278: Craobh-òir agus Craobh-airgid
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
Tha an litir ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Craobh-òir agus Craobh-airgid
An t-seachdain seo bu mhath leam tòiseachadh air seann sgeulachd a chaidh a chruinneachadh anns an naoidheamh linn deug ann an Eilean Eige. ’S e an t-ainm a th’ air an sgeulachd “Craobh-òir agus Craobh-airgid”. Nì mi beagan nas giorra i na bha i bho thùs, agus rud beag nas sìmplidhe, ach cumaidh mi cho faisg air an t-seann chainnt ’s as urrainn.
Bha rìgh ann uaireigin. Bha bean aige air an robh Craobh-airgid mar ainm. Bha nighean aige cuideachd, agus ’s e an t-ainm a bh’ oirrese Craobh-òir. Là de na làithean, chaidh Craobh-òir agus Craobh-airgid gu ruige gleann far an robh tobar.Anns an tobar bha breac.
Bhruidhinn Craobh-airgid ris a’ bhreac. “A bhricein bhig bhòidhich,” thuirt i, “nach mise a’ bhànrigh as brèagha san t-saoghal?”
“O gu dearbh, cha tu!” ars’ am breac.
“Cò eile?” dh’fhaighnich a’ bhànrigh.
“Tha Craobh-òir, do nighean.”
Chaidh Craobh-airgid dhachaigh, agus an caothach ga dalladh. ’S e an aon rud a shàsaicheadh i – nam faigheadh i cridhe agus gruthan Chraoibh-òir, a nighean, ri ithe. Am beul na h-oidhche thàinig an rìgh dhachaigh agus dh’innseadh dha gu robh a bhean, Craobh-airgid, tinn. Chaidh e far an robh i agus dh’fhaighnich e dhith gu dè a bha ceàrr oirre.
“Chan eil rud sam bith a b’ urrainn dhomh dhèanamh,” thuirt an rìgh, “nach dèanainn dhut.”
“Ma gheibh mi cridhe agus gruthan Chraoibh-òir ri ithe, bidh mi slàn,” fhreagair Craobh-airgid.
Dh’fhalbh an rìgh agus chuir e a chuid ghillean a-mach a dh’iarraidh boc-goibhre. Thug e a chridhe is a ghruthan do bhean airson ithe. Dh’èirich i gu slàn fallain.
Dè thachair mun àm seo ach gun do nochd mac rìgh mhòir. Bha e ag iarraidh Craobh-òir a phòsadh. Thug an rìgh a chead agus dh’fhalbh an cupall a-null thairis.
Bliadhna an dèidh seo, chaidh Craobh-airgid don ghleann far an robh an tobar anns an robh am breac.
“A bhricein bhig bhòidhich,” thuirt i, “nach mise a’ bhànrigh as brèagha san t-saoghal?”
“O, gu dearbh, cha tu.”
“Cò eile?”
“Tha Craobh-òir, do nighean.”
“Ge-tà, is fhada bho nach robh ise beò,” thuirt a’ bhànrigh. “Tha bliadhna ann bho dh’ith mi a cridhe agus a gruthan.”
“O, gu dearbh,” ars’ am breac, “is ise nach eil marbh. Tha i pòsta aig prionnsa mòr thall thairis.”
Chaidh Craobh-airgid dhachaigh agus dh’iarr i air an rìgh an long-fhada a chur air dòigh, oir bha i a’ dol a choimhead a h-eudail, Craobh-òir. Chaidh an long-fhada a chur air dòigh agus dh’fhalbh iad.
’S i Craobh-airgid fhèin a bh’ air an stiùir. Cha robh iad fada sam bith air a’ chuan oir bha an long luath. Nuair a ràinig iad an taobh thall, bha am prionnsa a-muigh a’ sealg. Chunnaic Craobh-òir long a h-athar agus thuirt i ri a seirbheiseach, “tha mo mhàthair a’ tighinn agus marbhaidh i mi.”
“Cha mharbh idir”, thuirt an seirbheiseach. “Glasaidh sinn a-staigh ann an seòmar thu far nach fhaigh i nad chòir.”
’S ann mar sin a bha e. Nuair a thàinig Craobh-airgid air tìr, thòisich i air èigheachd, “Trobhad seo, tha do mhàthair air tighinn gad choimhead.” Chaidh a’ bhànrigh don doras.
“Nach cuir thu do mheur a-mach air toll na h-iuchrach,” thuirt i, “’s gun toir do mhàthair pòg dhi.”
Chuir Craobh-òir a meur a-mach air toll na h-iuchrach. Agus innsidh mi dhuibh dè thachair dhi an ath-sheachdain.
Faclan na Litreach: Eilean Eige: The Isle of Eigg; Craobh-òir: Gold Tree; Craobh-airgid: Silver Tree; sìmplidh: simple; oirrese: on her (emphatic); breac: trout; cridhe: heart; gruthan: liver; ithe: eating: cupall: couple; long-fhada: longship; stiùir: tiller; luath: fast; sealg: hunting; trobhad: come here; meur: finger.
Abairtean na Litreach: seann sgeulachd a chaidh a chruinneachadh: an old story that was collected; nì mi beagan nas giorra i: I will make it [fem.]a bit shorter : cho faisg air an t-seann chainnt ’s 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 bhòidhich: o, little bonny trout (vocative); nach mise a’ bhànrigh as brèagha: 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’innseadh dha: he was told; nach dèanainn dhut: that I wouldn’t do for you; ma gheibh mi: if I get; a dh’iarraidh boc-goibhre: to get a billy goat; gun do nochd mac rìgh mhòir: 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’ dol a choimhead a h-eudail: she was going to see her darling; far nach fhaigh i nad chòir: where she won’t get near you; a-mach air toll na h-iuchrach: out through the keyhole.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: Ge-tà, is fhada bho nach robh ise beò: 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 “it is [a] long [time] from she wasn’t alive”. Note that the verb is a negative interrogative one. Similarly, if you meet a Gaelic-speaking friend whom you haven’t seen for a long time, he might say to you, “is fhad’ o nach fhaca mi thu”, using the same structure (the o being equivalent to bho), where you might expect him to say, “is fhad’ o chunnaic mi thu”. Although bho/o is usually given as meaning “from” it is here better translated as “since”.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Tha i pòsta aig prionnsa mòr thall thairis: she is married to an important prince overseas. Tha X pòsta aig Y: X is married to Y. Not the use of the preposition aig in this idiom.
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