麻豆约拍

Tha m貌ran sluaigh am beachd an-diugh

Nach eil ar c脿nan sl脿n,

Nach fhada cluinnear fuaim a guth,

Nach t猫id i chaoidh nas fhe脿rr,

Gu bheil a鈥� bhuaidh a bh鈥� aic鈥� air ruith,

Nach tog i ceann gu br脿th;

鈥橲 a dh鈥檃indeoin buaidh MhicIlledhuibh,

Gum faigh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig b脿s.

Tha mi an d貌chas nach eil sibh aontachadh ri sin. Chaidh am p矛os b脿rdachd sin a sgr矛obhadh le b脿rd 脿s an Eilean Sgitheanach, Niall MacLe貌id, a bha be貌 anns an d脿rna leth dhen naoidheamh linn deug agus aig toiseach an fhicheadamh linn. Tha daoine air a bhith a鈥� d猫anamh ro-aithris air b脿s na G脿idhlig airson 霉ine mh貌ir!

Tha mi airson 鈥檚 gun 猫ist ribh ris a-rithist agus, an turas seo, 猫istibh airson ainm duine 鈥� cinneadh:

Tha m貌ran sluaigh am beachd an-diugh

Nach eil ar c脿nan sl脿n,

Nach fhada cluinnear fuaim a guth,

Nach t猫id i chaoidh nas fhe脿rr,

Gu bheil a鈥� bhuaidh a bh鈥� aic鈥� air ruith,

Nach tog i ceann gu br脿th;

鈥橲 a dh鈥檃indeoin buaidh MhicIlledhuibh,

Gum faigh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig b脿s.

An cuala sibh MhicIlledhuibh? Sin MacIlledhuibh anns an tuiseal ghinideach. Mar as trice, chanadh tu gur e Black a bhiodh air ann am Beurla, ach an turas seo tha e a鈥� seasamh airson Blackie.

Tha cunnart ann gu bheil m貌ran an l脿 an-diugh a鈥� d矛ochuimhneachadh an ainm 鈥� Iain Sti霉bhart Blackie 鈥� ach, anns an d脿rna leth dhen naoidheamh linn deug, bha e ainmeil air feadh Alba. Agus, eucoltach ris a鈥� chuid mh貌ir de dh鈥橝lbannaich ainmeil an-diugh, bha e na fh矛or dheagh charaid don Gh脿idhlig. Rinn e barrachd na duine sam bith eile airson d猫anamh cinnteach gum biodh cathair Cheilteis ann an Oilthigh Dh霉n

Eideann. An-diugh, agus anns na beagan seachdainean romhainn, bu toigh leam rud beag innse dhuibh mu dheidhinn.

Rugadh Iain Sti霉bhart Blackie ann an Glaschu ann an ochd ceud deug 鈥檚 a naoi (1809). Bha a chuideachd 脿s na Cr矛ochan. Bha athair na mhanaidsear banca, agus bha athair a mh脿thar na innleadair a dhealbh d脿 dhrochaid thar Abhainn Chluaidh.

Nuair a bha Iain tr矛 bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois, ghluais a theaghlach a dh鈥橭bar Dheathain. As d猫idh dha sgoil fh脿gail, chuir athair gu oifis-lagh ann an Obar Dheathain e airson 鈥檚 gum biodh e ag ionnsachadh mun lagh. Ann an litir gu phiuthar, sgr矛obh e, 鈥淭ha an dreuchd a鈥� c貌rdadh rium, ach ch貌rdadh e rium na b鈥� fhe脿rr nam faighinn dheth aig d脿 uair feasgar.鈥� Bha e follaiseach nach leanadh Iain le obair-oifis fad a bheatha.

Bha 霉idh mh貌r aige anns na c脿nanan clasaigeach 鈥� Laideann agus an t-seann Ghreugais 鈥� agus nuair a bha e na oileanach ann an Oilthigh Obair Dheathain, dh鈥檉h脿s e air leth comasach ann an Laidinn. Bhiodh e ag argamaid gu fileanta innte leis a鈥� phroifeasair. Ach, nuair a chaidh e a-null thairis airson ionnsachadh mu ch脿nan is litreachas, chan ann don R貌imh no don 脌ithne a chaidh e, ach a Gh枚ttingen anns a鈥� Ghearmailt, ged nach robh aige de Ghearmailtis ach corra fhacal. Uaireannan, aig an toiseach, bhiodh e a鈥� bruidhinn ri daoine foghlamaichte ann an Laidinn!

Chaidh e a-null c貌mhla ri dithis eile 脿 Obar Dheathain ach sgr矛obh athair thuige, ag r脿dh nach fhaodadh e fuireach c貌mhla riutha oir bha e air a dhol ann airson an c脿nan ionnsachadh. Fhreagair Iain an litir, ag r脿dh gu robh iad ag ionnsachadh a鈥� ch脿nain c貌mhla. Agus, sgr矛obh e, leis gu robh buinteanas aca do dh鈥橭bar Dheathain, gu robh iad ag ionnsachadh cunntadh an airgid gu luath, gus nach gabhadh fear-b霉tha sam bith brath orra! Bhiodh d脿 fhichead bliadhna ann mus fhaigheadh Iain greim air a鈥� Gh脿idhlig ach cha b鈥� fhada gus an robh e fileanta ann an c脿nan na Gearmailt.

Faclan na seachdaine: cinneadh: surname, clan name; cunnart: danger; a鈥� d矛ochuimhneachadh: forgetting; cathair Cheilteis: Chair of Celtic; oilthigh: university;innleadair: engineer; Obar Dheathain: Aberdeen; lagh: law; Laideann: Latin; Greugais: Greek (language); a鈥� Ghearmailt: Germany; corra fhacal: a few words; foghlamaichte: educated; buinteanas: belonging, connection; fileanta: fluent.

Abairtean na seachdaine: nach fhada chluinnear fuaim a guth: the sound of her voice will not be heard long; a dh鈥檃indeoin buaidh MhicIlledhuibh: despite Blackie鈥檚 influence; a鈥� d猫anamh ro-aithris air b脿s na G脿idhlig: predicting the death of Gaelic; eucoltach ris a鈥� chuid mh貌ir: unlike the majority; bha e na fh矛or dheagh charaid: he was a really good friend; bha a chuideachd 脿s na Cr矛ochan: his people were from the Borders; d脿 dhrochaid thar Abhainn Chluaidh: two bridges over the Clyde; 脿s d猫idh dha sgoil fh脿gail: after he left school; chan ann don R貌imh no don 脌ithne a chaidh e: it wasn鈥檛 to Rome or Athens he went; sgr矛obh athair thuige: his father wrote to him; gus nach fhaigheadh fear-b霉tha brath orra: so that a shopkeeper wouldn鈥檛 take advantage of them.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: nuair a chaidh e a-null thairis airson ionnsachadh mu ch脿nan is litreachas..: when he went overseas to learn about language and literature.

How would you translate 鈥渙verseas鈥� into Gaelic? Well, that depends on whether or not there is motion involved. If you are overseas you are thall thairis, but if you are travelling overseas from here (ie there is motion involved) it is a-null thairis. This difference is important. If you said tha mi a鈥� gluasad thall thairis, it would not mean that you are emigrating from here to another country (you would need a-null for that) but that you were overseas already and were moving within that geographical frame, but not out of it.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Ch貌rdadh e rium na b鈥� fhe脿rr: I would like it even more.