Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 4, 1896

20
THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
CLANN NAN GAIDHEAL.
)JT^|HE following verses are composed to the
V^ well known and rousing air of " Tki,
'^J^ tii/h'nn fodhiitii in id/i" This song was
originally composed to one of the Chiefs of the
Clan Ranald, the famous Aileim Muidenrlach.
Buswell, the biograjjher of Johnson, boasted
that he could sing one verse of this ditty.
Like other popular airs several rhymers tried
their hand at composing words to " Tka tiijlinn
fodh'im eiriiih" but none of them are of out
standing merit. Nor do I claim any superiority
for my own humble efforts in the following verses.
Only, they may be fully as smooth and singable
as any of the others, and perhaps somewhat
more in accordance with the spirit and senti-
ment of our present-day Highlanders.
Seisd : —
Tha titfh'nn foclhara, fodhara, fodhaui,
Tha tigh'nn fodhara, fodham, fodhain,
Clann nan Gilidlieal a tigh'nn fodhara,
'S foghainteachd an euchdan.
Siol nan sonn 's nan curaidhean,
'Bha 'n tir an fhraoich a' tuineachadh,
A dhion a cliu gu h-iirramach,
'S nach fhuiligeadh an eucoir.
An cliu 's an iiir sin mealaniaid,
'S an t^saor.s' is daor a cheannaich iad,
'S a chaoidh a' stri gun fhannachadh
A leantninn air an ceum-san.
'Us ged' tha 'u al air tanachadh,
'Us niuii' 'us tir 'g an dealachadh,
Tha cairdeas bli'ith 'g an teannachadh
Le carthantas ri che'ile.
Cha diobair iad am fearalachd,
No rioghalachd an seanaircan,
'S an gaol do thir an athraichean,
Ged 'sgaradh iad blio che'ile.
O, gu ma buan 'us maireannach,
'Bhios cliii nam fiviran chaithrcamach,
'Us fhad bhios grian 'us gealach ann
Bidh aithris air an euchdan !
N. Macleod.
THEID Ml NULL THAR AN ATLANTIC.
Sei.sd —
Thu'id mi null thar an Attaidii;
Theid mi null, 's gur ann am dheoin,
Theid mi sbebladh air na cuantailih
Gu mo luaidh-sa, Hattic og.
Tha mo cliridhe-s' an Ur-Albainn,*
Tir nan garbh-choill' 'us nan 6b,
Far am bell mo leannan uaaal.
An t^ shuau'c' a rinn mo leon.
Ged 'tha iomadh caileag aluinn
Eadar Gekrrloch 'us Ferraoit —
Air fad Albainn agus Eirhin —
'8 tu-sa ra' e'ibhneas thar gach oigli.
Bha mi duilich 'bhi ga d' fhagail,
Bha mi, 'ghraidh, a sileadh dhebir,
'S bha mo chridhe faisg air sgkineadh
'N uair a riiinig mi air bord.
Fad del sheachdain air a chuan domh
Bha mi luaineach gun do phoig,
Ach a nis' gur buileach truagh mi
O'n 's fhad nam thu, Hattic big.
Gu ma luath a tliig an latha,
'Us an t-soitheach 'bhios fo shebl,
A bheir mise null air astar
'i)h 'ionnsaidh 'chailinn leam is buidhch'.
'S trie ga d' fhaioinn mi am bruadar,
'S trie 'nam shuaiu mi 'toirt dhuit phbg,
Ach 's a' mhadainn 's fliada uait mi, —
Och, mo thruaigh', tha mi 'Fermbi.
No^•a Scotia. t Fernioy, County Cork.
R. Frasbr Mackenzie.
A CELTIC LIBRARY FOR AliERDEEN
UNIVERSITY.
In concert with the University authorities, the
Aberdeen Highland Association, which is now in
siich a flourishing condition, has issued an appeal
for funds to acquire a very valuable Celtic Library
which is at present available for this, the most
Highland of our Scottish Universities. A well-
known collector, whose name is familiar to readers
of the Ci'Ific Montldy, in order to have his books in
the safe keeping of the University for the use of
successive generations of Celtic students, has offered
his collection to the University for the amount
which it has cost him to bring them together,
during more than fifty years of careful and discrimi-
nating book-hunting. If broken up and dispersed
in the usual way, this large .and well chosen collec-
tion of Celtic books might be exjiected to sell for
three or four hundred pounds ; but the University
can now acquire them for one hundred guineas.
Besides a complete set of almost every original
work ever printed in Scotch Gaelic, this collection
is specially rich in early Irish works, in the old
literature of Cornwall and Brittany, and in such
books in old French as would be invaluable to
Celtic students entering on original research as to
the origin of the Celtic people and the early
development of their respective forms of the old
Celtic tongue. Mr. Andrew Carnegie has already
given £20, and further subscriptions may be sent
to Hugh Macdonald, Esq., 123^ Union Street,
Aberdeen, the Secretary of the Association.
■'The Clan Mackay Society commences its eighth
^ssion by a meeting in Edinburgh ou 17th October.
The last session was the most successful, financially
and numerically, for several years past.