An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volume 43, October 1947--December 1948

An t-Sultuin. 1948. AN GAIDHEAL, 145
live a life apart from the Presbyterian Highlanders,
differing from them not merely in religious denomination
but also in their family connections throughout the
island and even in their dialect of Gaelic. Among them
the MacNeils predominate rather than the MacDonalds
or the MacLeods. There we called on Father Rankin,
an ardent genealogist of Highland settlers, and on Sister
Campbell of the Convent, who teaches Gaelic in the local
Catholic Separate School.
That evening we left Cape Breton and drove on to
Antigonish, the centre of Highland Catholics on the
mainland of Nova Scoria. The next morning we were
shown over St. Francis Xavier University by the
Rev. Dr. Nicholson. Here we met several of the leading
educators in the Co-operative movement. Professor
Nicholson, although properly head of the Physics Depart¬
ment at the University/1) is an ardent Gaelic scholar.
He has for some time been teaching a course in Gaelic
to a class which annually numbers about fifteen. For
over twenty years he has been collecting Gaelic folk-lore
of all kinds throughout Nova Scotia, and he contributes
a Gaelic column, “Achadh nan Gaidheal,” to Thu Casket,
the Antigonish weekly Catholic newspaper.
That same day, August 10, we left Antigonish and
hurried back to Boston to start packing for our move to
Missouri, regretfully drawing our investigations, for that
summer at least, to a close.
(To he continued.)
W) He is now Monsignor Nicholson and is President
of the University. He is of Barra descent and is related
to Miss Annie Johnston, Castlebay. He paid a visit to
Scotland this summer; see report of his visit and Gaelic
broadcast on page 139
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AN GOBHA IS NA SIDHICHEAN.
Le Iain N. MacLeoid.
II.
Bha an gobha smaoineachadh, ma bha a mhac anns a’
chnocan uaine, nach robh dochas sam bith ann da gu faigheadh
e k bruid is gum bu cheart cho maith dha a bhith marbh
anns an uaigh.
“ Seadh direach, anns a’ ehnocan uaine,” ars an seann
duine, “ ach gheibh sinn as a sin e, ach feumaidh sinn an
toiseach faighinn cuidhteas an tacharain seo. Chan urrainn
duit do mhac fhaighinn air ais gus a falbh esan.”
“ Agus ciamar a gheibh mi cuidhteas an tacharain ? ” ars
an gobha.
“ Innsidh mi sin duit,” ars an duine glic. “ Cuiridh tu teine
mor air ri taobh na leapa agus seididh tu e le balg-seididh gus
an eirich lasraichean mora dearga suas anns an t-seomar.
Foighnichidh an creutair a tha anns an leabaidh dhiot car son
a tha thu ag cur an teine air, agus canaidh tusa, ‘Chan fhada
gus a faic thu aobhar an teine so.’ An sin, gun an corr mu
dheidhinn, beiridh tu air is tilgidh tu e beo slan anns an teine.
Ma tha sinn air doigh sam bith air ar mealladh (rud a tha mi
smaoineachadh a tha eucomasach) agus mas e da-rireadh do
mhac fhein, eighidh e riut air son a shabhaladh, ach mas e
tacharan a tha arm, agus is e sin mo bheachd, theid e mach air
iteig troimh mhullach an tighe.”
Aon uair eile chaidh an gobha do sheomar a’ bhalaich thinn,
agus dh’fhadaidh e teine mor air clach an teinntein faisg air
taobh na leapa. An deidh dha a lasadh thainig e le balg-seididh
mor mor agus thoisich e ri seideadh an teine gus an do leum
na lasraichean dearga suas gu gath-droma an t-seomair. Bha
an creutair caol seargte a bha air a leabaidh ag gabhail allaidh
ri gach ni a bha siud agus coltas an eagail aithnichte ’na ghnuis
gach mionaid.
“ Car son a tha thu deanamh sin ? ” ars an tacharan mu
dheireadh thall; “ cuiridh tu an tigh ’na theine.”
“ Cha bhi thu fada gus am bi faireachadh agad car son a
tha mi ’ga dheanamh,” ars an gobha, agus air dha cromadh
sios rug e air a’ bhalach agus thilg e e an teis-meadhon nan
lasraichean.
Chaidh sgriach neo-thalmhaidh troimh an tighe, agus
chaidh rud-eigin—cha robh fios aig a’ ghobhainn ciod a bh’ann
— suas ’na theine troimh mhullach an tighe, a’ fagail tuill
uamhasaich ’na dheidh.
An deidh sin bha samhchair iargalta ann, gun ni ’ga
bhriseadh ach bragadaich an teine agus osnaichean troma an
uamhais a thainig o chridhe a’ ghobhann.
An uair a fhuair e thairis air an tiom-laisean sin thog e air
aon uair eile a dh’amharc air an duine ghlic a bha cho toilichte
an uair a chuala e gu robh an t-6rdugh a thug e seachad air a
chur an cleachdadh an doigh cho fior bhuannachdail.
“ Bha mi cho cinnteach is a ghabhainn,” ars an duine glic,
is e suathadh a lamhan. “ Agus a nis o an fhuair sinn cuidh¬
teas an tacharain mhosaich ud feumaidh sinn do mhac aiseag
air ais duit. Agus is e seo an doigh anns a faigh thu do mhac
air ais as an t-sithean. Uair anns a’ mhios an uair a tha a’
ghealach lan bidh an cnocan uaine ri fosgladh agus faodaidh
aon sam bith de chloinn daoine a dhol a steach ma tha de
mhisneach aige na ni sin. Is e cruaidh-dhiachainn oillteil a
tha ann, ach an uair a chuimhnicheas tu air do mhac cumaidh
sin fhein do mhisneach riut. Thoir leat Biobull, sgian-dubh,
agus coileach a ghairmeas gu surdail. Dionaidh an Leabhar thu
o fhearg nan sidhichean; cumaidh an sgian-dubh an t-sith-
bhrugh o dhunadh ma chuireas tu an sas anns an t-srannsa e an
uair a theid thu steach; agus air son a’ choilich dheth, chan
’eil ni air an talamh as motha chuireas geilt ’nan cridhe ri fuaim
a ghutha. An uair a gheibh thu steach do an chnocan chi
thu seomar mor farsaing mu do choinnibh, agus anns a’ cheann
as fhaide air falbh uait dheth bidh do mhac ag obair aig teallach.
Fiachaidh na sidhichean ri bacadh a chur ort ann a bhith ’ga
ruigheachd, ach feumaidh tu a bhith sgoinneil dalma agus thoir
orra a thuigsinn nach ’eil cnaimh dhiot a’ dol a mach as a’
bhrhgh gus am bi am balach agad ri do ghualainn.”
An deidh sin bha suil a’ ghobhann gu furachair air a’
ghealaich, agus a’ cheart oidhche a bha i lan thog e air chun a’
chnocain uaine le Biobull fo aon achlais, coileach fo an te
eile, agus slaodadh ri a chrios bha sgian-dubh mor mor.
An uair a bha e tighinn faisg air a’ bhriigh shiolaidh
a chridhe le eagal oir bha mullach a’ chnocain ag amharc mar
gum biodh e snamh anns na neoil, agus o a bhonn bha solus
neonach mi-nadurra ri dealradh, solus a bha na bu dearrsanta
gu mor na solus na gealaich, agus chuala e cebl ard mi-
chneasda is fuaimean farm mar gum biodh iad ri tighinn o
shaoghal eile, agus shaoil leis gur h-e ceol pioba is dannsa a
bha e ag cluinntinn. Cha mhor nach do thionndaidh an duine
bochd air a shall air son deanamh air an dachaidh, ach an uair
a smaoinich e air a. bhalach gradhach a bha air ehall chuir sin
fhein neart ’na chridhe air son lamh an uachdar fhaighinn air
an eagal a ghabh e.
(Ri leantainn.)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
Reviewed by the Editor.
George Campbell Hay’s Poems.
Fuaran Sleibh : Dain agus Grain le Deorsa Caimbeul
Hay, with English translations by the author (Wi'liam
MacLellan, Glasgow, 66 pp., 6/-).
Many people who have from time to time read with
appreciation and profit Mr. Hay’s poems and essays in
this magazine and other periodicals will hail with
pleasure, and (we earnestly hope) buy, this well-produced
volume of his Gaelic pieces. The Gaelic Muse, of course,
is not yet dead, despite what the detractors say, although
too often, we must confess, the work she inspires is of
a trivial and ephemeral kind. In recent years, however,
new and significant voices have been heard, and Mr. Hay’s
is one of these.
While the English translations are good, and at least
one of them is a poem in its own right, the person who
cannot read the Gaelic will fail to appreciate the quite
remarkable poetic talent exhibited. Most of the themes
are traditional — life’s varying scene, the sights and
sounds of the homeland — but the treatment is
refreshingly new. We have devoted the leading artie'e
in Gaelic this month to a discussion of some points
emerging from Mr. Hay’s poetry, and all that can be
said here is that, without making extravagant claims for
this Gaelic poet, he is undoubtedly in the higher ranks
of the bards. There is a subtle awareness, a deep
sensitiveness, in Mr. Hay’s work that seems, as indeed
the book’s title suggests, to open refreshing crystal-clear