大象传媒

始S truagh nach do dh鈥檉huirich mi tioram air t矛r,

始N fh矛rinn a th鈥� agam nach maraiche mi,

始S truagh nach do dh鈥檉huirich mi tioram air t矛r,

Rim mhaireann cha till mise she貌ladh.

Sin agaibh an t-s猫ist aig 貌ran ainmeil. Tha an t-霉ghdar ag r脿dh nach e maraiche a tha ann.

An t-seachdain sa chaidh, bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu shealg nam mucan-mara. An toiseach, bhathar a鈥� sealg nam mucan anns na cuantan faisg air Graonlainn. Nuair nach robh gu le貌r dhiubh air fh脿gail anns a鈥� cheann a tuath, thug na companaidhean seilg s霉il air a鈥� chuan a deas, timcheall South Georgia. Seo an d脿rna rann:

Ruith na muic-mhara ri gailleann sa chuan,

Mo mhe貌irean air reothadh a dh鈥檃indeoin bhith cruaidh,

B鈥� fhe脿rr a bhith 始n-ceartuair air acair air Chluaidh,

Na bhith d矛readh nan crann an South Georgia.

Bha am fear a sgr矛obh an t-貌ran a鈥� sealg nam mucan-mara ann an South Georgia tr脿th anns an fhicheadamh linn. B鈥� esan D貌mhnall Iain Mac a鈥� Mhaoilein, D貌mhnall Iain Thormoid Ruaidh. Bhuineadh e do Chille Pheadair ann an Uibhist a Deas. Chaidh e gu muir airson a bhe貌shlaint a dh猫anamh.

Ach cha do ch貌rd e ris. Bha e gu math fuar is garbh air b貌rd soitheach timcheall South Georgia. Seo an treas rann dhen 貌ran:

D矛le bhon t-sneachd 始s tu gun fhasgadh on fhuachd,

D鈥� aodann ga sgailceadh le fras bho gach stuagh,

始N t-airgead am pailteas 始s gun d貌igh a chur bhuat,

始S e s矛or losgadh toll ann ad ph貌ca.

Anns an rann mu dheireadh, cluinnidh sibh am facal 貌颈苍蝉别补肠丑. Ann an grunn dualchainntean, tha sin a鈥� ciallachadh boireannach faoin no g貌rach. Ach tha an t-霉ghdar a鈥� gabhail 鈥樏簿辈圆醣鸩钩Τ筲€� air fh猫in.

Nuair gheibh sinn f貌rladh 始s nuair ruigeas sinn tr脿igh,

Falbhaidh an 貌颈苍蝉别补肠丑 sa c貌mhla ri c脿ch,

Chosg mi de dh鈥檃irgead air cunntair a鈥� bh脿ir,

A cheannaicheadh tr矛 taighean-貌sta.

Fhad 始s as aithne dhomh, cha do cheannaich D貌mhnall Iain taigh-貌sta sam bith. Ach, mar a gheall e, dh鈥檉h脿g e se貌ladh nan cuantan agus sealg nam mucan-mara. Fhuair e obair mar phoileas air talamh tioram ann an Lunnainn.聽

It鈥檚 a pity I didn鈥檛 stay dry on land,

It鈥檚 true that I鈥檓 not a mariner,

It鈥檚 a pity I didn鈥檛 stay dry on land,

As long as I live, I won鈥檛 return to sailing.

That is the chorus of a famous song. The author says that he is not a mariner.

Last week, I was telling you about whaling. To start with, whaling was occurring in the oceans near Greenland. When there wasn鈥檛 enough of them left in the north, the whaling companies turned their attention to the southern ocean, around South Georgia. Here is the second verse:

Chasing the whale in a storm on the ocean,

My fingers frozen in spite of their being toughened,

I鈥檇 prefer just now to be at anchor on the Clyde,

Than climbing the masts in South Georgia.

The man who wrote the song was whaling in South Georgia early in the twentieth century. He was Donald John MacMillan, Donald John son of red-haired Norman. He belonged to Kilpheder in South Uist. He went to sea to make his living.

But he didn鈥檛 enjoy it. It was very cold and rough on a ship around South Georgia. Here is the third verse of the song:

Soaked from the snow, and you without shelter from the cold,

Your face slapped by a shower from every wave,

Plenty of聽 money and with no way to spend it,

And it forever burning a hole in your pocket.

In the final verse, you鈥檒l hear the word 貌颈苍蝉别补肠丑. In a few dialects, that means a foolish or silly woman. But the author calls himself an 鈥樏簿辈圆醣鸩钩Τ筲€�.

When we get leave and we reach shore,

This fool will go along with the rest,

I鈥檝e spent enough money at the counter of the bar,

To buy three hotels.

As far as I鈥檓 aware, Donald John didn鈥檛 buy any hotel. But, as he promised, he abandoned sailing the seas and whaling. He got work as a policeman on dry land in London.