigh: he should have gone straight home; nach tiugainn thu tacan suas air chèilidh?: won’t you come up for a while to visit?; bha na boireannaich ri dibhearsan shìos: the women were having a bit of fun downstairs; shìn mi (a) Cheit e airson fhuasgladh: I handed it over to Kate to unwrap it; b’ fheàrr leam fhìn gu robh mi ’n uair sin nam cheò uain’ air feadh nan speuran: I would then have preferred to be a pale mist all over the heavens; an croch mi suas e?: will I hang it up?; gun deach car a thoirt às: that he was tricked; nach robh “de dh’fhoghlam air an t-saoghal a dhèanadh duine na bhàrd”: that there was no education in the world that could make a man a bard.
Puing-ghràmair na Litreach: ’S bu mhis’ a’ chulaidh-thruais ga h-èisteachd: and I have been an object of pity having to listen to her. Bu mhise is the past tense equivalent to is mise and it is ga h-èisteachd, rather than ga èisteachd, because he is listening to a feminine object ie his wife who is mocking him about bringing home a piece of card, rather than the calendar he promised. But I would particularly like to point out the word culaidh, a feminine noun which here means an object and which forms a compound noun with other nouns. Truas means “pity” so culaidh-thruais (employing the genitive of truas) means “an object of pity”. Similarly, fanaid means mockery or ridicule, so culaidh-fhanaid means an object of ridicule. Note that because it is treated as a compound noun, the second element is lenited just an adjective would be when qualifying a feminine noun. Another common example is culaidh-mhagaidh (from magadh) which has much the same meaning as culaidh-fhanaid.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Bha an comas sin aigesan ann am pailteas: he had that capability in abundance. Pailteas means “plenty, abundance, sufficiency”. Tha pailteas Gàidhlig aige: he has plenty of Gaelic (ie he speaks it well).
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