大象传媒

Nuair a bha a鈥� chlann agam 貌g, bhithinn a鈥� dol don chr貌ileagan c貌mhla riutha aig amannan. Ch貌rd e rium, feumaidh mi r脿dh. Agus bhithinn ag ionnsachadh 貌rain c貌mhla riutha. Tha fear de na h-貌rain a bh鈥� againn a鈥� stobadh a-mach nam chuimhne.

Chan e gu bheil mi ga chuimhneachadh gu l猫ir. Gu m矛-fhortanach, chan eil cuimhne mar sin agam ann. Bidh mi a鈥� d矛ochuimhneachadh briathran 貌ran gu luath. Agus cha chreid mi gum faca mi an t-貌ran seo ann an cruth sgr矛obhte. Ach tha cuimhne agam fhathast air an t-s猫ist. Chaidh e 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�. Uill, aig an 脿m sin, bha mi a鈥� fuireach anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. Bha poll-m貌nach againn faisg air an taigh far am bithinn a鈥� buain na m貌nach. Bhithinn a鈥� faicinn uiseagan gu tric ann, ag 猫irigh 脿s an fhraoch is a鈥� dol air sg猫ith os mo chionn. 鈥橲 e a鈥� Bheurla a th鈥� air uiseag 鈥� skylark.

Bha an t-貌ran snog gu le貌r ach bha aon rud mu dheidhinn a bha a鈥� cur dragh orm. 鈥橲 e sin deireadh na loidhne mu dheireadh dhen t-s猫ist. Seo an t-s猫ist a-rithist: 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�. Nise, d猫 tha am facal mu dheireadh a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥� 鈥渋鈥�? Chan e Eilean 脤 no 脤 Chaluim Chille, oir chanadh tu 鈥渁nn an 脤鈥�, seach 鈥渟an 脤鈥�. Bha am facal 鈥溍�鈥� a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渆ilean鈥� bho shean. Saoil an e sin a bh鈥� ann? Cha robh e a鈥� coimhead ro choltach.

Uill, aig an 脿m sin, dh鈥檉haighnich mi de th猫 a bha anns a鈥� chr貌ileagan. 鈥淭ha mi an d霉il gu bheil e a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥榦idhche鈥�,鈥� thuirt i. Bha sin a鈥� d猫anamh ciall 鈥� c脿ite na chaidil thu raoir san oidhche? Ach carson nach e 鈥渙idhche鈥� a bh鈥� ann, seach 鈥溍�鈥�? An robh 脿ite ann an Alba far an canadh daoine 鈥溍�鈥� airson 鈥渙idhche鈥�? Uill, ma tha, cha do lorg mi fhathast e.

Ach na bu tr脿ithe dhen bhliadhna seo fhuair mi fuasgladh don cheist, agus thug e toileachas dhomh. Uill, tha mi a鈥� d猫anamh dheth gur e seo am fuasgladh, co-dhi霉. Bha mi ann an Eilean Mhanainn airson beagan l脿ithean. Airson p脿irt dhen 霉ine bha mi am measg Gh脿idheal. Bha iad a鈥� bruidhinn Gaelg 鈥� no G脿idhlig Eilean Mhanainn 鈥� nam measg fh猫in, agus riumsa. Tha an c脿nan gu math coltach ri G脿idhlig na h-Alba.

Dh鈥檌onnsaich mi abairt no dha. Seo agaibh tr矛 dhiubh: moghrey mie airson madainn mhath. Chaidh innse dhomh gu bheil moghrey a鈥� tighinn bho moch-thr脿th (鈥渆arly time鈥�). Co-dhi霉, sin moghrey mie. Tha fastyr mie a鈥� ciallachadh feasgar math. Agus airson oidhche mhath, canaidh iad oie vie. Oie vie. Uh-uh, thuirt mi rium fh矛n, c脿ite na chaidil thu raoir san oie! Feumaidh gur ann 脿 Eilean Mhanainn a th脿inig an t-貌ran.

Dh鈥檉haighnich mi de th猫 aig a bheil an c脿nan gu fileanta agus thuirt i, gu dearbh, gun robh an t-貌ran sin aca. Agus chuir fear, a bha ag 猫isteachd ris a鈥� ch貌mhradh, tuilleadh ris. Oir bha beagan G脿idhlig na h-Alba aige. Dh鈥檌nnis e dhomh nach eil ushag anns a鈥� ch脿nan acasan a鈥� ciallachadh skylark. Tha e a鈥� ciallachadh eun sam bith. Nach math gun d鈥� fhuair mi fuasgladh don cheist, agus a鈥� chlann agam a-nise san oilthigh!

Faclan na Litreach: amannan: times; s猫ist: chorus; poll-m貌nach: peat bank; Eilean 脤: Iona; fuasgladh: solution; Eilean Mhanainn: Isle of Man.

Abairtean na Litreach: bhithinn a鈥� dol don chr貌ileagan c貌mhla riutha: I would go to the Gaelic playgroup with them; ch貌rd e rium: I enjoyed it; bhithinn ag ionnsachadh 貌rain: I would learn songs; a鈥� stobadh a-mach nam chuimhne: sticks out in my memory; chan e gu bheil mi ga chuimhneachadh gu l猫ir: not that I can remember it in its entirety; chan eil cuimhne mar sin agam ann: I don鈥檛 have a memory like that; bidh mi a鈥� d矛ochuimhneachadh briathran: I forget words; far am bithinn a鈥� buain na m貌nach: where I鈥檇 cut peat; bhithinn a鈥� faicinn uiseagan gu tric: I would often see skylarks; ag 猫irigh 脿s an fhraoch: rising from the heather; a鈥� dol air sg猫ith os mo chionn: flying [going on the wing] above me; bha aon rud mu dheidhinn a bha a鈥� cur dragh orm: one thing about it annoyed me; deireadh na loidhne mu dheireadh: the end of the final line; far an canadh daoine: where people would say; na bu tr脿ithe dhen bhliadhna seo: earlier this year; bha mi am measg Gh脿idheal: I was among Gaels; feumaidh gur ann 脿 X a th脿inig an t-貌ran: it must have been from X that the song came; chuir fear, a bha ag 猫isteachd ris a鈥� ch貌mhradh, tuilleadh ris: a man, who was listening to the conversation, added to it; eun sam bith sam bith: any type of bird whatsoever; nach math gun d鈥� fhuair mi fuasgladh don cheist agam: isn鈥檛 it good that I got an answer to my question; agus a鈥� chlann agam a-nise san oilthigh: with my children now at university.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: Uiseag bheag dhearg na m貌na duibh: little red bird/skylark of the black peat. Uiseag is here in the vocative case because the bird is being spoken to by the singer, as is shown in the final line c脿ite na chaidil thu? (short for c脿ite an do chaidil thu raoir?) 鈥� where did you sleep last night? It is not slenderised because it is a feminine noun. We say a Mhairead! (Margaret!), not a Mhaireid! This is in contrast to a masculine noun which would be slenderised in the vocative singular eg a Dh貌mhnaill! Because the noun is not slenderised, neither are the adjectives slenderised (adjectives follow the noun). In contrast, if we were shouting at a little red cat (for example), cat being a masculine noun, we would say a chait bhig dheirg!

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: cha chreid mi gum faca mi an t-貌ran seo ann an cruth sgr矛obhte: I don鈥檛 reckon I鈥檝e seen this song in a written form.