麻豆约拍

Bha mi aig fuaran anns an Eilean Dubh uaireigin, fuaran a tha p矛os beag air falbh on rathad, ach a bha uaireigin ainmeil air feadh na sg矛re. Nuair a r脿inig mi e, chunnaic mi li霉dhag bheag ri thaobh, le rudan ceangailte rithe. Tha e coltach gu robh cuideigin air a cur ann a dh鈥檃ona-ghnothach. 鈥橲 d貌cha gu robh iad a鈥� creidsinn, mar a bha m貌ran o shean, gun tigeadh leigheas air an duine a bh鈥� air a riochdachadh leis an li霉dhaig nan robh e tinn. No an robh creideamh na bu doilleire co-cheangailte rithe?

O shean bha cleachdadh ann, anns am biodh daoine a鈥� d猫anamh corp cr猫adha, 鈥檚 e sin n脿dar de li霉dhag a bh鈥� air a d猫anamh le cr猫adh. Bha an corp a鈥� riochdachadh cuideigin. Bhiodh daoine le droch r霉n a鈥� stobadh pr矛nichean a-steach don chorp agus bheireadh sin droch shl脿inte don duine a bha an corp a鈥� riochdachadh. Bhathar a鈥� creidsinn gum b鈥� urrainn cuideigin a mharbhadh anns an d貌igh sin. 鈥橲 ann tric a bhiodh corp cr猫adha air fh脿gail ann an allt, agus tha uillt fhathast ann air a bheil Allt nan Corp mar ainm air sg脿th sin.

Tha sgeulachd agam mu dheidhinn cleachdadh a鈥� chuirp chr猫adha anns an eilean far an robh sinn an t-seachdain sa chaidh 鈥� Di霉ra. Bha fear ann uaireigin, Caimbeulach a bha na bh脿illidh don eilean, ged a bha e a鈥� fuireach air t矛r-m貌r. Chanadh daoine 鈥渁m b脿illidh m貌r鈥� ris. Nuair a th脿inig e air t矛r turas ann an Di霉ra, thachair ban-fhiosaiche ris agus thug i rabhadh dha. Dh鈥檉heumadh e dhol don Chnoc Chrom cho luath 鈥檚 a b鈥� urrainn dha, oir bha cuideigin ann a sin ag obair na aghaidh le corp cr猫adha. Thuirt i ris d猫anamh air a鈥� chiad sholas a chitheadh e nuair a ruigeadh an Cnoc Crom.

Dh鈥檉halbh am b脿illidh agus fear-taic aige na chois. Ach, nuair a fhuair iad faisg air a鈥� Chnoc Chrom, th貌isich casan a鈥� bh脿illidh air f脿s fann. As d猫idh greis, cha b鈥� urrainn dha coiseachd, agus b鈥� fheudar don duine eile a ghiulain air a dhruim. Ach dh鈥檉has e na bu mhiosa agus bha eagal air an duine eile gu robh am b脿illidh a鈥� dol a bh脿sachadh.

鈥淐ha d猫an seo feum,鈥� thuirt e, agus chuir e am b脿illidh s矛os air leac faisg air a鈥� Chnoc Chrom. Ruith e a dh鈥檌onnsaigh nan taighean agus chaidh e don fhear a b鈥� fhaisge, anns an robh solas. Choimhead e a-steach agus chunnaic e tri霉ir bhoireannach, is t猫 aca a鈥� cur pr矛nichean a-steach do chorp cr猫adha. Dh鈥櫭╥gh an duine rudeigin 鈥� innsidh mi dhuibh ann an tiotan d猫 bh鈥� ann 鈥� agus thuig na boireannaich gu robh an taigh na theine. Ruith iad a-mach airson an s脿bhaladh fh猫in agus, aig an aon 脿m, ruith an duine a-steach. Thilg e an corp cr猫adha air an l脿r agus phronn e fo chois e gus nach robh c脿il air fh脿gail dheth. Agus nuair a thill e don bh脿illidh mh貌r, bha am fear eile air 猫irigh bhon lic far an robh e. Bha e sl脿n fallain a-rithist.

Agus d猫 dh鈥櫭╥gh an duine? Uill, a reir beul-aithris ann an Di霉ra, dh鈥櫭╥gh e, 鈥渢aigh na galla, taigh ri theine!鈥� Dh鈥檉haodadh tu sin a ghabhail ann an d脿 dh貌igh gu dearbh, is chan eil t猫 seach t猫 dhiubh uabhasach modhail, ach thathar a鈥� cumail a-mach gur e 鈥淭aigh na Galla鈥� a chanadh muinntir an 脿ite ris an taigh sin airson 霉ine mh貌ir as d猫idh l脿imh! No 鈥檚 d貌cha gu robh an sgeulaiche ri beagan sp貌rs leis an fhear a chruinnich an sgeulachd, is a chuir air p脿ipear i. B鈥� esan an t-Urramach Te脿rlach Robasdan.

Faclan na seachdaine: fuaran: well, spring; corp cr猫adha: clay body; droch r霉n: bad intentions; b脿illidh: factor; ban-fhiosaiche: prophetess, female fortune-teller; rabhadh: warning; fann: weak; leac: slab, flat rock; sgeulaiche: storyeller.

Abairtean na seachdaine: chunnaic mi li霉dhag bheag ri thaobh: I saw a small doll beside it (masc); gun tigeadh leigheas air an duine a bh鈥� air a riochdachadh leis an li霉dhaig: that the person represented by the doll would be healed; an robh creideamh na bu doilleire co-cheangailte rithe: was a darker belief linked to it (fem); a鈥� stobadh pr矛nichean a-steach: sticking pins in; gum b鈥� urrainn cuideigin a mharbhadh: that somebody could be killed; thuirt i ris d猫anamh air a鈥� chiad sholas a chitheadh e: she said to him to make for the first light he would see; agus am fear-taic aige na chois: and his assistant with him; b鈥� fheudar don duine eile a ghiulain air a dhruim: the other man had to carry him on his back; cha d猫an seo feum: this is no use; chunnaic e tri霉ir bhoireannach: he saw three women; ruith iad a-mach airson an s脿bhaladh fh猫in: they ran out to save themselves; bha am fear eile air 猫irigh bhon lic: the other man had arisen from the slab; dh鈥檉haodadh tu sin a ghabhail ann an d脿 dh貌igh: you could take that in two ways; chan eil t猫 seach t猫 dhiubh uabhasach modhail: neither is particularly polite.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Phronn e fo chois e: he crushed it under his foot. Can you analyse the sentence and tell me why cas (foot) appears as chois here? You should be able to do this (even if you need a dictionary for help) with any noun. Firstly, it is a feminine noun. Secondly it is in the dative singular case, following the simple preposition, fo. Feminine nouns slenderise in the dative singular. In the case of cas, it changes to cois. But it is his foot and the masculine third person singular possessive adjective, a (here not written because it is virtually elided in speech) lenites any lenitable consonant at the start of the noun, whatever case it is in. So cois changes to chois. From time to time, pick a noun at random in a piece of Gaelic prose and try to work out what case it is in, and explain any lenition or slenderisation of the form found in the dictionary (which is always the nominative singular). Such practices will help your understanding of Gaelic grammar.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Taigh na galla, taigh ri theine!: the house of the bitch, the house on fire! It was the taigh ri theine that would have got the women out of the house, but the first part would have made the shouter feel better. Although it literally means 鈥渢he house of the bitch鈥� and might have been a slight upon the owner, it is actually used as a Gaelic imprecation, somewhat equivalent to 鈥渄amn you!鈥�. A thaigh na galla leat!: to hell with you! You might hear somebody use galla in denouncing a machine that will not work, eg tractar na galla! (blasted tractor!). It is likely the Di霉raich had this as a little joke in which they could tell an inquisitive visitor (and perhaps even the Rev. Charles Robertson) that if they wanted to see where the corp cr猫adha was made, they could 鈥済o to Taigh na Galla!