Blair Collection > Collection of Gaelic proverbs and familiar phrases

389
Na ith siiil, no ùth, no àra, 's cha bhi galar cich gu bràtli ort.
Eat not eye, or wider, or liver, and thy breasts shall ail thee never.
Eathad Mhorinis do Chill-Fhinicliein.
Going by Morinish to Kilfinichen.
A round-about way. This is a Mull saying. A Tiree saying is,
' Eathad Hogh do Hoighnis ' ; a Coll saying, ' Rathad Feall do dh'
America'. An Ardnamurchan saying is, ' Kathad nam Mealla Ruadh
thun na Ranna,' or ' Cuartachadh Iain Ruaidh thun na Ranna' ; the
Ranna being on the north of Ardnamurchan, and the ' Mealla Ruadh '
the precipitous red rocks on the south side.
'S e do bheatha fnireach, ach 's e do bhuidheann falbh ; chi thu
dor us do thigh e fhein bho dhorus mo thighe-sa.
You are welcome to stay, but you had better go ; you can see your
own door from mine.
Sgeul 'g a innse do'n ghearran, 's an gearran a' cur bhram as.
Telling a story to the gelding, and the gelding breaking wind.
Sgugairneach de db' ian deireadh. Foghair, 's mairg a dli'
fheitb ri d' bhreith 's a' Mbàrt.
Useless bird at Harvest end, pity those ivho ivaitcd for your birth
in March.
Al. Gugarlach.
Applied to clumsy workers, more in the way than helpful,
Tàillear a' gbogan ime, 's figbeadair na fuaraig.
Tlie tailor of the butter cog, tfie weaver of the crowdie.
Tha e mar cbii an deigb seilg.
He is like a dog after the chase.
Tboir tlacbd do'n mbath, 'us matb an t-olc.
Love the good and forgive the bad.
Tri coilceadha na Fèinne, bàrr gbeal chrann, coinneacb, 'us lir
luachair.
The three Fenian bed-stuffs, fresh tree-tops, moss, and fresh rushes.
See Uhuyd's Jrch. s.v. coil ceadha.
Here follow some sayings in verse, which, for various
reasons, were not included in the body of this collection.
Some of them can hardly be reckoned as proverbs, but are
worth preserving. Translations of these, and of the didactic
verses that follow, must be dispensed with.
A mbic a' bbodacbain lachduinn,
A bun Locbabar nan craobh,
Cleas a' cbait a dh'òl an t-uachdar,
Theid a' cbluas 'tboirt dhiot mu'n mbaoil.