Blair Collection > Carmina gadelica > Volume 2

NOTES 229
Bialag, a person in front of another person on horseback.
Biasl dubh, blast donn, black beast, brown beast, the otter, especially the female
otter. The otter is also called 'dobhran,' from 'dobhar,' water. ' Dobhar-chu,'
water-dog, is confined to the male otter. Otters and seals are instructive and
interesting, and become much attached to those who feed them and teach tliem.
They fish in the river, in the lake, and in the sea, and bi'ing the fish ashore as
retrievers bring birds.
* Mar dhobhran am beul uisge. As an otter at the mouth of water,
Mar sheobhag am bun sleibhe. As a hawk at the base of hill.
Mar chu chon cait, mar chat chon luch. As a dog to a cat, as a cat to a mouse,
Bidh bean mic gu mathair-cheile.' So is son's wife to mother-in-law.
Bbine-bheul, ' mouth of melody,' a character in Gaelic story. (Vol. i. p. 8.) The
people say that the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and tlie fishes of the
sea stood still and listened when ' Binne-bheul ' sang. ' Bile-Binn,' musical
mouth, is also the name of a female character in the tales.
Bio/air, bioiiits, water-cress, water-plant, from ' bir,' ' bior,' water, and ' lus,' plant. The
water-cress is also called ' dobhar-lus,' 'dubhar-lus,' and 'durlus,' from ' dobhar,'
water, and ' lus,' plant — ' biolair Moire,' water-cress of Mary. It was much prized,
and was used as food, as medicine, and as an occult agent.
Biunn, symmetrical, well-featured, beauteous. The word occurs in the following old
chorus : —
' Is binne liom a guth na'n smeorach More sweet to me her voice than mavis
Air na lointibh ri la ciuin ; On the plains in summer time ;
Ho mo leannan, he mo leannan, Ho my love, he my love,
Is i mo leannan au te bhionu.' My love she is the beauteous maid.
Possibly ' bionn ' is a form of ' fionn,' fair.
Bilk-etilrom, light-element, the lift, the atmosphere, the heavens ; from ' bith,' life,
globe, element, and ' eutrom,' light, buoyant, volatile.
The nearest term to this known to me is ' bith-bi-aonach,' dewy-world, a
term which occurs in a lament composed by a maiden on her lover slain by her
three brothers. The song is very old and very beautiful. It was sung to a
weird old air by a girl in the island of Miunghlaidh (Mingalay), Barra, in August
1868. As the girl rehearsed the history and sang the song her fine features
glowed with subdued animation and sympathy for the distressed maiden.
' Tha mo ghradh 's a gharadh lios, [leanuau My lover is in the garden of flowers,
De mu tha, cha'n ann le fios, But if he is it is not with knowledge,
Marcraich an eich chruthaich glilais, Rider of the well-shod grey steed,
Shiubhlainn am bith-braonach leis.' I would travel the dewy- world with him.
Blianach, a fish, bird, or beast that has died from want or from disease ; from ' blian,'
blanch. In Uist 'blianach,' 'blianadh,' is applied to exhausted land, especially
to mossy land and to land overlaid with drift-sand or shell-sand.
VOL. II. 2 G