麻豆约拍

Hal貌 agus f脿ilte oirbh. Tha sinn air rudeigin de chlach-mh矛le a ruigsinn an t-seachdain-sa. 鈥橲 i seo a鈥� cheudamh Litir bho th貌isich am pr貌gram o chionn d脿 bhliadhna, agus bu mhath leam taing mh貌r a thoirt don a h-uile duine a th鈥� air sgr矛obhadh thugam thairis air an 霉ine sin.

Chleachd mi am facal clach-mh矛le ann a sin. Thuirt mi clach-mh矛le, seach clach-m矛le. An urrainn dhuibh innse dhomh carson? Uill, 鈥檚 e is coireach gu bheil am facal clach boireann. Mar sin, tha am facal m矛le air a sh猫imheachadh, mar a bhios sinn a鈥� s猫imheachadh buadhair as d猫idh ainmear boireann. Clach mh貌r, clach bh脿n is mar sin air adhart.

Ch矛 sibh an aon se貌rsa rud ann am faclan eile, leithid clach-bhleith, neo grindstone, agus clach-bhr脿than neo quernstone. Chan eil fhios a鈥檓 cia mheud agaibh a bhios e貌lach air br脿 鈥� chan eil a leithid cumanta an-diugh ann, ach ann an taighean-tasgaidh, 鈥檚 d貌cha. Dh鈥檉hairich mi t猫 turas a bha mi ann an taigh ann am baile beag anns na beanntan ann an Nepal. Tha mi ag r脿dh gun do dh鈥檉hairich mi i air sg脿th 鈥檚 gur i a dh霉isg mi mu ch貌ig uairean sa mhadainn, agus solas an latha fhathast gun tighinn.

B鈥� iad dithis pheathraichean a bha a鈥� d猫anamh na h-obrach. Chuir iad s矛l arbhair-Innseanaich a-steach don toll anns a鈥� chloich uachdaraich, ris an canar s霉il na br脿than, agus thionndaidh iad a鈥� chlach sin. Uill, abair fuaim. B鈥� e sin deireadh ar cadail airson na h-oidhche! Ach, ged a bha mi sg矛th, cha robh am fuaim buileach gun tlachd. Bha na nigheanan a鈥� seinn cuideachd 鈥� 貌rain-obrach 鈥� d矛reach mar a bhiodh na Gaidheil o shean nuair a chleachdadh iad a鈥� bhr脿.

An cuala sibh a-riamh am facal clach-chinn? Chan e ceann-cloiche 鈥� 鈥檚 e rud eadar-dhealaichte a tha sin! 鈥橲 e clach-chinn rud a ch矛 sibh ann an cladh, a鈥� comharrachadh uaigh. Cluinnidh sibh cuideachd clach-uaighe. Anns an t-seann aimsir, bha m貌ran de chlachan-uaighe na Gaidhealtachd nan laighe air an talamh, seach a鈥� stobadh an 脿irde mar a tha iad an-diugh. Agus, ma th猫id sibh gu seann chladh, ch矛 sibh feadhainn ann fhathast. 鈥橲 ann tric a tha iad c貌mhdaichte le c貌inneach.

Agus tha sin gam thoirt gu seanfhacal anns a bheil am facal clach. 鈥橲 d貌cha gum bi sibh air thoiseach orm is gu bheil fios agaibh mar-th脿 air na tha mi a鈥� dol a r脿dh. Tha seanfhacal car coltach ris anns cha mh貌r a h-uile c脿nan anns an Roinn E貌rpa, a r猫ir choltais. Seo e ann am Frangais 鈥� la pierre qui roule n鈥檃masse pas de mousse. Ann am Beurla, bidh sibh e貌lach air 鈥� a rolling stone gathers no moss. Agus ann an G脿idhlig - a鈥� chlach a thionndaidhear tric, cha tig c貌inneach oirre. A鈥� chlach a thionndaidhear tric, cha tig c貌inneach oirre.

Uill, leis an fh矛rinn innse, tha d脿 dhreach air an t-seanfhacal. Cluinnidh sibh cuideachd 鈥� cha chinn c貌inneach air clach an udalain 鈥� moss does not grow on an oft-turned stone. 鈥橲 e udalan rud a thionndaidheas bho thaobh gu taobh 鈥� swivel neo hinge neo a leithid. Cha chinn c貌inneach air clach an udalain. Ach, ma chanas sibh sin, cuimhnichibh gu bheil 鈥渙鈥� fada ann an c貌inneach neo 鈥檚 d貌cha gun can sibh rudeigin nach eil buileach iomchaidh!

Faclan na seachdaine: clach-mh矛le: milestone; br脿: quern; cumanta: common; taighean-tasgaidh: museums; 貌rain-obrach: work songs; clach-chinn, clach-uaighe: headstone, gravestone; cladh: cemetery; udalan: swivel, hinge, something that turns or rotates.

Abairtean na seachdaine: a鈥� cheudamh Litir: the hundredth Litir; tha X air a sh猫imheachadh: X is lenited (aspirated); mar a bhios sinn a鈥� s猫imheachadh buadhair as d猫idh ainmear boireann: as we lenite an adjective after a feminine noun; b鈥� iad dithis pheathraichean a bha a鈥� d猫anamh na h-obrach: it was two sisters that were doing the work; chuir iad s矛l arbhair Innseanaich a-steach don toll anns a鈥� chloich uachdaraich: they put maize seed into the hole in the upper stone (of the quern); b鈥� e sin deireadh ar cadail airson na h-oidhche: that was the end of our sleep for the night; cha robh am fuaim buileach gun tlachd: the noise was not entirely without pleasure; seach a鈥� stobadh an 脿irde mar a tha iad an-diugh: rather than standing upright as they do today; 鈥檚 ann tric a tha iad c貌mhdaichte le c貌inneach: it is often they are covered with moss; tha d脿 dhreach air an t-seanfhacal: the proverb exists in two forms; cuimhnicibh gu bheil 鈥渙鈥� fada ann an c貌inneach: remember that c貌inneach has a long 鈥渙鈥�; gun can sibh rudeigin nach eil buileach iomchaidh: you might say something that is not altogether appropriate (if you don鈥檛 make the 鈥渙鈥� long in 鈥渃貌inneach鈥�, you end up with 鈥淐oinneach鈥�, the Gaelic equivalent of Kenneth!)

Puing ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Firstly, answers to the three questions I posed last week. This stone fell on the children: thuit a鈥� chlach seo air a鈥� chloinn. Put the cup on the stone: cuir an cupa air a鈥� chloich. I am looking for my wife: Tha mi a鈥� sireadh mo mhn脿/tha mi a鈥� coimhead airson mo mhn脿. Now, in this week鈥檚 Litir, you may have noticed that I said 鈥渄h鈥檉hairich mi鈥� when I meant that I heard the sound of the quernstone at work, rather than 鈥渃huala mi鈥�. This is a common expression for hearing something for which you are not necessarily listening. So, you may well be asked, 鈥渁n d鈥檉hairich thu a鈥� chuthag fhathast am-bliadhna?鈥� (have you heard the cuckoo yet this year?). You might say, 鈥渃huala mi air a r猫idio thu鈥� (you were actively listening to the radio) but 鈥渄h鈥檉hairich mi an spreadhadh鈥� (I heard the explosion 鈥� which suddenly happened out of the blue). In the last case, one might be pushed to translate it simply as 鈥淚 heard the explosion鈥� because the speaker might have meant 鈥淚 sensed鈥︹�� or 鈥淚 felt the explosion鈥�. In all of these, faireachdainn is the most appropriate Gaelic verb. Why not ask somebody today if they have heard the cuckoo yet this year?

Seanfhaclan na seachdaine: a鈥� chlach a thionndaidhear tric, cha tig c貌inneach oirre. Cha chinn c貌inneach air clach an udalain. Both of these proverbs are direct equivalents of the English 鈥渁 rolling stone gathers no moss.鈥�