大象传媒

O chionn tr矛 bliadhna ann an Litir ceithir cheud is sia-deug (416) sgr矛obh mi mu 貌ran a bhiodh a鈥� chlann agam a鈥� seinn anns a鈥� bhun-sgoil. Tha an t-s猫ist a鈥� dol mar seo: Uiseag bheag dhearg na m貌na duibh, na m貌na duibh, na m貌na duibh; Uiseag bheag dhearg na m貌na duibh, c脿ite na chaidil thu raoir san 鈥溍�鈥�? Bha mi a鈥� cur air adhart mo bheachd gur ann 脿 Eilean Mhanainn a bha an t-貌ran o th霉s, oir canaidh na G脿idheil Mhanainneach 鈥渙ie鈥� airson 鈥渙idhche鈥�. Agus tha ushag ann an G脿idhlig Eilean Mhanainn a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渆un beag鈥�, seach lark.

鈥橲 e t脿ladh a th鈥� anns an 貌ran. Bidh p脿rant ga ghabhail nuair a tha p脿iste san leabaidh. Anns an 貌ran, tha p脿iste a鈥� c貌mhradh le uiseag. Tha an uiseag ag innse c脿鈥� robh i a鈥� faighinn cadal. Fhuair i droch chadal air bh脿rr nan dris agus air bh脿rr nan tonn. Mu dheireadh fhuair i deagh chadal eadar d脿 dhuilleig. Agus ma tha e air obrachadh, bidh am p脿iste na chadal ro dheireadh an 貌rain!

Co-dhi霉, chuala mi an t-貌ran a-rithist o chionn ghoirid. Bha mi ag innse st貌iridhean G脿idhlig mar ph脿irt dhen fh猫ill-chi霉il 鈥淏las鈥� air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd. Bha t猫 c貌mhla rium a bha a鈥� gabhail 貌rain eadar na st貌iridhean 鈥� agus thagh i 鈥淯iseag Bheag Dhearg鈥� mar fhear dhiubh. Bha fear am measg an luchd-猫isteachd aig a bheil ceangal do dh鈥橢ilean Mhanainn. Agus dh鈥檌nns esan dhuinn 脿s d猫idh l脿imh gur e 貌ran Manainneach a bh鈥� ann.

Bhon uair sin, fhuair mi dearbhadh air a鈥� ghnothach. Bha mi a鈥� leughadh leabhar mu dheidhinn Mona Douglas nach maireann, ban-Mhanainneach a bha ainmeil airson a bhith a鈥� brosnachadh c脿nan agus cultar Eilean Mhanainn. Anns an leabhar tha tar-sgr矛obhadh de dh鈥檃gallamh a rinn i le George Broderick. Anns an agallamh, dh鈥檃inmich i an t-貌ran le ainm Manainneach 鈥� Ushag Veg Ruy.

Thuirt i gun robh daoine a鈥� d矛ochuimhneachadh gum biodh 貌rain Mhanainneach a鈥� sgapadh am measg nan G脿idheal ann an Alba is 脠irinn. Co-dhi霉, chuir i Ushag Veg Ruy ann an cl貌 anns na ficheadan no toiseach nan tritheadan anns an fhicheadamh linn. Fhuair tidsear ann an Alba 鈥� bha i a鈥� smaoineachadh gur ann 脿 Tiriodh a bha e 鈥� gr猫im air an 貌ran. Sgr矛obh e gu Douglas, a鈥� faighneachd dhith am faodadh e a thionndadh gu G脿idhlig na h-Alba. Uaireigin 脿s d猫idh sin, sheinn sgoilear 脿s an sgoil aige Uiseag Bheag Dhearg aig a鈥� Mh貌d 鈥� mar 貌ran Albannach 鈥� agus bhuannaich e duais!

Tha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh gun robh Mona Douglas toilichte gu le貌r gun robhar ga sheinn ann an Alba. Ach bha aon rud a鈥� cur dragh oirre. Bha daoine ann an Alba dhen bheachd gur e 貌ran Albannach a bh鈥� ann. Thuirt i, 鈥淭hey are claiming it now as a Scottish song, without saying where it came from, which I think is most unfair!鈥�

Chan eil fhios agam c貌 e an tidsear a rinn an t-eadar-theangachadh. Ach tha e inntinneach gun do dh鈥檉h脿g e dreach Manainneach air an fhacal oie agus nach do dh鈥檃tharraich e sin gu oidhche 鈥� C脿ite na chaidil thu raoir san oidhch鈥�. An robh e a鈥� feuchainn le sin a bhith a鈥� cumail nar cuimhne gur e 貌ran Manainneach, seach 貌ran Albannach, a bh鈥� ann bho th霉s? Chan eil fhios agam ach, gu dearbh, 鈥檚 e 貌ran br猫agha a th鈥� ann.

Eilean Mhanainn: Isle of Man; 迟脿濒补诲丑: lullaby; 蹿猫颈濒濒-肠丑颈霉颈濒: musical festival; nach maireann: deceased; Tiriodh: 罢颈谤别别.听

貌ran a bhiodh a鈥� chlann agam a鈥� seinn anns a鈥� bhun-sgoil: a song that my children would sing at primary school; c脿ite na chaidil thu raoir?: where did you sleep last night?; canaidh na G脿idheil Mhanainneach: the Manx Gaels say; bidh p脿rant ga ghabhail nuair a tha p脿iste san leabaidh: a parent sings it when a child鈥檚 in bed; air bh脿rr nan dris: on top of the bramble bushes; deagh chadal eadar d脿 dhuilleig: a good sleep between two leaves; ma tha e air obrachadh: if it has worked; bidh am p脿iste na chadal ro dheireadh an 貌rain: the child will be asleep before the end of the song; bha fear am measg an luchd-猫isteachd aig a bheil ceangal do: there was a man among the audience who has link(s) to; dh鈥檌nns esan dhuinn 脿s d猫idh l脿imh: he told us afterwards; bhon uair sin, fhuair mi dearbhadh air a鈥� ghnothach: since then, I [have] obtained proof of the matter; tar-sgr矛obhadh de dh鈥檃gallamh: a transcription of an interview; gun robh daoine a鈥� d矛ochuimhneachadh: that people would be forgetting; gum biodh 貌rain Mhanainneach a鈥� sgapadh am measg nan G脿idheal: that Manx songs would be spreading amongst the Gaels; chuir i X ann an cl貌: she put X in print; fhuair tidsear gr猫im air an 貌ran: a teacher got hold of the song; bhuannaich e duais: he won a prize; bha aon rud a鈥� cur dragh oirre: one thing annoyed her; an robh e a鈥� feuchainn le sin a bhith a鈥� cumail nar cuimhne: was he trying in that way to make us remember; gur e 貌ran Manainneach, seach 貌ran Albannach, a bh鈥� ann bho th霉s: that it was originally a Manx song, rather than a Scottish song.

toilichte gu le貌r gun robhar ga sheinn ann an Alba: pleased enough that it was being sung in Scotland. Gun robhar is the dependent form of bhathar, just as gun robh is the dependent form of bha. The -ar ending (it鈥檚 -as in some dialects) tells us this is effectively a passive construction 鈥� it鈥檚 the impersonal form of the verb 鈥渢o be鈥� (in which we don鈥檛 name the person or persons engaged in the activity being discussed). Bhathar ga sheinn means 鈥渋t was being sung鈥�. We can change the tense easily; for example thathar ga sheinn (it is being sung), gu bheilear ga sheinn (that it is being sung); bithear ga sheinn (it will be sung); gum bithear ga sheinn (that it will be sung).

air bh脿rr nan tonn: on the top of the waves (the lenition of 产脿谤谤 follows an old grammatical model).

听

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