麻豆约拍

Anns an Litir mu dheireadh, dh鈥檌nnis mi dhuibh a鈥� chiad ph脿irt de sgeulachd mu 鈥渟guad Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais鈥� 鈥� am p脿irt nuair a bha am bodachan beag a鈥� toirt taic don chroitear, Donnchadh, le bhith a鈥� treabhadh na talmhainn. Mus innis mi an c貌rr, tha mi airson seanfhacal a chur nur cuimhne 鈥� cuideachd bhon t-seachdain 鈥檚 a chaidh 鈥� 鈥淣uair as teinne an taod, 鈥檚 ann as dualtaiche dha bhriseadh鈥�.

Co-dhi霉, bha Donnchadh aig mullach cnuic, a鈥� toirt s霉il air a鈥� bhaile aige. Bha an t-arbhar deiseil ri bhuain agus thuirt Donnchadh ris fh猫in, 鈥溾�橲 truagh nach robh e a-m脿ireach air a bhuain agus ann an adagan buidhe.鈥� Dh鈥檉halbh e s矛os a-rithist, agus e deiseil airson a dhol a-mach ga bhuain air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach.

Ach, nuair a choimhead e a-mach air an uinneig aige a鈥� chiad char anns a鈥� mhadainn air an l脿rna-mh脿ireach, bha an t-arbhar air a bhuain mar-th脿, agus ann an adagan buidhe air feadh a鈥� bhaile. 鈥橲 e Donnchadh a bha toilichte.

Beagan l脿ithean an d猫idh sin, nuair a th貌isich e air na h-adagan a thoirt a-staigh, nochd am bodachan beag ri thaobh. Bha taod aige a bha mu aitheamh a dh鈥檉haide 鈥� sin mu shia troighean, neo d脿 mheatair. Chuimhnich Donnchadh na thuirt am bodach beag as t-earrach nuair a thug e taic dha leis an treabhadh. Bha e ag iarraidh duais airson na h-obrach 鈥� aon ghad guailne dhen arbhar. Cha bhi m貌ran ann a sin, agus am bodach cho beag, shaoil Donnchadh ris fh猫in.

鈥淐脿it鈥� an d猫an mi m鈥� eallach?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich am bodachan.

鈥淎nn a sin,鈥� fhreagair Donnchadh. Chomharraich e 脿ite c貌mhnard tioram aig oir p脿irce. Chuir an duine beag an taod aige s矛os agus th貌isich e air adagan a ch脿rnadh air. Chaidh fichead adag air, an uairsin d脿 fhichead agus cha robh guth air stad. Chum am bodachan a dol, a鈥� cur adagan air an r貌p. Bha Donnchadh a鈥� gabhail eagal gun cailleadh e a h-uile but dhen arbhar aige.

Mu dheireadh, dh鈥� 猫igh e:

Dihaoine a threabh mi,

Dihaoine a chuir mi

Dihaoine a chliath mi.

A R矛gh nan tr矛 aoineachan,

Na leig mo chuid uile

Ann an aon ghad guailne!

Bha an duine beag a鈥� cur an eallaich air a dhruim ach dh鈥櫭╥st e ri faclan Dhonnchaidh. Thuirt e, 鈥淣uair as teinne an gad guailne, 鈥檚 ann as dualtaiche dha bhriseadh.鈥�

Cho luath 鈥檚 a thuirt e sin, bhris an r貌p, chaidh na h-adagan air ais do na h-脿iteachan 脿s an t脿inig iad anns na p脿ircean, agus chaidh an duine beag 脿 fianais. Chan fhacas a-rithist e bhon uairsin ann an Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais.

Airson cr矛och a chur air an Litir an t-seachdain-sa, seo agaibh st貌iridh beag. Bha balach a bha seo a鈥� coiseachd s矛os an t-sr脿id taobh a-muigh eaglais nuair a chunnaic e rudeigin cruinn gleansach air a鈥� chabhsair. Stad e, chrom e s矛os agus thog e an rud. 鈥橲 e bonn-nota a bh鈥� ann.

Aig an dearbh 脿m, th脿inig Ministear a-mach 脿s an eaglais. 鈥淒猫 lorg thu, a Sheumais?鈥� dh鈥檉haighnich e. Bha e e貌lach air a鈥� bhalach.

鈥淎irgead,鈥� fhreagair Seumas. 鈥淏onn-nota.鈥�

鈥淥, seadh,鈥� thuirt am Ministear, 鈥渁gus a bheil thu a鈥� dol ga chumail? Hmm?鈥�

Choimhead am balach air a鈥� mhinistear. 鈥淐han eil, chan eil,鈥� fhreagair e. 鈥淐han eil idir.鈥�

鈥淥, is math sin,鈥� thuirt am Ministear. 鈥淐han eil m貌ran dhe do leithid ann an latha an-diugh.鈥�

鈥淪eadh,鈥� thuirt am balach. 鈥淐han eil mi a鈥� dol ga chumail idir. Tha mi a鈥� dol ga chosg!鈥� Agus dh鈥檉halbh e a dh鈥檌onnsaigh na b霉tha!

toit: smoke; similear: chimney; neul: cloud; teadhair: a rope, halter, tether; Ach nan Seileach: Achnashellach; Loch Carrann: Lochcarron; cas-chrom: the old foot-plough of the Gael. (It lit. means 鈥渃rooked spade鈥� but is always referred to by its Gaelic name, even in English); gualann: shoulder; sgr矛ob: furrow made by a cas-chrom; am put fuaraidh: the first sod turned by a cas-chrom at the beginning of a 鈥渟gr矛ob鈥�; priobadh-s霉la: a blinking of an eye; 猫asgaidh: enthusiastic, zealous; ag 猫igheachd: shouting; duais: reward; dh矛rich e: he climbed.

cha b鈥� urrainn dhomh dhol as 脿icheadh sin: I couldn鈥檛 deny that; a tha aithnichte don mh貌r-shluagh: which is known to the population; nan robh obair mh貌r aig X ri dh猫anamh: if X had to do a lot of work; is truagh nach eil sguad Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais againn: it鈥檚 a pity we don鈥檛 have the Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais squad; bha e a鈥� treabhadh na talmhainn aige: he was ploughing his land; gum b鈥� fhe脿rr leis gu robh an obair d猫ante: that he wished the work were done; airson cobhair a dh猫anamh ort: to help you; is mi a tha taingeil d鈥檉haicinn: lit. it鈥檚 me that is pleased to see you; cha b鈥� fhada gus an robh an obair cr矛ochnaichte: it wasn鈥檛 long before the work was finished; a bh鈥� air 霉r-threabhadh: that was newly ploughed; aon ghad guailne dhen arbhar: the amount of corn that can be carried on a person鈥檚 shoulder; cha mh貌r ghabhas sin: that won鈥檛 take much; 鈥檚 iad cnuic na h-脿iteachan as fhe脿rr leis na s矛thichean: smallish hills are the places the fairies like best.

Puing ghr脿mair na seachdaine: A R矛gh nan tr矛 aoineachan: O King of the three Fridays. You will already have noticed that four of the seven days of the week bear names with cognates in many other European languages (see Litir 88, 02.02.01). But the other three 鈥� Diciadain (Wednesday), Diardaoin (Thursday) and Dihaoine (Friday) 鈥� would be fairly obscure except to speakers of the other Gaelic languages. The element 鈥渁oine鈥� is an old word meaning a 鈥渇ast鈥� and Friday was known anciently as 鈥淎oine鈥�. The element Di- derived from Latin dies, meaning day, became adfixed, as it did with all the days of the week. So Dihaoine means 鈥渇ast-day鈥�. Wednesday also became a fast day and it was the first such of the week, so it was 鈥淎鈥� chiad aoine鈥� 鈥� the first fast. Until recent revision of Gaelic spelling in Scotland, it was still spelled 鈥淒iciadaoin鈥�, showing more clearly its

origin. So the day in between the fast-days was 鈥淒i-eadar-d脿-aoine鈥� which became contracted to 鈥淒iardaoin鈥� (although in parts of Argyll they say 鈥淒idaoirn鈥�). The traditional Gaelic for Good Friday is Aoine na Ceusta or Dihaoine na Ceusta (lit. Friday of the Crucifixion).

A鈥� chiad char anns a鈥� mhadainn: first thing in the morning.