Blair Collection > Collection of Gaelic proverbs and familiar phrases

late,' and other works), says nothing on the suliject. A
short memoir of Macintosh forms the Preface, and may
fairly be characterised as a curiosity in Biography.
The title-page says that the collection is 'Englished
anew,' and the claim is well founded, much of the
English being of a very novel kind. The ignorance
of the elements of Gaelic displayed in some of the new
translations is still more extraordinary, often so ludi-
crous, as to make it matter of wonder and regret that
Campbell ventured on the task.^ Macintosh's transla-
tions are on the whole creditable, sometimes happy ;
the new ones substituted for them are rarely changes
for the better; much oftener they give nonsense for
sense, and turgid commonplace for pithiness. A few
specimens are given below.^ The spelhng in the new
^ It is with compunction that one speaks thus of a man for
vrhom both Burns and Scott had some regard, and to whom we
are in that respect indebted not a little. Several of Scott's best
songs, 'Jock of Hazeldeau,' 'Pibroch of Donald Dhu,' 'MacGregor's
Gathering,' ' MacCrimmon's Lament,' ' Dijnald Caird's come again,'
were written for 'Albyn's Anthology',' a collection of Scottish
Songs and Music, edited by Campbell.
2 ' A lion beagan 'us beagan,' is rendered Fill little and litth' ;
' B'e sin seangan toirt greim a gearran,' That ivere the cvimei's hiii
kewailhu) ; 'Cha ghille mur umhailt,' He is not a disobedient man-
servant ; 'Leintibh farsuin,' &c., Narrow shirts; 'Cha d' ith na
coin an aimsir,' The dogs did not worry the wether; ' Dalt arain-
eòrna Mhic Philip,' MacGillip's oat-cake foster-child; 'Gheibh
bean bhaoth dliith gun cheanuach, 's cha 'n fhaigh i inneach,' A
wizard's wife will get retribution without buying it, and she will
not get a cure; ' Leigheas air leth a' losgadh, Burning is half cure;
Leann dubli air mo chridhe. Black-beer at my heart ; ' Trod nam
ban mu 'n scarbh,' The xcife's scolding ccboiot the heron (This is
one of the comparatively few mistranslations of llacintosh) ;