112: Uil’-ìoc
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.
Uil’-ìoc
Tha e iongantach cho sean ’s a tha cuid de na h-ainmean a th’ againn ann an Gàidhlig airson lusan. Rinn an sgrìobhadair Ròmanach, Pliny, am fear nas sine, a bha beò anns a’ chiad linn às dèidh Chrìosda, rannsachadh air mòran rudan co-cheangailte ri nàdar. Agus sgrìobh e mu dheidhinn lus, a tha a’ fàs gu h-àrd ann an craobhan, dha robh na draoidhean Ceilteach a’ toirt urram thar chàich.
‘ “Omnia sanantem” appellantes suo vocabulo’, sgrìobh e, a’ ciallachadh, “nan cànan fhèin canaidh iad ‘uil’-ìoc’ ris.” Tha sin a’ ciallachadh an lus a tha a’ slànachadh a h-uile nì. Agus ’s e sin an t-ainm a th’ air ann an Gàidhlig fhathast an-diugh, faisg air dà mhìle bliadhna bho chuir Pliny a shreath leabhraichean air nàdar ri chèile – uil’-ìoc. Tha teans ann gum bi sibh nas eòlaiche air fo ainm Beurla – mistletoe.
Seo na sgrìobh Pliny mu dheidhinn. Bidh na h-ìobairtean agus a’ chuirm deiseil fon chraoibh agus bidh iad a’ toirt leotha dà tharbh geal...; bidh draoidh, ann an aodach geal, a’ dìreadh na craoibhe agus a’ gearradh an uil’-ìoc dheth le sgian òir; bidh e air a ghlacadh ann an siota gheal. An uair sin bidh iad ag ìobradh nan tarbh.
Thuirt Pliny gu robh na seann Cheiltich dhen bheachd gun leanadh deagh fhortan air a sin leis cho naomh ’s a bha an t-uil’-ìoc. Chanadh iad, nan òladh boireannach, aig nach robh leanabh, deoch dheth, gum fàsadh i torrach. Agus bhiodh e ag obair mar leigheas an aghaidh a h-uile puinnsein. Bha na draoidhean gu math dèidheil air, agus ’s e ainm eile Gàidhlig air a shon – draoidh-lus.
Tha treas ainm air cuideachd – sùgh-dharaich. Tha “sùgh” a’ ciallachadh snodhach, neo an lionn a tha am broinn craoibhe, anns a bheil am biadh. Agus bidh sibh eòlach air a’ chraoibh-dharaich, tha mi cinnteach. Do na draoidhean, ’s e craobh naomh a bh’ innte, gu h-àraidh nan robh uil’-ìoc a’ fàs oirre. Tha an t-ainm sùgh-dharaich a’ dèanamh ciall, ma-thà, leis gum bi an t-uil’-ìoc a’ toirt sùgh às a’ chraoibh air a bheil e a’ fàs, airson a chumail fhèin beò. ’S e faoighiche a th’ ann, neo co-dhiù leth-fhaoighiche, air sgàth ’s gum bi e a’ dèanamh beagan bìdh dha fhèin leis a’ chlorofail a th’ anns na duilleagan.
Chan eil an t-uil’-ìoc cho cumanta ann an Alba ’s a tha e ann an Sasainn ach, far an robh e a’ fàs, rinn daoine feum dheth. Sgrìobh Tòmas Pennant ann an seachd ceud deug, seachdad ’s a dhà (1772) gu robh daoine ga chleachdadh airson leigheas a dhèanamh air fiabhrasan is tinneasan eile. Anns an naoidheamh linn deug, bhathar ga chleachdadh fhathast ann am Moireibh, faisg air Eilginn, far an robh e a’ fàs.
Agus aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug, dh’innis an Dtr. Donnchadh MacGriogair don Chomann Mheidiceach Chailleannach mu bhoireannach a bha a’ fuireach ann an Inbhir Nis nuair a bha e òg. Dhèanadh i tì leis an uil’-ìoc, agus i a’ dèanamh dheth gu robh i math dhi, leis gu robh i a’ fuiling le frith-bhualadh cridhe. Ach bhiodh a caraidean a’ tarraing aiste, gu h-àraidh leis gu robhar a’ dèanamh ceangal eile eadar an lus agus gnothaichean a’ chridhe. Tuigidh sibh gu bheil mi a’ ciallachadh a’ cheangail a th’ ann eadar mistletoe agus pògan aig àm na bliadhn’-ùire!
’S iomadh rud a chaidh a shlànachadh le pòg agus, fiù ’s nuair a tha ìocshlaint ann airson a h-uile rud ann am bùth a’ cheimigeir, seach gu h-àrd ann an craobhan, ’s dòcha gu bheil an t-ainm uil’-ìoc fhathast gu math freagarrach airson an luis àraidh seo.
Faclan na Litreach: nàdar: nature; uil-ìoc: mistletoe (lit. “all-heal”); a’ slànachadh: healing; ìobairt: sacrifice; cuirm:feast; tarbh: bull; a’ dìreadh: climbing, ascending; sgian òir: a golden knife; naomh: sacred; torrach:fertile, fecund; draoidh-lus: mistletoe (lit. “druid’s plant”); sùgh-dharaich: mistletoe (lit. “oak-sap”); snodhach:sap; lionn: liquid; clorofail: chlorophyll; fiabhrasan: fevers; an Comann Meidiceach Cailleannach: the Caledonian Medical Society.
Abairtean na Litreach: a bha beò anns a’ chiad linn às dèidh Chrìosda: who lived in the 1st Century AD; dha robh na draoidhean Ceilteach a’ toirt urram thar chàich: which the Celtic druids honoured above all others; bho chuir Pliny a shreath leabhraichean ri chèile: since Pliny compiled his series of books (volumes); bidh e air a ghlacadh ann an siota gheal: it is caught in a white sheet; bidh iad ag ìobradh nan tarbh: they sacrifice the bulls; bhiodh e ag obair mar leigheas an aghaidh a h-uile puinnsein: it would work as a cure for all poisons; ’s e faoighiche a th’ ann, neo co-dhiù leth-fhaoighiche: it is a parasite or, at least, a semiparasite (“faoighiche” once referred only to humans living at another’s expense but, as happened with “parasite”, the meaning has been widened to take in other forms of life); leis gu robh i a’ fuiling le frith-bhualadh cridhe: because she was suffering from palpitations of the heart; ceangal eile eadar an lus agus gnothaichean a’ chridhe: other links between the plant and affairs of the heart; ’s iomadh rud a chaidh a shlànachadh le pòg: many a thing has been healed by a kiss; fiù ’s nuair a tha ìocshlaint ann airson a h-uile rud ann am bùth a’ cheimigeir: even when there is a medicine for everything in the chemist’s shop.
Puing ghràmair na Litreach: leis gum bi an t-uil’-ìoc a’ toirt sùgh às a’ chraoibh air a bheil e a’ fàs: because the mistletoe takes sap from the tree on which it grows. Are you happy with the difference between the prepositions “à” (or “às”) and “bho”? À/às means “out of” or “from the inside of”, whereas bho (or “o”) means “from” or “from the outside of”. That is why I said às a chraoibh, rather than bhon chraoibh because the sap is coming from within the tree. So, we might say, thàinig e às a’ choille (he came out of the wood) but thill e bho oir na coille nuair a chual’ e mi (he returned from the edge of the wood when he heard me). The concept of belonging to a place is also covered by à/às (ie you come from within the place), as in the frequently-asked, cò às a tha thu? (where are you from?); tha mi à Glaschu (I am from Glasgow). It is usually às in front of a vowel or before gach and à before a noun, but this rule is not universal and there is flexibility to use either (which should be good news to the learner!). Finally, à/às is employed in some important idioms, often conjugated to form a prepositional pronoun. There is one of these in the Litir and I would like you to find it and work out what it means. All will be revealed next week!
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Bhathar ga chleachdadh fhathast: it was still being used (it was still in use).
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