Blair Collection > Sar-obair nam bard gaelach, or, The beauties of Gaelic poetry, and lives of the Highland bards

COINNEACH MAC-CHOINNICH.
275
Nam suidlie steaeh, le eibhiieas ait,
Kl cutr ma seach nan dr.iinnclianf
Bi'dli ciiir nan cinn a'g èiiidh,
'S gach tè (Ìliiù rì tauaid ort!
Tha na ^illcaii òga,
Nan dachas cho amaideach,
'S iad le'ra barail ghùrach,
'An tòir air na caileagan,
Ach fhad sa bhios an suilean,
Chu duinnte, cha'ii aithnich iad,
'S cha 'n fhaic iad Gloc-air-gàiadh,*
Ged' tharladh i maille riu.
A cliaoidh cha'n fbaic sibh, iad cho ceart,
ÌMar gabh sibh beachd le ghlaineachan,
'S mus e 's gun dearc sibh. mo 's faisg.
Gun tig a ghart, san t-eanach dhibb:
Mar bheathach bochd, a bliios gun toirt,
'Nuaii' theid a ghoirt a's t-earracb ann,
'S ceart ionaiin 's mar iii ghuraich,
Air drùbhar nan caileagan.
aan, whose custom was,
ng by, to get up on some
eminence, and call the hens from the corn, or cry to the
herd to be careful, for no other reason than that she might
be taken notice of The cognomen is one of general
application, but the bard had a particular (iame in view ; —
and we tiave been told on undoubted authority, when she
heard of her new name, that she gave up all concern about
tlie hens and the herd-boy, to tlic great comfurt and ease
ofboth. Her father, however, suffered by the assumed
modesty of his daughter — the herd-boy slept, the cows
followed the hens into the corn fields, and destroyed them
so much, that the old man was heard to swear if he came
in contact with the poet, ha would give him a hearty
flagellai'.nn for making his daughter worse than useless to
him at outsi:}e ivork !
Ge b'è chuireas dull annt',
An dùiachd cha'ii aithnich èj
Ge d' dheanadh i do phògadb,
'S ge d' òladh i drama leat,
'S ge d' gliealladh i le dùchas,
Gum pòsadh Ì 'iieatlirar thu,
»Nnair thionnta' tu do chùl-thaobbj
Bi'dh 'n suilean gan camadh riut.
Mar sud their ise, ged' tus 's glic',
Gun deanainn trie, nach althne dhut,
*S ge mor do bheachd, cha rachainn leat,
I\Iar biodh do bheaitas màile riut,
'S mar be dhomh 'n leisg, a bhi am lei$,
Cun deanainn reic a's ceannach ort,
'S 'niiair bhios tu falamh chùinneadh,
Gum feuch mi cùl-thaobh bhaile dhut.
'Sgp beghabhas fàth orr',
Ga bràcli bi'dli air aithreachas,
'S ma dh' fheuchas i dha cairdeas,
Cha'n fhearr bhJos a bliarail oirr';
'Snio theidemoisd'.na-
Thig tiiir' agus tarran air,
'S mo gheibh i e sa ghàradh,
Cha tar e dhol tharais air :
lii'dh e cho glic ri duin' air mhisg,
'S bidh each ga mheas mar araadan ;
Nnair bhios e glact' mar Ìan an snap,
'S nach un*' e chas a tharrninn as ;
'S a chaoi le tlachd, cha 'n fhaigh e las,
Mur brist e 'n acuinn theannachaidb,
'S ma se 's nach cuir e brèid oirr',
'S an-èìbhinn ri latha dba.