麻豆约拍

Tha mi airson 鈥檚 gun smaoinich sibh tiotan air Eilean Bharraigh. 鈥橲 e eilean br猫agha a th鈥� ann co-dhi霉, ach tha e a鈥� coimhead nas br猫agha nan 脿bhaist, leis gu bheil an l脿 脿lainn, agus a鈥� ghrian a鈥� de脿rrsadh. Tha tri霉ir bhoireannach c貌mhla air tr脿igh 鈥� tr脿igh mh貌r le gainmheach bh脿n oirre. 鈥橲 e luchd-ci霉il a th鈥� annta agus tha dithis (鈥檚 e peathraichean a th鈥� annta) ag iarraidh air an t猫 eile 貌ran a ghabhail. Chan e 貌ran 脿bhaisteach, ge-t脿, oir tha na boireannaich a鈥� coimhead air grunn r貌n air sgeirean faisg air a鈥� chladach, a tha gam blianadh fh猫in.

Tha iad ag iarraidh air am bana-chompanach 貌ran eileanach a ghabhail mu dheidhinn r貌n a bha be貌 ann an riochd boireannaich. Tha a鈥� bhana-sheinneadair a鈥� coimhead timcheall oirre, eagal 鈥檚 gu bheil duine eile ann. Ach chan eil sgeul air duine eile. Chan eil dad be貌 ri fhaicinn ach iad fh猫in, na r貌in agus faoileagan. Tha i a鈥� t貌iseachadh air seinn. Agus d猫 tha sin, thall air na sgeirean? Tha na r貌in a鈥� toirt freagairt dhi. Tha iad a鈥� seinn air ais dhi nan d貌igh fh猫in. Agus tha fear dhiubh uabhasach math, a鈥� seinn cha mh貌r mar a bhiodh boireannach le guth math 鈥� aig 矛re mezzo-soprano.

Tha peansail agus p脿ipear aig a鈥� bhoireannach, oir tha i air a bhith ag obair air ce貌l is 貌rain a chl脿radh ann am Barraigh, agus tha i a鈥� cur fonn an r貌in s矛os air a鈥� ph脿ipear aice. Tha i a鈥� d猫anamh dheth, agus tha na boireannaich eile ag aontachadh rithe, gu bheil an r貌n gun teagamh a鈥� seinn.

Thachair sin uaireigin as t-samhradh eadar na bliadhnaichean naoi-deug is fichead (1920) agus naoi-deug, fichead 鈥檚 a seachd (1927), agus 鈥檚 i am boireannach a sheinn an t-貌ran agus a sgr矛obh fonn an r貌in t猫-chi霉il ainmeil a dh鈥檉h脿g d矛leab mh貌r co-cheangailte ri 貌rain nan Gaidheal. Deagh dh矛leab no droch dh矛leab a r猫ir do sheallaidh fh猫in. B鈥� ise Marsaili Cheanadach-Fhriseal, Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, no, mar a bh鈥� aithne do mh貌ran air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd i, Marsaili nan 脪ran.

Bhiodh Marsaili tric a鈥� nochdadh air an 脿rd-霉rlar ann an Lunnainn, agus dh鈥檌nnis i don luchd-amharc anns a鈥� bhaile sin turas mu dheidhinn na thachair dhi air an l脿 sin ann am Barraigh, agus mar a sheinn r貌n dhi. Rinn an iris aoireil Punch fealla-dh脿 mun ch霉is, agus iad a鈥� cur adhart a鈥� bheachd gum bu ch貌ir don Chompanaidh Opera N脿iseanta an r貌n a ghlacadh is a chur air an 脿rd-霉rlar an 脿ite a鈥� phrima donna a bh鈥� aca, leis gum biodh e fada na bu shaoire dhaibh!

Bha Marsaili uabhasach measail air Barraigh agus na Barraich. Chruinnich i t貌rr 貌ran anns an eilean, leithid bho Anna NicIain ann am B脿gh a鈥� Chaisteil agus bhon 鈥楳rs Mackinnon鈥� mar a bh鈥� aice fh猫in oirre, no Bean Shomhairle Bhig, mar a b鈥� aithne do mhuinntir an 脿ite i, anns a鈥� Bh脿gh a Tuath. Chaidh i timcheall gu taighean nan daoine, ag iarraidh orra 貌rain a ghabhail dhi agus, eadar peansail is p脿ipear, agus inneal-cl脿raidh air an robh graphophone, rinn i cl脿r de dh鈥櫭瞨ain gu le貌r.

Ach cha b鈥� e Barraigh a鈥� chiad eilean anns na h-Eileanan an Iar dhan deach Marsaili. Th貌isich i air a鈥� chruinneachadh a rinn ainmeil i ann an eilean eile beagan gu tuath air Barraidh 鈥� Eirisgeigh. Bho chaidh i an sin ann an naoi-deug 鈥檚 a c貌ig (1905) gus an do chaochail i ann an naoi-deug is trithead (1930), bha Marsaili gu m貌r an s脿s ann an cruinneachadh, agus 鈥檚 d貌cha ath-chruthachadh, 貌rain nan Gaidheal. Anns na litrichean romhainn bheir sinn s霉il air a beatha.

Faclan na seachdaine: tiotan: a moment; gainmheach: sand; peathraichean: sisters; bana-chompanach: female companion; faoileagan: seagulls; gun teagamh: without doubt; 脿rd-霉rlar: stage; Lunnainn: London; inneal-cl脿raidh: recording device.

Abairtean na seachdaine: 鈥檚 e eilean br猫agha a th鈥� ann: it鈥檚 a beautiful island; leis gu bheil an l脿 脿lainn: because the day is beautiful; tha X ag iarraidh air an t猫 eile 貌ran a ghabhail: X wants the other [female] one to sing a song; grunn r貌n air sgeirean: a group of seals on sea-rocks; a tha gam blianadh fh猫in: which are sunning themselves; a bha be貌 ann an riochd boireannaich: which was living in the form of a woman; tha na boireannaich eile ag aontachadh rithe: the other women agree with her; deach dh矛leab no droch dh矛leab: a good legacy or a bad legacy; a r猫ir do sheallaidh fh猫in: according to your own view; rinn an iris aoireil Punch fealla-dh脿 mun ch霉is: the satirical magazine Punch made fun of the matter; leis gum biodh e fada na bu shaoire: that it would be much cheaper; anns a鈥� Bh脿gh a Tuath: in Northbay; th貌isich i air a鈥� chruinneachadh a rinn ainmeil i: she started on the collecting that made her famous; gus an do chaochail i: until she died; agus 鈥檚 d貌cha ath-chruthachadh: and perhaps re-invention; bheir sinn s霉il air a beatha: we will look at her life.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: tha mi airson 鈥檚 gun smaoinich sibh air Eilean Bharraigh: I want you to think about the Isle of Barra. Notice here the use of the Gaelic preposition air which is normally translated as 鈥渙n鈥� but is here equivalent to the English 鈥渁bout鈥�, which is itself often a translation of the Gaelic mu dheidhinn. You might have said 鈥渢ha mi airson 鈥檚 gun smaoinich sibh mu dheidhinn Eilean Bharraigh鈥� and you would not have been wrong, but it would be an unnecessary complication. Here is another example: sgr矛obh mi litir thuice air an dearbh ghnothach (I wrote a letter to her about the very matter). A common example where both 鈥渙n鈥� and 鈥渁bout鈥� occur in the English version is the expression c貌 air a tha thu a-mach? (what are you on about?). And, of course, the grammatical gymnasts among you will realise that 鈥業 read a book about a bus鈥� would be leugh mi leabhar air bus which might simply that you were on a bus, reading a book about (let us say) quantum physics. In this instance, you might well say leugh mi leabhar mu dheidhinn bus, in order to avoid ambiguity

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: mar a b鈥� aithne do mh貌ran air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd i: as many in the Gaidhealtachd knew (recognised) her. Mar a b鈥� aithne do/dha X Y: as X knew/recognised Y.