大象传媒

Bha e na bhriseadh-cridhe don bh脿rd, Uilleam Ros, nuair a chuala e gu robh a leannan, M貌r Ros, air p貌sadh, agus gu robh i air a dhol a dh鈥檉huireach ann an Sasainn c貌mhla ris an duine aice. Sgr矛obh e an uairsin an d脿n, neo 貌ran, air an do chuir e 鈥淥ran Cumhaidh鈥� mar ainm. Gu dearbh, 鈥檚 e cumha a th鈥� ann.

Tha c貌ig rannan deug anns an 貌ran mar a sgr矛obh am b脿rd e. Agus sgr矛obh e e airson a bhith air a sheinn, air an fhonn 鈥淩obai dona g貌rach鈥�. Tha cuid de na rannan nach bi aithnichte idir don mh貌r-shluagh an-diugh, ach 鈥檚 ann tearc a tha na Gaidheil nach aithnich an deicheamh rann. 鈥橲 e sin, mar as trice, a鈥� chiad rann dhen 貌ran mar a tha e air a sheinn an-diugh. Bheireadh e cus 霉ine na c貌ig rannan deug gu l猫ir a sheinn.

Is truagh nach d鈥� rugadh dall mi, gun chainnt is gun l猫irsinn. Sin mar a tha e a鈥� t貌iseachadh. 鈥橲 d貌cha gu bheil sibh ga aithneachadh. Seo an rann gu l猫ir:

Is truagh nach d鈥� rugadh dall mi,

Gun chainnt is gun l猫irsinn.

Mus fhac鈥� mi d鈥� aghaidh bhaindidh,

Rinn aimhleas nan ceudan.

O鈥檔 chunna鈥� mi air th霉s thu,

Bu chli霉iteach do bheusan,

Gum b鈥� fhasa leam am b脿s

Na bhith l脿thair as d鈥� eugmhais.

鈥橲 ann mar sin a tha na briathran nuair a tha an t-貌ran air a sheinn. Ach chan ann buileach mar sin a chaidh an sgr矛obhadh. Anns a鈥� chiad loighne, an 脿ite Is truagh nach d鈥� rugadh dall mi, sgr矛obh Ros, Carson nach d鈥� rugadh dall mi..? Agus tha diofar ann cuideachd anns an d脿 loighne mu dheireadh. Sgr矛obh am b脿rd, 鈥淐han fhasa leam nam b脿s, a bhith l脿thair as d鈥� eugmhais.鈥� Ach, ged a tha an diofar sin ann, chan eil diofar m貌r sam bith air a鈥� bhr矛gh. Mar a sgr矛obh am b脿rd ann an rann eile鈥�

鈥�cha d鈥檉huair mise sgeul

Ann am Beurla neo G脿idhlig,

A dh鈥檌nnseadh dhomh mar dh鈥檉haotainn

An gaol ud a sm脿ladh

鈥橲 toil leam am p矛os seo cuideachd a tha, mar as trice, air a sheinn mar dharna rann:

Gur binne leam do ch貌mhradh

na sme貌rach nan geugan,

Na cuach sa mhadainn Mh脿ighe,

鈥檚 na cl脿rsach nan teudan,

Nan t-Easbaig air Latha D貌mhnaich,

鈥檚 am m貌r-shluagh ga 猫isteachd,

Neo ged a chunntadh st貌ras

na h-E貌rpa gu l猫ir dhomh.

Anns an 貌ran th霉sail tha am b脿rd a-mach tric air fear Cormac, ged nach bi seo a鈥� nochdadh anns an 貌ran a th鈥� air a sheinn.

Ach siud mar sheinneadh Cormac,

鈥檚 e dearmad a chiad ghaoil鈥�

Bha an Cormac seo na chl脿rsair Eireannach a bha ainmeil, aig an 脿m ud, ann am beul-aithris. Gu bitheanta air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd anns an d脿 dh霉thaich 鈥� Eirinn agus Alba 鈥� bhiodh na cl脿rsairean a鈥� siubhal bho 脿ite gu 脿ite is, gu dearbh, bho dh霉thaich gu d霉thaich, mar gur e aon d霉thaich a bh鈥� ann, a鈥� d猫anamh am bith-be貌 eatarra. Agus th脿inig Cormac a dh鈥橝lba, far an do chuir e seachad bliadhnaichean c貌mhla ri ceann-feadhna Clann 鈥檌cLe貌id ann an Le貌dhas. Agus ann a sin 鈥� uill 鈥� chan urrainn dhomh innse dhuibh an-dr脿sta gu d猫 dh鈥櫭╥rich dha. Cha cheadaich an 霉ine mi.

Ach cluinnidh sibh an sgeul an ath-sheachdain, agus tuigidh sibh an uairsin carson a rinn am b脿rd, Uilleam Ros, coimeas eadar e fh猫in is an cl脿rsair, Cormac. Agus tuigidh sibh carson a bha e duilich, ann an d貌igh, nach robh Ros na chl脿rsair, seach b脿rd. Ach an-dr脿sta, leigidh mi soraidh leibh.

briseadh-cridhe: disappointment; oran cumhaidh, cumha: lament; cainnt: speech; l猫irsinn: vision, sight; baindidh: feminine; sme貌rach: thrush; cuach: cuckoo; st貌ras: riches; t霉sail: original; cl脿rsair: harpist; ceann-feadhna: clan chief.

tha cuid de na rannan nach bi aithnichte: some of the verses willnot be familiar (recognised); 鈥檚 ann tearc a tha na Gaidheil nach aithnich an deicheam hrann: scarce are the Gaels who don鈥檛 recognise the tenth verse; is truagh nach d鈥檙ugadh dall mi: it is a pity I was not born blind; (a) rinn aimhleas nan ceudan: which was the ruin of hundreds (pronounced 鈥渒aytan鈥� rather than 鈥渒iatun鈥� for the rhyme); bu chli霉iteach do bheusan: your conduct was renowned; gum b鈥� fhasa leam am b脿s na bhith l脿thair as d鈥� eugmhais: it would be easier for me to die than to live without you; chan fhasa leam nam b脿s a bhith l脿thair as d鈥� eugmhais: it is worse than death to live without you; a dh鈥檌nnseadh dhomh mar dh鈥檉haotainn an gaol ud a sm脿ladh: that would tell me how I could extinguish (the fire of) that love; gur binne leam do ch貌mhradh na X: your conversation is sweeter tome than X; tha am b脿rd a-mach tric air X: the poet often mentions X; siud mar sheinneadh Cormac: that is how Cormac would sing;鈥檚 e (a鈥�) dearmad a chiad ghaoil: neglecting his first love; gu d猫 dh鈥櫭╥rich dha: what happened to him; carson a rinn X coimeas eadar e fh猫in is Y; why X made a comparison between himself and Y; leigidh mi soraidh leibh: I鈥檒l say farewell to you.

Nan t-Easbaig air Latha D貌mhnaich: than the bishop on aSunday. You may be unsure as to why Ross wrote Latha D貌mhnaich, rather thanDid貌mhnaich. In addition to its slightly more poetic quality, Latha D貌mhnaich is really justanother term for Did貌mhnaich. The prefix Di- which appears at the beginning of the days ofthe week in modern Gaelic, is very interesting, for it has cognates in many Europeanlanguages, appearing either as a prefix or suffix or, sometimes, as a separate word. Forexample, Monday is Lundi in French, Luned矛 in Italian, dydd Llun in Welsh and Diluain inGaelic. Most importantly, perhaps, it is dies Lunae in Latin, the ancient language of theChurch, which influenced much of this terminology in various tongues, including Gaelic.The Gaelic for Sunday, Did貌mhnaich, derives from the Latin, dies Dominica (Day of theLord) but, because Di- is understood to mean 鈥渄ay鈥�, it can be replaced by the standardmodern Gaelic word for 鈥渄ay鈥� 鈥� latha (or l脿). Did貌mhnaich remains the standard term forSunday in the southern Gaidhealtachd, including communities which are predominantlyCatholic in the Western Isles. But another term has become standard in northern areaswhere Presbyterianism is the dominant religious persuasion 鈥� Latha na S脿baid (the SabbathDay).

cha cheadaich an 霉ine mi: time will not permit me.