麻豆约拍

Bha an oidhche dubh dorch. Bha i stoirmeil agus bha mi nam leabaidh, ag 猫isteachd ri fuaim na gaoithe taobh a-muigh na h-uinneig. Gu h-obann, chuala mi fuaim annasach. Bha cuideigin a鈥� coiseachd taobh a-muigh an taighe. Cha chuala mi rud sam bith ach cnacail. Bha d脿 bhr貌ig a鈥� gabhail ceum air an rathad. Bha iad a鈥� tighinn a dh鈥檌onnsaigh an dorais mh貌ir. Agus ghabh mi eagal mo bheatha.

Bha an taigh agam air cliathaich chnuic, p矛os beag air falbh o na taighean eile. A鈥� coimhead a-mach air an uinneig, air oidhche mar sin, chan fhaicinn ach dorchadas. Dorchadas a鈥� mhonaidh. Ach cha deach mi faisg air an uinneig. Bha an t-eagal m貌r orm agus bha mo chridhe a鈥� frith-bhualadh mar chudaig ann am mias.

鈥橲 e baile croitearachd a bh鈥檃nn, agus bho sheachdainn gu seachdainn is bho bhliadhna gu bliadhna cha do thachair m貌ran a chuireadh eagal air duine sam bith. Agus, mar bu trice, nan robh fear a鈥� coiseachd anns an dorchadas taobh a-muigh an taighe, bhithinn air a dhol a-mach airson bruidhinn ris. Ach bha an oidhche seo eadar-dhealaichte.

鈥橲 e leabhar a bu choireach airson sin. Bha mi a鈥� leughadh leabhar. Bha mo bhean air a dhol a-mach a dh鈥檕bair agus bhiodh e greis fhathast mus biodh i air ais, anns a鈥� ch脿r. Bha mi nam aonar anns a鈥� leabaidh, a鈥� leughadh leabhar 鈥� mu dheidhinn taibhs. 鈥橲 e mearachd mh貌r a bha sin!

B鈥檈 cuspair an leabhair an taibhs ainmeil ris an canar 鈥淎m Fear Liath M貌r鈥�, taibhs a bha a鈥� fuireach air a鈥� bheinn as 脿irde anns a鈥� Mhonadh Ruadh, an darna beinn as 脿irde ann an Alba 鈥� Beinn Mac Duibh. B鈥檈 an sreapadair Tormod Collie a thug am Fear Liath M貌r gu aire a鈥� mh貌r-shluaigh an toiseach. Bha Collie na phroifeasair ann an Oilthigh Lunnainn agus bha e cuideachd na shreapadair uabhasach math. Aig coinneamh de Chlub a鈥� Mhonaidh Ruaidh ann an Obair Dheathain ann an naoi ceud deug is coig ar fhichead (1925), dh鈥檃idich e gun do ghabh e eagal a bheatha air Beinn Mac Duibh bliadhnaichean roimhe sin, ann an ochd ceud deug, ceithir fichead 鈥檚 a h-aon deug (1891).

Bha e na aonar a鈥� tilleadh bho mhullach na beinne air latha ce貌thach nuair a chuala e fuaim annasach. Airson gach tri neo ceithir ceumannan a ghabhadh esan, bhiodh aona bhrag mh貌r ann air a鈥� ch霉laibh, mar gu robh cas mh貌r mh貌r a鈥� bualadh na talmhainn. Bha Collie a鈥� smaoineachadh gur e famhair a bh鈥檃nn. Choimhead e, ach chan fhac鈥� e rud sam bith. Ach chum am fuaim a dol. Mu dheireadh, ghabh e eagal cho m貌r 鈥檚 gun do ruith e s矛os a鈥� bheinn airson ceithir neo c貌ig m矛le gun stad gus an do r脿inig e a鈥� choille.

Tha m貌ran eile ann a bharrachd air Collie, a tha ag r脿dh gum fac鈥� iad, neo gun cuala iad, am Fear Liath M貌r. Thuirt aona bhoireannach gun do bhruidhinn e rithe 鈥� ann an G脿idhlig. Gu mi-fhortanach cha robh G脿idhlig aice, is cha do thuig i e!

Bha beachd aig muinntir an 脿ite c貌 bh鈥檃nn anns an Fhear Liath Mh貌r 鈥� agus innsidh mi sin dhuibh ann an litir eile. Ach 鈥� co-dhi霉 鈥� 鈥檚 e sin an stuth a bha mi a鈥� leughadh nuair a chuala mi duine a鈥� coiseachd taobh a-muigh na h-uinneig air an oidhche dhorch stoirmeil a bha sin. An uairsin chuala mi an doras m貌r a鈥� fosgladh agus thuig mi nach e taibhs a bh鈥檃nn idir, ach mo bhean. Bha i air tilleadh dhachaigh trath, ach as aonais a鈥� ch脿ir. T猫 dhonn bheag an 脿ite Fear Liath M貌r, agus bha mi gu math taingeil!

cnacail:聽a crackling sound; dorchadas: darkness; taibhs: ghost;聽mearachd: mistake; am Monadh Ruadh: the Cairngorms; sreapadair (also streapadair): climber; ce貌thach: misty; brag: sharp sound; famhair: giant; taingeil: grateful.

a dh'ionnsaigh an dorais mh貌ir: towards the front door; cliathaich chnuic: the side of a hill; eagal mo bheatha: great fear, the fright of my life; a bu choireach airson: responsible for (past tense); nam aonar, na aonar: by myself, by himself; ris an canar: who is called; gu aire a. mh貌r-shluaigh: to the attention of the populace; t猫 dhonn bheag: a small brown-haired female.

Bha d脿 bhr貌ig a' gabhail ceum air an rathad (two shoes were taking steps on the road). D脿 changes the following noun in two ways -聽it lenites it,聽and it also puts it into the dative singular case (cf English which pluralises the noun). The dative case, by the way, is the one used with simple prepositions such as聽aig and air. This is simple with masculine words eg d脿 bh貌rd, d脿 ch霉. But feminine words are slenderised in the dative singular, so we get air an uinneig, (not air an uinneag), ris a. ghealaich (not ris a. ghealach) and air an l脿imh (not air an l脿mh). Thus two shoes is d脿 bhr貌ig (not d脿 bhr貌g). Similarly, mo dh脿 l脿imh (my two hands). Learners should note, however, that the dative case in Gaelic has suffered over the last few decades and that many speakers today no longer follow this "rule." The dative plural has disappeared entirely and is only encountered in song and poetry; we shall consider this at a later date. Perhaps the salient lesson in this exercise is that you need to know the gender of nouns!

Bha mo chridhe a' frith-bhualadh mar chudaig ann am mias聽(my heart was palpitating like a cuddy in a basin). Think of a tiny, newly caught fish (a cuddy, which is a young saithe) flapping around in a basin which has little or no water in it, and you get a picture of the rapid but ineffectual palpitations of the author's heart! Cridhe is lenited because it is preceded by mo. You may have come across cudaig in the Runrig song聽 "Rubh' nan Cudaigean" (Cuddy Point) -聽"'S goilidh sinn na bairnich 's an taigh air Rubh' nan Cudaigean - we (will) boil the limpets in the house at Cuddy Point. It sounds distinctly better in Gaelic!