大象传媒

An cuala sibh mun bh脿rd Gh脿idhlig Uilleam Ruighe 鈥檔 Uidhe? William Gow ann am Beurla. Bha e be貌 aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug. Bhuineadh e do Ruighe 鈥檔 Uidhe ann an Srath Sp猫. Bha e na bh脿rd agus na shealgair.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha mi a鈥� dol a leughadh p矛osan 脿 d脿n a sgr矛obh Uilleam mu dheidhinn sealg nam fiadh anns a鈥� Mhonadh Ruadh. Seo a鈥� chiad rann:

Och, gur mi tha muladach听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Sa mhonadh, 鈥檚 mi leam fh猫in,

鈥橲 mi bhi 鈥檛脿mh an cr貌dhan beag

Bothain 鈥檛hog mi 鈥檓 fheum;

听

Cha robh spaid no tuagh agam,

No ball mun cuairt dom l脿imh,

Ach a鈥� bhiodag l脿idir bharra-chaol

鈥橲 ann leatha bhuain mi 鈥檓 f脿l.

听

听听听听听听听听听听听 Anns an d脿rna rann, tha Uilleam ag ainmeachadh 鈥榓鈥� Bhan-Ghranndach鈥� 鈥� 鈥榯he Grant maiden鈥�. Tha e a鈥� ciallachadh a ghunna. 鈥橲 e an cleachdadh a bha aig na G脿idheil o shean a bhith a鈥� cur ainm boireann air gunna. Bha p霉dar 鈥� no f霉dar 鈥� a鈥� ghunna feumail airson teine a chur thuige. Agus bha i gu math fuar sa mhonadh:

Tha na h-osanan air reothadh orm,

Mun t猫id a鈥� che貌thag suas,

Tha gaoth is cur is cathadh ann,

听

鈥橲 e gabhail domh sa chluais;

Ach glacaidh mis鈥� Bhan-Ghranndach seo,

A tha nam l脿imh san uair,

Is fadaidh is鈥� an teine dhomh,

Le f霉dar sgeireach cruaidh.

听

听

听听听听听听听听听听听 Nise, tha fios againn bho dh脿n eile 鈥� 鈥楢llt an Lochain Uaine鈥� 鈥� gun do thog Uilleam bothan ri taobh an uillt sin. Tha sin ann an ceann shuas Gleann Doire. Tha e ag ainmeachadh 脿iteachan eile shuas an sin anns a鈥� bh脿rdachd aige. Mar eisimpleir, an Glas-allt agus an Dubh-ghleann.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha Uilleam a鈥� poidseadh air fearann a bhuineadh do Lord Fife. Bha e ann cho tric, 鈥檚 gun robh botal de dh鈥檜isge-beatha aige 鈥榝o shop aig bun bruthaich鈥�. Bhiodh e a鈥� gabhail deoch-sl脿inte don damh agus don uachdaran. Seo an rann mu dheireadh:

鈥橲 nuair shuidheas mi air socair,

鈥橲 gun dosgainn bhith ri luaidh,

听

Bheir mi l脿mh air botal

Tha fon t-sop am bun na bruthaich;

鈥橲 ma thachras do na companaich

Bhith l脿imh rium anns an uair,

鈥淟ord Fife is damh na cr貌ice鈥� 鈥�

听

Have you heard about the Gaelic bard Uilleam Ruighe 鈥檔 Uidhe? William Gow in English. He belonged to Rynuie in Strathspey. He was a poet and a hunter.

听

听听听听听听听 I鈥檓 going to read passages from a poem that William wrote about hunting the red deer in the Cairngorms. Here is the first verse:

Och, it鈥檚 me that鈥檚 sad听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

On the mountain by myself,

Staying in a wee pen

Of a bothy I built for my needs;

I didn鈥檛 have a spade or axe,

Or a tool around to hand

Except the strong, fine-pointed dirk

It鈥檚 with her I cut the turf.

听

In the second verse, William names the 鈥楤an-Ghranndach鈥� 鈥� the 鈥楪rant maiden鈥�. He means his gun. It was a practice of the old Gaels to give their gun a feminine name. Gunpowder was useful for lighting q fire. And it was cold up on the hill:

听

听

The hose have frozen on me,

Before the wee smoke goes up,

The wind and snow and blizzard,

Assail me about the ear;

But I鈥檒l grasp this Grant maiden,

Which I have hold of,

And the fire will be kindled for me with gritty, hard powder.

听

听听听听听听听 Now, we know from another poem 鈥� Allt an Lochain Uaine 鈥� that William built a bothy next to that burn. That is in the upper end of Glen Derry. He names other places up there in his poetry. For example, the Glas-allt and the Dubh-ghleann.

听

听听听听听听听 William was poaching on land that belonged to Lord Fife. He was there so often that he had a bottle of whisky 鈥榰nder a wisp of grass at the bottom of a slope鈥�. He would raise a toast to the stag and the landlord. Here is the final verse:

When I sit at ease,

Without reporting a misfortune,

I鈥檒l get hold of a bottle

That鈥檚 under a whisp at the base of a slope;

If the companions happen

To be near to me at the time,

鈥淟ord Fife and the antlered stag鈥� 鈥�