麻豆约拍

An t-seachdain 鈥檚 a chaidh, thug mi an t貌imhseachan seo dhuibh:

Is 脿irde e na taigh an R矛gh

Is m矛ne e nan s矛oda

鈥橲 e toit a th鈥� ann 鈥� toit a tha 猫irigh gu h-脿rd bho shimilear. Ach, mar a thuirt mo nighean rium, tha freagairt eile ann 鈥� neul anns an adhar, agus cha b鈥� urrainn dhomh dhol as 脿icheadh sin

A bheil sibh e貌lach air an fhacal 鈥渢aod鈥�? Tha e a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渞貌p鈥� neo 鈥渢eadhair鈥� 鈥� r貌p a th鈥� air a chur gu feum airson beathach a cheangal ri rudeigin. Nochdaidh e tric ann an seanfhaclan, agus seo eisimpleir 鈥� Nuair as teinne an taod, 鈥檚 ann as dualtaiche dha bhriseadh.

Uaireannan bidh daoine a鈥� cur seanfhaclan an l霉ib sgeulachdan, neo cleachdaidh iad abairt ann an sgeulachd a tha car coltach ri seanfhacal a tha aithnichte don mh貌r-shluagh. Seo agaibh seann sgeulachd 脿 Ros an Iar a tha a鈥� d猫anamh sin. Anns an t-seann aimsir, nan robh obair mh貌r aig feadhainn ri dh猫anamh anns an sg矛re sin, is mura robh luchd-taic gu le貌r aca, chanadh iad 鈥渋s truagh nach eil sguad Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais againn鈥�. 鈥橲 e a bh鈥� ann an Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais clachan faisg air Loch D霉ghaill, eadar Ach nan Seileach agus Loch Carrann, agus seo mar a th脿inig an abairt sin gu bith.

Bha fear, air an robh Donnchadh mar ainm, uaireigin a鈥� fuireach ann an Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais. Latha a bha seo, bha e a鈥� treabhadh na talmhainn aige le cas-chrom. Thuirt e ris fh猫in gum b鈥� fhe脿rr leis gu robh an obair d猫ante. Cha mh貌r gu robh na faclan a-mach 脿s a鈥� bheul aige, nuair a nochd bodachan beag ri thaobh, le cas-chrom bheag air a ghualainn fh猫in. 鈥淭ha mi a鈥� tighinn airson cobhair a dh猫anamh ort, a Dhonnchaidh,鈥� thuirt e.

鈥淚s mi a tha taingeil d鈥檉haicinn,鈥� fhreagair Donnchadh.

Nuair a bhiodh sguad ag obair c貌mhla le casan-croma, bha e na chleachdadh gun t貌iseachadh am fear leis an robh am fearann gach sgr矛ob. Chanadh iad 鈥減ut鈥� ris an fh脿d a bhiodh a鈥� chas-chrom a鈥� tionndadh, agus bha facal s貌nraichte aca airson a鈥� chiad phut鈥� air gach sgr矛ob 鈥� 鈥渁m put fuaraidh鈥�. Bha aig Donnchadh ri gach put fuaraidh a dh猫anamh.

Cho luath 鈥檚 a bha e air a鈥� chiad phut fuaraidh a dh猫anamh, chaidh e air adhart don ath sgr矛ob, agus ghabh e iongnadh. Bha am bodachan beag air a sh脿il, deiseil airson an c貌rr dhen sgr矛ob a threabhadh. Bha e cho luath 鈥檚 gu robh e air a鈥� chiad sgr矛ob a chr矛ochnachadh ann am priobadh-s霉la. Agus bha e cianail fh猫in 猫asgaidh, ag 猫igheachd, 鈥淎m put fuaraidh, a Dhonnchaidh, am put fuaraidh鈥�, agus e deiseil airson na h-ath-sgr矛ob.

Chum gnothaichean a dol mar seo, le Donnchadh a鈥� t貌iseachadh gach sgr矛ob, agus am fear beag air a sh脿il, ag 猫igheachd, 鈥淎m put fuaraidh, a Dhonnchaidh, am put fuaraidh.鈥� Cha b鈥� fhada gus an

robh an obair cr矛ochnaichte. Choimhead Donnchadh air an achadh a bh鈥� air 霉r-threabhadh agus bha e cho sona ris an R矛gh. Dh鈥檉haighnich e dhen bhodachan gu d猫 an duais a bha e ag iarraidh airson a chuid obrach.

鈥淎on ghad guailne dhen arbhar,鈥� fhreagair an duine beag.

鈥淐ha mh貌r ghabhas sin,鈥� arsa Donnchadh, agus cha do smaoinich e c脿il e a bharrachd mu dheidhinn.

Chaidh an t-earrach is an samhradh seachad agus, latha a bha seo, dh矛rich Donnchadh cnoc airson sealladh fhaighinn dhen 脿ite. Mar a tha fios againn, 鈥檚 iad cnuic na h-脿iteachan as fhe脿rr leis na s矛thichean. Agus, an ath-sheachdain, innsidh mi dhuibh na thachair as t-fhoghar ann an Coill鈥� a鈥� Chaolais.

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.

Bha am bodachan beag air a sh脿il: the wee old man was at his heel. Can you tell the difference, when listening to Gaelic, between s脿il (a heel) and s脿l (the sea or salt water)? It is all to do with the very important Gaelic 鈥渓鈥漵 which I last mentioned in Litir 46 (07.04.00). When preceded by a narrow vowel, as in s脿il, the 鈥渓鈥� is slender (a little like 鈥渓ute鈥� in English); when preceded by a broad vowel as in s脿l, the 鈥渓鈥� is broad 鈥� a bit like the 鈥渓l鈥� in 鈥淥or Wullie鈥� as pronounced by a person from western central Scotland. Try these sounds with your Gaelic teacher or a fluent speaker. The complication comes from the fact that s脿l slenderises in the genitive case to either s脿il or s脿ile and that s脿il works in the opposite way 鈥� it changes to s脿l or s脿lach in the genitive! But if you understand how the grammar works, you should have no problems, as long as you remember that s脿il (heel) is a feminine noun and that s脿l (sea) is masculine. So we would say tha an t-s脿il m貌r (the heel is big) and tha an s脿l fuar (the sea is cold); meudachd na s脿l(ach) (the size of the heel) and coltas an t-s脿il(e) (the look of the sea). You will meet with the phrase 鈥渢har s脿ile鈥� (over sea) in poetry and song; the preposition thar takes the genitive case.

Nuair as teinne an taod, 鈥檚 ann as dualtaiche dha bhriseadh:聽when the rope is at its tightest, it is most likely to break.