大象传媒

Tha leabhar G脿idhlig air mo bheulaibh agus tha mi a鈥� dol a leughadh earrann 脿s. Saoil am bi fios agaibh c貌 air a tha i a-mach. 鈥�... bann 脿lainn de dhealradh a tha a鈥� s矛neadh tarsainn an adhair, a鈥� siubhal tro reul-bhadan mar an D脿 Leth-aon ... Cassiopeia agus Perseus.鈥� An tuig sibh am facal reul-bhad? 鈥橲 e sin a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air cruinneachadh de reultan no rionnagan. Ann am Beurla 鈥� constellation.

Agus d猫 鈥渁m bann 脿lainn de dhealradh鈥�? 鈥橲 e a th鈥� ann rud ris an canar ann am Beurla The Milky Way. Ann an G脿idhlig Slighe Chlann Uisnich. Th脿inig Milky Way a-steach don Bheurla mar eadar-theangachadh air an Laidinn Via Lactea. Tha a鈥� Bheurla air an t-uabhas iasaid a dh猫anamh bhon Laidinn. Th脿inig constellation bhon Laidinn constellatio; th脿inig a鈥� Gh脿idhlig reul-bhad, air an l脿imh eile, bho fhreumhan Ceilteach.

Ach chan eil a鈥� Bheurla leatha fh猫in ann a bhith a鈥� toirt an ainm sin bhon Laidinn. Tha na c脿nanan Laideannach fh猫in mar sin, mar a bhiodh d霉il 鈥� ged a tha seann ainmean aig cuid aca co-cheangailte ris an t-slighe naoimh gu ruige Santiago de Compostela. Ach tha a鈥� Ghearmailtis 惭颈濒肠丑蝉迟谤补脽别 agus an D霉itsis Melkweg 脿 nead na Laidinn, mar a tha na h-ainmean anns na c脿nanan Sl脿bhach.

Ach tha cuid de dh鈥檃inmean co-cheangailte ri fionnsgeulan, am fear againne nam measg. Tha Slighe Chlann Uisnich air ainmeachadh airson na tri霉ir ghaisgeach a bha nan companaich do Dheirdre. B鈥� iad sin leannan Deirdre, Naois, agus a dhithis bhr脿ithrean, Aillean is 脌rdan. Rinn iad slighe ainmeil eadar Alba is 脠irinn.

鈥橲 e tiotal an leabhair a th鈥� air mo bheulaibh 搁别耻濒-别貌濒补蝉. Chaidh a sgr矛obhadh leis an Ollamh P脿draig Moore agus chaidh eadar-theangachadh gu G脿idhlig le Iain Aonghas MacLe貌id. Seo rud eile ann mu Shlighe Chlann Uisnich: 鈥淭ha eagal orm gur gann gum faic sibh i air Gh脿idhealtachd anns an t-Samhradh, ach tron Gheamhradh tha i 貌irdheirc.鈥� Uill, bha mi a-muigh ann an 脿ite s貌nraichte as t-samhradh agus chunnaic mi Slighe Chlann Uisnich cho soilleir 鈥檚 a dh鈥檌arrainn.

Ann an Litir tr矛 cheud, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (381), rinn mi ceangal eadar Deirdre 鈥檚 Clann Uisnich agus 脿ite taobh Loch Nis, D霉n Dearduil. Ach tha 脿ite eile ann an Alba far a bheil daoine a鈥� cumail a-mach gun robh Deirdre a鈥� fuireach. Tha sin air taobh an iar na G脿idhealtachd, ann an Gleann Eite. Chaidh mi ann as t-samhradh airson D霉n Dearduil Ghleann Eite fhaicinn dhomh fh矛n.

鈥橲 e 脿ite br猫agha a th鈥� ann 鈥� cnoc feurach os cionn na h-aibhne, air a chuartachadh le beanntan 脿rda. Sheas mi san 脿ite far an robh Deirdre a鈥� fuireach, a r猫ir beul-aithris. Bha 鈥渇猫idh a鈥� bhearraidh bhric鈥� a鈥� ruith seachad orm. Agus bha 鈥渂radain a鈥� bhoinne bhrais鈥� a鈥� sn脿mh san abhainn fodham.

Champaich mi aig ceann sh矛os a鈥� ghlinne. Dh霉isg mi air an oidhche. Cha robh ann mar sholas ach Slighe Chlann Uisnich agus rionnagan eile a鈥� l矛onadh an adhair. Bha e 脿lainn. Agus bha an t-Slighe a鈥� dol mar gum biodh s矛os an gleann bho Dh霉n Dearduil gu muir, mar gun robh i a鈥� sealltainn an dearbh rathaid a thug Clann Uisnich bho shean eadar Alba is 脠irinn. Mairidh an sealladh sin nam chuimhne airson 霉ine mh貌r.

reul-bhad: constellation; an D脿 Leth-aon: Gemini; eadar-theangachadh: translation; 厂濒脿产丑补肠丑: Slavic; fionnsgeulan: legends; leannan: sweetheart, lover; Gleann Eite: Glen Etive.

air mo bheulaibh: in front of me; c貌 air a tha i a-mach: what it鈥檚 on about; bann 脿lainn de dhealradh: a beautiful shining band; a tha a鈥� s矛neadh tarsainn an adhair: that stretches across the sky; tha a鈥� Bheurla air an t-uabhas iasaid a dh猫anamh bhon Laidinn: the English language has borrowed a tremendous amount from Latin; air an l脿imh eile: on the other hand; bho fhreumhan Ceilteach: from Celtic roots; leatha fh猫in: on her own; mar a bhiodh d霉il: as would be expected; co-cheangailte ris an t-slighe naoimh gu ruige: connected to the sacred route to; 脿 nead na Laidinn: from [the] Latin [nest]; airson na tri霉ir ghaisgeach a bha nan companaich do Dheirdre: for the three heroes who were companions to Deirdre; gur gann gum faic sibh i air Gh脿idhealtachd anns an t-Samhradh: that you鈥檒l hardly see it in the Highlands in summer; tron Gheamhradh tha i 貌irdheirc: through the winter it is glorious; cnoc feurach os cionn na h-aibhne: a grassy hill above the river; air a chuartachadh le: surrounded by; f猫idh a鈥� bhearraidh bhric: the deer of the speckled slope; bradain a鈥� bhoinne bhrais: the salmon of the rapid stream; ceann sh矛os a鈥� ghlinne: the bottom end of the glen; a鈥� l矛onadh an adhair: filling the sky; mar gum biodh s矛os an gleann: as it were down the glen; bho X gu muir: from X to the sea; a鈥� sealltainn an dearbh rathaid a thug X bho shean: showing the very route that X took in the old days; mairidh an sealladh sin nam chuimhne: that view will remain in my memory.

Slighe Chlann Uisnich: The Milky Way. The Scottish name (鈥渢he path of the children of Uisneach鈥�), connecting the celestial phenomenon to a famous story from oral tradition, is unique. While many cultures recognise the Milky Way as a 鈥減ath鈥� or 鈥渞oad鈥�, none are equivalent to our own, even in the broader Gaelic world. The Manx name is Raad Mooar Ree Gorree (Rathad M貌r R矛gh Ghoraidh) and the Irish name is Bealach na B贸 Finne (Slighe na B脿 Finne). Many European cultures have lost their older names for the Milky Way, replacing it with a translation of the Latin. For example, the Hungarian Hadak 脷tja (鈥淭he Road of the Warriors鈥�) has been replaced by 罢别箩煤迟, meaning 鈥淢ilk Way鈥�. One Scottish dictionary gives Geal-shruth nan Speur (white stream of the heavens). But I hope we shall retain and use the old Gaelic name which has so much cultural significance to us.

cho soilleir 鈥檚 a dh鈥檌arrainn: as clear as I would wish.

听

Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA