大象传媒

Tha B脿rd Loch Abar, Iain D貌mhnallach, am measg nan laoch a chaidh a chl脿radh le Sgoil E貌lais na h-Alba, agus a nochdas air l脿rach-l矛n Thobar an Dualchais. 鈥橲 e d矛reach a ghuth a chluinneas sibh; chan eil na st貌iridhean aige ann an cruth sgr矛obhte.

Ach tha mi fh矛n air d脿 naidheachd bheag aige a chur ann an sgr矛obhadh. Tha mi a鈥� dol gan aithris agus faodaidh sibh 猫isteachd riutha. An uair sin, faodaidh sibh dhol don l脿raich-l矛n airson an cluinntinn aig 蝉脿谤-础产谤补肠丑. Seo a鈥� chiad t猫:

Bha tri霉ir dhaoine a鈥� coiseachd c貌mhla. Agus bha se貌rsa de ghnothaich aig an dithist eile gun robh taibhsearachd aig fear dhiubh. Agus thuirt am fear a bha seo, 鈥淭ha sinn a鈥� dol a bhith ann an cogadh, an tri霉ir againn, agus chan fhada gus an t貌isich an cogadh. Agus th猫id fear againn a chumail sa chogadh, cha till e dhachaigh, ge b鈥� e d猫 fear againn a bhios ann,鈥� thuirt e.

鈥橲 ann mar seo a bha e. Th貌isich an cogadh anns an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a ceithir-deug agus chaidh an tri霉ir don chogadh. Agus fhuair esan f貌rladh dhachaigh, an d猫idh dha a bhith dreis ann. Agus chaidh an dithist eile a-nunn don Tuirc. Agus dh鈥檌nns e nuair a th脿inig e dhachaigh, 鈥淭ha mi duilich airson an fheadhainn a chaidh don Tuirc. 鈥橲 e 脿ite cunnartach a th鈥� ann,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渁gus tha mis鈥� air an taobh sh脿bhailte fhathast.鈥�

Agus dh鈥檉halbh e a-nunn an uair sin an d猫idh don f貌rladh a bhith thairis agus chuir iad don Fhraing e 鈥檚 cha robh e fada san Fhraing gus an deach a mharbhadh. Agus 鈥檚 e e fh猫in am fear den tri霉ir nach do thill agus dh鈥檌nns e gun tachradh sin, ach cha d鈥檃ithnich e gur e e fh猫in a dreigheadh a chumail.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Seo a-nise naidheachd eile aige mu Raibeart Brus, R矛gh na h-Alba:

Bha am Brusach air a ruaigeadh agus air an allaban mar bu tric a bha e. 鈥橲 e sin R矛gh Raibeart. Agus cha robh e ach na dhuine 貌g nuair a chaochail e. Agus 鈥檚 e gnothach duilich a bh鈥� ann gun do chaochail e cho luath.

Rugadh Brus anns a鈥� bhliadhna dh脿-dheug agus ceithir-deug thar nan tr矛 fichead (1274). Agus chaochail e anns an tr矛 cheud deug agus naoi thar an fhichead (1329). Bha e mar sin leth-cheud bliadhn鈥� agus a c貌ig. Agus bha e air an allaban gl猫 chruaidh agus bha iad a鈥� cur teann air. Agus th脿inig e gu taigh tuathanaich. Agus dh鈥檌arr e an t-each air an tuathanach. 鈥淕heibh thu sin,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥溾�檚 tu a gheibh. Agus th猫id mi don che脿rdaich leis cho luath 鈥檚 a rinn mi riamh,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥渁gus cuiridh mi na cruidhean an rathad eile.鈥� 鈥橲 e sin a rinn e.

Agus nuair a th脿inig an t-sluagh agus iad a鈥� faicinn nan luirg air an rathad agus air an talamh bha iad a鈥� leanadh nan luirg agus an d猫idh sin 鈥檚 e an rathad eile a bha am Brus a鈥� dol nist gu robh na cruidhean air an tionndainn an c霉l ris a鈥� bheul agus fhuair e teicheadh mar sin. Agus nuair a fhuair e astar fada gu le貌r air falbh bhuapa, chuir e na cruidhean mar bu ch貌ir dhaibh air an ainmhidh a thug air falbh gu grad agus gu luath e 脿 l脿mhan nan n脿mhaidean.

Loch Abar: Lochaber; 蝉脿谤-础产谤补肠丑:[hard to translate 鈥� it means a top-notch Lochaber man]; f貌rladh dhachaigh: home leave; taigh tuathanaich: a farmer鈥檚 house.听

cruth sgr矛obhte: written format; chan fhada gus an t貌isich an cogadh: it isn鈥檛 long until the war starts; ge b鈥� e d猫 fear againn a bhios ann: whichever of us it is; an d猫idh dha a bhith dreis ann: after he had been there a while; an fheadhainn a chaidh don Tuirc: the ones who went to Turkey; gus an deach a mharbhadh: until he was killed; am fear den tri霉ir nach do thill: the one of the three who didn鈥檛 return; cha d鈥檃ithnich e: he didn鈥檛 know; bha am Brusach air a ruaigeadh agus air an allaban mar bu tric a bha e: Bruce was being pursued and was without fixed abode as he often was; cha robh e ach na dhuine 貌g: he was only a young man; bha iad a鈥� cur teann air: they were closing on him; dh鈥檌arr e an t-each air an tuathanach: he asked the farmer for the horse; th猫id mi don che脿rdaich leis cho luath 鈥檚 a rinn mi riamh: I鈥檒l go to the smiddy as fast as I ever did; cuiridh mi na cruidhean an rathad eile: I鈥檒l put on the horseshoes the wrong way round; a鈥� leanadh nan luirg: following the hoofprints; air an tionndainn an c霉l ris a鈥� bheul: turned back to front; a thug air falbh gu grad agus gu luath e 脿 l脿mhan nan n脿mhaidean: who instantly and quickly took him away from the enemies鈥� grasp [hands].

I鈥檓 hoping that this week鈥檚 Litir will encourage you to listen to some of the wonderful material on the new Tobar an Dualchais website. At you will be able to hear the same two anecdotes I recorded in the Litir as told by John MacDonald, the Lochaber Bard (1876-1964). I have tried to be as faithful as possible to his dialect. Among things you will notice as different from 鈥渟tandard鈥� usage are: the use of the definite article with years (anns an naoi ceud deug鈥�.), dreis for greis, dithist for dithis, a-nunn for a-null, nist for a-nis and tionndainn for tionndadh. Sluagh is feminine rather than masculine and he says gur e e fh猫in a dreigheadh a chumail where others might say gur e e fh猫in a rachadh/dheigheadh a chumail (鈥渢hat it was himself who would be retained鈥�, a euphemism meaning he wouldn鈥檛 return from the battlefield). Our dialects, like our stories and culture, contain great riches. Enjoy listening to a great Lochaber storyteller!

gun robh taibhsearachd aig fear dhiubh: that one of them had the second sight.

听

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