735: James MacPherson (3) 735: Seumas Mac a’ Phearsain (3)

B1 - Intermediate - The Little LetterB1 - Eadar-mheadhanach - An Litir Bheag

Litir shìmplidh sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is eadar-theangachadh. A simple weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and translation.

Tha an litir bheag 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 little 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.

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Gaelic & English Text Teacsa Gàidhlig & Beurla

Seumas Mac a’ Phearsain (3)

Gaelic Gàidhlig

Bha mi ag innse eachdraidh Sheumais Mhic a’ Phearsain, an ceatharnach ainmeil. Thàinig latha a chrochaidh ann am Banbh.

Bha teachdaire air an rathad a Bhanbh air muin-eich. Bha stad-breith aige bho chùirt nas àirde ann an Obar Dheathain.

Dh’òrdaich an siorram an cloc ann am meadhan Bhanbh a chur air adhart cairteal na h-uarach. Mar sin, thàinig uair a’ chrochaidh mus do ràinig an teachdaire meadhan a’ bhaile. Bha mòran daoine air an tàmailteachadh mu dheidhinn.

Fhad ʼs a bha e sa phrìosan, chruthaich Seumas òran. Ghabh e e, agus e a’ seinn na fìdhle aig an aon àm mus deach e air a’ chroich. Seo aon dreach dheth:

Fareweel ye dungeons dark and strang, fareweel, fareweel tae ye,
MacPherson’s time will nae be lang on yonder gallows tree

Sae rantinly, sae wantonly, sae dauntinly gaed he
He played a tune and he danced it aroon below the gallows tree

It was by a woman’s treacherous hand I was condemned tae dee
Aboon a ledge at a window she sat, a blanket she threw ow’r me

There’s some come here tae see me hang, and some tae buy my fiddle
But before that I wid part wi’ her I'd brak her through the middle

He took the fiddle intae baith o his hands and he brak it ower a stane
Sayin, nay ither hand shall play on thee when I am dead and gane

The reprieve was comin’ ow’r the Brig o Banff tae set MacPherson free,
But they pit the clock a quarter afore, and they hanged him frae the tree.

Anns an òran, bhris Seumas fhidheall air clach. Ach dh’aithris cuid gun do dh’fhaighnich e an gabhadh duine i – air a’ chùmhnant ʼs gum biodh iad a’ cluich an aon phuirt oirre aig taigh-aire dha. Cha robh duine deònach an fhidheall a ghabhail oir bha tòrr nàimhdean aig Seumas an làthair. Mar sin, bhris Seumas an fhidheall thairis air a ghlùin. Dh’èigh e nach cluicheadh duine eile i. Agus chaidh e air a’ chroich.

Thug fear de chàirdean Sheumais an fhidheall bhriste air ais a Bhàideanach. Tha i a-nise ann an Taigh-tasgaidh Clann Mhic a’ Phearsain ann am Baile Ùr an t-Slèibh.

James MacPherson (3)

English Beurla

I was relating the story of James MacPherson, the famous freebooter. The day of his hanging came in Banff.

A messenger was on the way to Banff on horseback. He had a reprieve from a higher court in Aberdeen.

The sheriff ordered the clock in the middle of Banff to be put forward a quarter of an hour. Thus, the time of the hanging arrived before the messenger reached the middle of the town. Many people were horrified about it.

While he was in prison, James created a song. He sang it, playing the fiddle at the same time, before going on the gibbet. Here is one version of it.

Fareweel ye dungeons dark and strang, fareweel, fareweel tae ye,
MacPherson’s time will nae be lang on yonder gallows tree

Sae rantinly, sae wantonly, sae dauntinly gaed he
He played a tune and he danced it aroon below the gallows tree

It was by a woman’s treacherous hand I was condemned tae dee
Aboon a ledge at a window she sat, a blanket she threw ow’r me

There’s some come here tae see me hang, and some tae buy my fiddle
But before that I wid part wi’ her I'd brak her through the middle

He took the fiddle intae baith o his hands and he brak it ower a stane
Sayin, nay ither hand shall play on thee when I am dead and gane

The reprieve was comin’ ow’r the Brig o Banff tae set MacPherson free,
But they pit the clock a quarter afore, and they hanged him frae the tree.

In the song, James broke the fiddle on a stone. But some people reported that he asked if anyone would take it – on condition that they play the same tune on it at his wake. Nobody was willing to take the fiddle because many of James’s enemies were present. So James broke the fiddle over his knee. He shouted that nobody else would play it. And he went on the gibbet.

One of James’s relatives took the broken fiddle back to Badenoch. It’s now in the Clan MacPherson Museum in Newtonmore.

Gaelic TextTeacsa Gàidhlig