Mar a thàinig an guirmean a dh’Alba (2)
I was telling you about how
guirmean
or woad [perhaps actually guirmean Innseanach, indigo] came to
Scotland. There was an orphaned Barra lad on board a boat. The captain
was going to throw him overboard.
‘Don’t do that,’ said the mate. ‘I’ll keep him. I’ll get him a place at
our destination.’ The captain accepted that.
They reached India [the Indies]. The mate knew a farmer there. He took
the lad to the farmer’s house. ‘Will you take this lad?’ he said to the
farmer. ‘Will you keep him until I come on the next voyage?’
‘Very good,’ said the farmer.
The mate left to sail the oceans. The farmer was good to the lad. One
day, the farmer said to him, ‘I’ll give you a barrow today. You’ll go
to fetch fuel from the forest. Take your dinner with you.’
‘Very good,’ said the lad. He took an axe and barrow with him and he
started to cut fuel [wood]. He wasn’t there long when a man came. He
was hungry. The lad shared the dinner between the two of them. The man
filled the barrow and sent the lad on his way.
The lad went home. He was asked to go out again the next day to fetch
more fuel. He said to the farmer’s wife that his dinner the previous
day had not been large enough.
‘Very good,’ she said. ‘Your dinner this time will be large.’ The lad
left. This time two men came. The lad divided the food amongst the
three of them. The two others filled his barrow and they put him on the
road.
In the morning, he saw the farmer’s wife. ‘Will you,’ he said, ‘make
the dinner bigger today?’
‘Very good,’ said she.
The lad left again. Three men came to see him. He divided his food amongst
the four. This time, the men didn’t send the lad home. They took him with
them. He was gone for some days. The men were pleased with the lad and they
filled his barrow with rods of gold. And the story will continue in the
next Litir.
How woad came to scotland (2)
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu mar a fhuair an guirmean gu ruige Alba. Bha
dìlleachdan Barrach air bòrd bàta. Bha an sgiobair a’ dol ga chur thar a’
chliathaich.
‘Na dèan sin,’ thuirt am meat. ‘Cumaidh mise e. Gheibh mi àite dha aig ar
ceann-uidhe.’ Ghabh an sgiobair ris a sin.
Ràinig iad na h-Innseachan. Bha am meat eòlach air tuathanach ann. Thug e
an gille gu taigh an tuathanaich. ‘An gabh thu an gille seo?’ thuirt e ris
an tuathanach. ‘An cùm thu e gus an tig mise air an ath bhòidse?’
‘Glè mhath,’ ars an tuathanach.
Dh’fhalbh am meat a sheòladh nan cuantan. Bha an tuathanach math don
ghille. Latha de na làithean, thuirt an tuathanach ris, ‘Bheir mi dhut bara
an-diugh. Thèid thu a dh’iarraidh connadh bhon choille. Thoir leat do
dhinnear.’
‘Glè mhath,’ ars an gille. Thug e leis tuagh is bara agus thòisich e air
connadh a ghearradh. Cha robh e ann fada nuair a thàinig duine. Bha an
t-acras air. Riaraich an gille an dinnear air an dithis aca. Lìon an duine
am bara agus chuir e an gille air an rathad.
Chaidh an gille dhachaigh. Chaidh iarraidh air a dhol a-mach air an
làrna-mhàireach a-rithist airson tuilleadh connaidh fhaighinn. Thuirt e ri
bean an tuathanaich nach robh an dinnear aige an latha roimhe pailt gu
leòr.
‘Glè mhath,’ ars ise. ‘Bidh an dinnear agad pailt an turas seo.’ Dh’fhalbh
an gille. An turas seo thàinig dithis fhear. Riaraich an gille am biadh air
an triùir aca. Lìon an dithis eile am bara aige agus chuir iad air an
rathad e.
Anns a’ mhadainn, chunnaic e bean an tuathanaich. ‘An dèan thu,’ ars esan,
‘an dinnear dhomh nas pailte an-diugh.’
‘Glè mhath,’ ars ise.
Dh’fhalbh an gille a-rithist. Thàinig triùir a choimhead air. Riaraich e a
chuid bìdh air a’ cheathrar. An turas seo, cha do chuir na fir an gille
dhachaigh. Thug iad leotha e. Bha e air falbh beagan làithean. Bha na fir
toilichte leis a’ ghille agus lìon iad a bhara le slatan òir. Agus leanaidh
an sgeulachd san ath Litir.
