Aislinn

 

Cuid d’amhrán a leagtar ar Eóghan Ó Donnghaile, Ard Macha (?), floruit 1680-1690 (?)… agus tuigim dó.

 




Aisling na Binne Buirbe    (ie. Benburb)

 Tuirseach dhamh (dom) ag éirghe lae

San mBinn Bhuirb mo ghné do mhill:

Aisling oíche do-chonnairc mé—

Táim dá héis go tréathlag tinn.   (ina dhiaidh)

 

An aoinbhean dob áille gné  (do ba)

Do-chonnairc mé – miste dhúinn—  (a matter of importance)

Ar bhruach inbhir na n-éigne mbán    (bradán)

Ag ní a lámh ‘s ag cornadh a cúil.

 

Folt dualach coinnleach cam

Gach lúb ann an lí an óir:

Gruaidh lí-gheal ó ndeallrann grian  (from which sun shines)

Do chlóidh mo chiall – fáth mo bhróin.

 

Dhá rosc shuaimhneach shíthe sháimh

mar ghorm-oighre ag snámh ré taobh  (taobh leis)

mailghe caol-chama nach léir

mar scríbh ghéir ar mheanram mhaoth.

 

Déad dlúth fá dheas-eagra

Cíocha ganna cruinn-gheal corr,

A bél tana nár char meang  (didn’r love)

A taobh seang tuinn-gheal trom,

 

Brat uaine dem tsról maoth-lag

‘ma taobh seaghainn sneachtaí  seang:  (uma: around, by)

Fa lór de uamhan a fhéachain   (ba)

Ó gach dealbh n-uathmhair mbeathach ann.  (due to every terrible animal embroidered there)

 

Ceinnbheirt ‘s ní féidir a dhéanamh

‘ma céibh n-alainn ndualaigh nduinn:

Fa lór de shoillse i mbrugh dhorcha

Lonnradh a cloch  corr-ghlan cruinn  (jewel(

 

(...Labhrann leí agus deireann sise leis

 

“Faoileann Tuinne m’ainm báistidh

Do-bheir gaiscigh i ndíth céille:  (tugann)

Borb na Binne m’athair-se,

‘s í mo mhathair Dealradh Gréne.

 

“Bím seal san mBinn Bhuirbse,

I Síth Dhuilbh ‘s i mBinn Eadair:

I nDún Lir do-gheibhinn fáilte

Is bím lá in Inbhear Scéine...

 


(Innsíonn dó nach mbeidh sí ag aon duine ach an té a chomhlíonadh an geas a chuirfadh sí air:

 

“Codladh ar corr gach líosa,  (summit)

Gan cliseadh re sluaghaibh diamhra:   (Ie lucht sí)

De bhiadh fós uisce is caora   (Elderberries)

Gach n-oíche go ceann bliadhna.”

 

Agus mar sin de,

(Leor nod do’n eolach: tá sé fós ar a tóir.)

 (d. 58-60, Nua-Dhuanaire, Cuid 1  (de Brún, Pádraig, Breanndán Ó Buachalla, Tomás Ó Concheanainn, Dublin Institite for Advanced Studies, 1975)

 

 


 

Apropos of nothing, some idioms from West Cork, from Peadar Ó Laoire’s book of idioms originally printed in the Cork Examiner long ago

Carbal, the roof of the mouth; the palate.

 Cás. 'Níor chás duit! lit., it would not be a matter for

you.  The meaning is, "What a chance you would

have of doing that!"  Níor chás leat, it wouldn't

be a matter of regret with you.

 

I gcás nár rud suarach é.  The phrase i gcás is

very common in Irish speech.  It generally introduces

the ultimate conclusion to which a series of state-

ments leads up.  An English speaker would say:

"and so you see that," etc.

 

Cas liom é.  Mura gcuiread-sa smacht air sin cas liom é.

If I don't tame that fellow reproach me with the fact.

 

The full expression is cas i n-asachán liom é.  People

sometimes say, in English, "they are returning it

to me."

 

Cáth, the hard shell which covers a grain of corn.  Lóchán

is the soft shell which covers the hard shell (Sg. II. 8).

 

Cath, battle.  C. do bhriseadh ar an namhaid, to defeat the

enemy.  Cath also means "a battalion," hence the

inner meaning of the preceding phrase is "break

formation" consequently "defeat."

 

<L 18>

Cáthadh, the act of winnowing corn.  It is also used to

express the blowing of snow into drifts by the wind;

lá an cháithte, the day of the drifting.  An bhfuil sé

ag sneachtadh?  Is it snowing?  Ní'l, ach tá sé ag

cáthadh.  No, but it is drifting.  The name of one of

the small particles of snow is cáithnín sneachtaidh.

(A large flake is known as lúbhóg sneachtaidh.)

 

The same word cáthadh is applied to cursing and

swearing when indulged in with rapidity.  Ag cáthadh

dhiairmíní, spitting out showers of "little divils"

— having a "divil" at every second word.  Ag

cáthadh mhionna mór, the same in regard to "big"








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