大象传媒

Is d貌cha gum bi cuimhne agaibh gu robh sinn a鈥� toirt s霉il aig toiseach na bliadhna air beatha Iain Sti霉bhairt Blackie. Bha Blackie na ghaisgeach don Gh脿idhlig. Bha e gu m貌r air c霉l iomairt airson roinn na Ceilteis a st猫idheachadh ann an Oilthigh Dh霉n 脠ideann, far an robh e na phroifeasair de Ghreugais.

Uill, an l脿 eile, bha mi a鈥� coimhead tro leabhar de bh脿rdachd Gh脿idhlig a bhuineas don naoidheamh linn deug. Agus l脿igh mo sh霉il air an tiotal 鈥淏rosnachadh na G脿idhlig鈥�. Tha mi gun teagamh airson sin a dh猫anamh! 鈥橲 e b脿rd Sgitheanach, Niall MacLe貌id 脿 Gleann Dail, a sgr矛obh an d脿n. Agus nuair a leugh mi a鈥� chiad rann, mhothaich mi gu robh e a-mach air 鈥淧rofessor Blackie鈥�. Seo mar a tha a鈥� chiad rann a鈥� dol:

Duisg suas, a鈥� Gh脿idhlig, 鈥檚 na bi fann,

Is gleus do chl脿rsach feadh nan gleann:

Tha aon fhear-tagraidh math ort teann

A chumas taic riut,

Cho fad 鈥檚 a mhaireas teanga 鈥檔 ceann

Professor Blackie.

Canaidh mi sin a-rithist, gus an glac sibh e:

Duisg suas, a鈥� Gh脿idhlig, 鈥檚 na bi fann,

Is gleus do chl脿rsach feadh nan gleann:

Tha aon fhear-tagraidh math ort teann

A chumas taic riut,

Cho fad 鈥檚 a mhaireas teanga 鈥檔 ceann

Professor Blackie.

Nuair a bha Niall MacLe貌id a鈥� sgr矛obhadh, bha an iomairt fhathast a鈥� dol gus airgead a thrusadh airson cathair Ceilteis a st猫idheachadh. Agus bha an droch shl脿inte a bha Blackie a鈥� fulang na ch霉is dragh don bh脿rd. Seo mar a tha an d脿rna rann a鈥� t貌iseachadh:

Bha cuid an d霉il nach robh thu sl脿n,

鈥橲 gu robh do bheatha dl霉th don bh脿s,

Ach bheir thu 鈥檔 car asta gun d脿il鈥�

A-rithist anns a鈥� ch貌igeamh rann, tha am b脿rd a鈥� foillseachadh dragh mu shl脿inte a鈥� phroifeasair:

Bheil neach a dh鈥櫭爎aich t矛r an fhraoich

Air call a鈥� bh脿idh 鈥檚 air f脿s cho faoin,

Ri t脿ir air cainnt a mh脿thar chaoimh

鈥橲 nach taobh a reachdan?

Ach gheibh iad sin an duais gu daor,

Mur caochail Blackie.

Agus bha am b脿rd a-mach air creach. Chan e buileach 鈥渃reach鈥� a bha e a鈥� ciallachadh, ach gun d猫anadh an luchd-iomairt str矛 airson airgead fhaighinn bho gach taigh air a鈥� Gh脿idhealtachd (agus fhuair iad sin bho dhaoine bochd is beartach). Bha iad a鈥� sireadh deich m矛le not airson cathair Ceiltis a st猫idheachadh. Seo an t-seachdamh rann agus 猫istibh gu dl霉th airson d脿 ainm-脿ite:

Na f脿gaibh taigh dam faic sibh sm霉id,

No duine be貌 a ch矛 bhur s霉il,

Bho Thaigh Iain Ghr貌t gu Cluaidh nan l霉b,

Nach tog sibh creach dheth,

Gum faigh sibh an deich m矛le punnd

Tha dh矛th air Blackie.

Canaidh mi a-rithist e:

Na f脿gaibh taigh dam faic sibh sm霉id,

No duine be貌 a ch矛 bhur s霉il,

Bho Thaigh Iain Ghr貌t gu Cluaidh nan l霉b,

Nach tog sibh creach dheth,

Gum faigh sibh an deich m矛le punnd

Tha dh矛th air Blackie.

An cuala sibh na h-ainmean-脿ite? Taigh Iain Ghr貌t 鈥� an 矛re mhath an t-脿ite as fhaide tuath air t矛r-m貌r na h-Alba. Agus Cluaidh 鈥� an abhainn ainmeil a tha a鈥� sruthadh tro Ghlaschu. Cuiridh mi cr矛och air an Litir an t-seachdain seo leis an rann mu dheireadh dhen d脿n:

鈥橲 nuair th猫id a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a chur suas

An cathair inbhich mar bu dual,

鈥橬 sin 貌laidh sinn d脿 l脿n na cuaich 鈥�

鈥橲 cha bhi iad lapach 鈥�

Air sl脿int鈥� an laoich a thug a鈥� bhuaidh,

Professor Blackie.

Faclan na seachdaine: gaisgeach: hero; Ceilteis: Celtic Studies; Greugais: Greek; Gleann Dail: Glendale; rann: verse; fann: weak; punnd: pound (currency 鈥� we say 鈥渘ot鈥� today).

Abairtean na seachdaine: bha e gu m貌r air c霉l iomairt: he was greatly behind a campaign; a bhuineas don naoidheamh linn deug: which belongs to the 19th Century; l脿igh mo sh霉il: I noticed; tha aon fhear-tagraidh math ort teann: you have a good advocate close at hand; cho fad 鈥檚 a mhaireas teanga an ceann X: as long as a tongue is in the head of X; gus airgead a thrusadh: to collect money; dl霉th don bh脿s: close to death; bheir thu an car asta: you will trick them; neach a dh鈥櫭爎aich t矛r an fhraoich: a person the land of the heather raised; air f脿s cho faoin: grown so wan; ri t脿ir air cainnt a mh脿thar chaoimh: to despise his dear mother鈥檚 tongue; nach taobh a reachdan: will not observe her laws; dam faic sibh sm霉id: where you see smoke; bho Thaigh Iain Ghr貌t gu Cluaidh nan l霉b: from John O鈥� Groats to the Clyde of the twists; an cathair inbhich: in a prestigious chair; 貌laidh sinn d脿 l脿n na cuaich: we鈥檒l drink the full quaich twice; air sl脿inte an laoich: to the health of the hero; a thug a鈥� bhuaidh: who triumphed.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Is gleus do chl脿rsach feadh nan gleann: and tune your harp throughout the glens. What case is gleann in here and why? The nan gives it away 鈥� it is the genitive plural. But why, following what appears to be a simple preposition? The reason is that feadh is not a simple preposition 鈥� it is a shortened form of air feadh, a preposition with two distinct elements. You will see it written as feadh, and you will hear it in conversation as such, but remember its origins and you won鈥檛 forget to employ the genitive after it, at least where the article is present.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Nach tog sibh creach dheth?: won鈥檛 you plunder him? The bard here does not mean plunder literally, but rather to extract some money by a bit of arm-twisting. I would like you to note the verb that usually goes with creach 鈥� tog. We say tha e a鈥� togail creach (or traditionally a鈥� togail creiche, using the genitive) for 鈥渉e is plundering鈥�.