大象传媒

An t-seachdain seo bu mhath leam t貌iseachadh air seann sgeulachd a chaidh a chruinneachadh anns an naoidheamh linn deug ann an Eilean Eige. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a th鈥� air an sgeulachd 鈥淐raobh-貌ir agus Craobh-airgid鈥�. N矛 mi beagan nas giorra i na bha i bho th霉s, agus rud beag nas s矛mplidhe, ach cumaidh mi cho faisg air an t-seann chainnt 鈥檚 as urrainn.

Bha r矛gh ann uaireigin. Bha bean aige air an robh Craobh-airgid mar ainm. Bha nighean aige cuideachd, agus 鈥檚 e an t-ainm a bh鈥� oirrese Craobh-貌ir. L脿 de na l脿ithean, chaidh Craobh-貌ir agus Craobh-airgid gu ruige gleann far an robh tobar.Anns an tobar bha breac.

Bhruidhinn Craobh-airgid ris a鈥� bhreac. 鈥淎 bhricein bhig bh貌idhich,鈥� thuirt i, 鈥渘ach mise a鈥� bh脿nrigh as br猫agha san t-saoghal?鈥�

鈥淥 gu dearbh, cha tu!鈥� ars鈥� am breac.

鈥淐貌 eile?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich a鈥� bh脿nrigh.

鈥淭ha Craobh-貌ir, do nighean.鈥�

Chaidh Craobh-airgid dhachaigh, agus an caothach ga dalladh. 鈥橲 e an aon rud a sh脿saicheadh i 鈥� nam faigheadh i cridhe agus gruthan Chraoibh-貌ir, a nighean, ri ithe. Am beul na h-oidhche th脿inig an r矛gh dhachaigh agus dh鈥檌nnseadh dha gu robh a bhean, Craobh-airgid, tinn. Chaidh e far an robh i agus dh鈥檉haighnich e dhith gu d猫 a bha ce脿rr oirre.

鈥淐han eil rud sam bith a b鈥� urrainn dhomh dh猫anamh,鈥� thuirt an r矛gh, 鈥渘ach d猫anainn dhut.鈥�

鈥淢a gheibh mi cridhe agus gruthan Chraoibh-貌ir ri ithe, bidh mi sl脿n,鈥� fhreagair Craobh-airgid.

Dh鈥檉halbh an r矛gh agus chuir e a chuid ghillean a-mach a dh鈥檌arraidh boc-goibhre. Thug e a chridhe is a ghruthan do bhean airson ithe. Dh鈥櫭╥rich i gu sl脿n fallain.

D猫 thachair mun 脿m seo ach gun do nochd mac r矛gh mh貌ir. Bha e ag iarraidh Craobh-貌ir a ph貌sadh. Thug an r矛gh a chead agus dh鈥檉halbh an cupall a-null thairis.

Bliadhna an d猫idh seo, chaidh Craobh-airgid don ghleann far an robh an tobar anns an robh am breac.

鈥淎 bhricein bhig bh貌idhich,鈥� thuirt i, 鈥渘ach mise a鈥� bh脿nrigh as br猫agha san t-saoghal?鈥�

鈥淥, gu dearbh, cha tu.鈥�

鈥淐貌 eile?鈥�

鈥淭ha Craobh-貌ir, do nighean.鈥�

鈥淕e-t脿, is fhada bho nach robh ise be貌,鈥� thuirt a鈥� bh脿nrigh. 鈥淭ha bliadhna ann bho dh鈥檌th mi a cridhe agus a gruthan.鈥�

鈥淥, gu dearbh,鈥� ars鈥� am breac, 鈥渋s ise nach eil marbh. Tha i p貌sta aig prionnsa m貌r thall thairis.鈥�

Chaidh Craobh-airgid dhachaigh agus dh鈥檌arr i air an r矛gh an long-fhada a chur air d貌igh, oir bha i a鈥� dol a choimhead a h-eudail, Craobh-貌ir. Chaidh an long-fhada a chur air d貌igh agus dh鈥檉halbh iad.

鈥橲 i Craobh-airgid fh猫in a bh鈥� air an sti霉ir. Cha robh iad fada sam bith air a鈥� chuan oir bha an long luath. Nuair a r脿inig iad an taobh thall, bha am prionnsa a-muigh a鈥� sealg. Chunnaic Craobh-貌ir long a h-athar agus thuirt i ri a seirbheiseach, 鈥渢ha mo mh脿thair a鈥� tighinn agus marbhaidh i mi.鈥�

鈥淐ha mharbh idir鈥�, thuirt an seirbheiseach. 鈥淕lasaidh sinn a-staigh ann an se貌mar thu far nach fhaigh i nad ch貌ir.鈥�

鈥橲 ann mar sin a bha e. Nuair a th脿inig Craobh-airgid air t矛r, th貌isich i air 猫igheachd, 鈥淭robhad seo, tha do mh脿thair air tighinn gad choimhead.鈥� Chaidh a鈥� bh脿nrigh don doras.

鈥淣ach cuir thu do mheur a-mach air toll na h-iuchrach,鈥� thuirt i, 鈥溾�檚 gun toir do mh脿thair p貌g dhi.鈥�

Chuir Craobh-貌ir a meur a-mach air toll na h-iuchrach. Agus innsidh mi dhuibh d猫 thachair dhi an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na seachdaine: Eilean Eige: The Isle of Eigg; Craobh-貌ir: Gold Tree; Craobh-airgid: Silver Tree; s矛mplidh: simple; oirrese: on her (emphatic); breac: trout; cridhe: heart; gruthan: liver; ithe: eating: cupall: couple; long-fhada: longship; sti霉ir: tiller; luath: fast; sealg: hunting; trobhad: come here; meur: finger.

Abairtean na seachdaine: seann sgeulachd a chaidh a chruinneachadh: an old story that was collected; n矛 mi beagan nas giorra i: I will make it [fem.]a bit shorter: cho faisg air an t-seann chainnt 鈥檚 as urrainn: as close to the old speech as possible; gu ruige gleann far an robh tobar: to a glen where there was a well; a bhricein bhig bh貌idhich: o, little bonny trout (vocative); nach mise a鈥� bh脿nrigh as br猫agha: am I not the most beautiful queen?; o, gu dearbh, cha tu!: you are certainly not!; a shasaicheadh i: that would satisfy her; am beul na h-oidhche: at dusk; dh鈥檌nnseadh dha: he was told; nach d猫anainn dhut: that I wouldn鈥檛 do for you; ma gheibh mi: if I get; a dh鈥檌arraidh boc-goibhre: to get a billy goat; gun do nochd mac r矛gh mh貌ir: that the son of an important king arrived; is ise nach eil marbh: she is not dead [lit. it is her that is not dead]; bha i a鈥� dol a choimhead a h-eudail: she was going to see her darling; far nach fhaigh i nad ch貌ir: where she won鈥檛 get near you; a-mach air toll na h-iuchrach: out through the keyhole.

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: Ge-t脿, is fhada bho nach robh ise be貌: but it is a long time since she was alive. Do you notice the difference here from the sentence structure for the equivalent in English? In Gaelic we say literally 鈥渋t is [a] long [time] from she wasn鈥檛 alive鈥�. Note that the verb is a negative interrogative one. Similarly, if you meet a Gaelic-speaking friend whom you haven鈥檛 seen for a long time, he might say to you, 鈥渋s fhad鈥� o nach fhaca mi thu鈥�, using the same structure (the o being equivalent to bho), where you might expect him to say, 鈥渋s fhad鈥� o chunnaic mi thu鈥�. Although bho/o is usually given as meaning 鈥渇rom鈥� it is here better translated as 鈥渟ince鈥�.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Tha i p貌sta aig prionnsa m貌r thall thairis: she is married to an important prince overseas. Tha X p貌sta aig Y: X is married to Y. Not the use of the preposition aig in this idiom.