131: Òrain Dhòmhnaill Ailein Dhòmhnall na Bainich

Aig an àm seo an-uiridh, bha na litrichean agam mu dheidhinn mìosan na bliadhna, agus chleachd mi am facal Gàidhlig as aithne dhomh airson calendar – “mìosachan”. Tha e stèidhichte air a’ Ghàidhlig airson month – mìos. Ach tha dà fhacal eile ann a chluinneas tu cuideachd airson calendar – caladair agus, seadh, “calendar”, dìreach mar a tha e ann am Beurla.

Tha sin nam inntinn an t-seachdain sa, oir bha mi a’ leughadh leabhar inntinneach air a bheil “Òrain Dhòmhnaill Ailein Dhòmhnall na Bainich”, a chaidh a dheasachadh leis an Athair Urramach Iain Aonghas Dòmhnallach, a tha na shagart anns a’ Ghearastan. Buinidh Mgr Iain Aonghas do dh’Uibhist a Deas, an dearbh eilean dhan do bhuin am bàrd mun do sgrìobh e. Mholainn an leabhar dhuibh, oir tha eadar-theangachadh ann do na h-òrain air fad.

Bha Dòmhnall Ailean Dhòmhnall na Bainich beò eadar na bliadhnaichean naoi deug ’s a sia agus naoi deug, naochad ’s a dhà, agus sgrìobh e na h-uibhir de dh’ òrain mhatha, nam measg “Gruagach Òg an Fhuilt Bhàin” agus “Moladh Uibhist”. Is tha òran snog spòrsail san leabhar air a bheil “Òran a’ Chalendar” – fear a tha furasta gu leòr do luchd-ionnsachaidh. Seo mar a tha e a’ tòiseachadh:

Hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh;

B’ fheàrr gun d’ chùm mi dhachaigh dìreach,

’S cha leiginn a leas bhith ’g innse

Do mhuinntir na tìr’ mar dh’èirich;

’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.

’S fhuair mi calendar bho Dhòmhnall

A chumadh fad na bliadhn’ air dòigh mi:

A h-uile mìos air sgrìobhte còmhla

’S pòcaid air bhiodh dhomhsa feumail;

’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.

Bha an t-ùghdar, Dòmhnall Ailean, air an rathad dhachaigh le calendar a fhuair e mar phreusant bho fhear air an robh Dòmhnall. Bha còir aige dhol dìreach dhachaigh leis, ach cha deach, oir thachair e ri fear a’ phuist, Nillidh Eairdsidh, taobh a-muigh Oifis a’ Phuist. Thuirt Nillidh ris, “nach tiugainn thu tacan suas air chèilidh?” Cha b’ urrainn do Dhòmhnall Ailean dhol seachad agus chaidh e a-steach airson cupa tì.

Ach fhad ’s a bha e shuas an staidhre, bha na boireannaich ri dibhearsan shìos, far an do dh’fhàg Dòmhnall Ailean a chalendar. Co-dhiù, nuair a chaidh e sìos an staidhre às dèidh dha cupa tì a ghabhail, bha an calendar dìreach far an do dh’fhàg e e, agus cha robh coltas ann gu robh e eadar-dhealaichte ann an dòigh sam bith. Ach bha. Seo na rannan mu dheireadh san òran, agus an t-ùghdar a’ toirt a’ chalendar gu bhean:

Ràinig mis’ an taigh gu druaipleach

Is shìn mi Cheit e airson fhuasgladh,

’S b’ fheàrr leam fhìn gu robh mi ’n uair sin

Nam cheò uain’ air feadh nan speuran;

’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.

Dhragh i pìos de phàipear cruaidh às,

Dh’fhaighneachd i dhomh, “An croch mi suas e?”

’S tha is’ a’ fanaid orm bhon uair sin

’S bu mhis’ a’ chulaidh-thruais ga h-èisteachd!”

’S hù ga rì; hù ga rìreadh.

Tuigidh sibh gun deach car a thoirt às leis na boireannaich ann an taigh Nillidh Eairdsidh – gun tug iad an calendar a-mach às a’ chèis is gun do chuir iad pìos pàipeir cruaidh innte na àite.

Bha comas aig Dòmhnall Ailean gàire a dhèanamh air fhèin – rud a tha math ann am bàrd sam bith. Agus bha e na bhàrd air leth. Bha e dhen bheachd nach robh “de dh’fhoghlam air an t-saoghal a dhèanadh duine na bhàrd” agus gur e comas a bh’ ann a bhuineadh do nàdar an duine fhèin. Bha an comas sin aigesan ann am pailteas.

Faclan na Litreach: ùghdar: author; preusant: present; thachair e ri: he met (with); Nillidh Eairdsidh: Neil, son of Archie; druaipleach: dozy; pàipear cruaidh: stiff paper

Abairtean na Litreach: a chaidh a dheasachadh leis an Athair Urramach Iain Aonghas Dòmhnallach: which was edited by Father John Angus MacDonald; buinidh X do dh’Uibhist a Deas: X belongs to South Uist; sgrìobh e na h-uibhir de dh’òrain mhatha: he wrote a lot of good songs; cha leiginn a leas a bhith ag innse: I needn’t be telling; do mhuinntir na tìre mar dh’èirich: (to) the people of the district what happened; ’s pòcaid air (a) bhiodh dhomhsa feumail: and a pocket on it which would be useful to me (the bard has changed the word order from the usual a bhiodh feumail dhomhsa); bha còir aige dhol dìreach dhachaigh: he should have gone straight home; nach tiugainn thu tacan suas air chèilidh?: won’t you come up for a while to visit?; bha na boireannaich ri dibhearsan shìos: the women were having a bit of fun downstairs; shìn mi (a) Cheit e airson fhuasgladh: I handed it over to Kate to unwrap it; b’ fheàrr leam fhìn gu robh mi ’n uair sin nam cheò uain’ air feadh nan speuran: I would then have preferred to be a pale mist all over the heavens; an croch mi suas e?: will I hang it up?; gun deach car a thoirt às: that he was tricked; nach robh “de dh’fhoghlam air an t-saoghal a dhèanadh duine na bhàrd”: that there was no education in the world that could make a man a bard.

Puing-ghràmair na Litreach: ’S bu mhis’ a’ chulaidh-thruais ga h-èisteachd: and I have been an object of pity having to listen to her. Bu mhise is the past tense equivalent to is mise and it is ga h-èisteachd, rather than ga èisteachd, because he is listening to a feminine object ie his wife who is mocking him about bringing home a piece of card, rather than the calendar he promised. But I would particularly like to point out the word culaidh, a feminine noun which here means an object and which forms a compound noun with other nouns. Truas means “pity” so culaidh-thruais (employing the genitive of truas) means “an object of pity”. Similarly, fanaid means mockery or ridicule, so culaidh-fhanaid means an object of ridicule. Note that because it is treated as a compound noun, the second element is lenited just an adjective would be when qualifying a feminine noun. Another common example is culaidh-mhagaidh (from magadh) which has much the same meaning as culaidh-fhanaid.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Bha an comas sin aigesan ann am pailteas: he had that capability in abundance. Pailteas means “plenty, abundance, sufficiency”. Tha pailteas Gàidhlig aige: he has plenty of Gaelic (ie he speaks it well).

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