Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 4

PUBLISHED AND TRADITIONAL. I9I
descriptive poem, full and circumstantial, but less
tedious ilian Beiun Dorain.
The following specimen will give an idea of this
species of poetry, though translation cannot convey
the original vigour to the reader : —
Tlia bradan tarra-gheal 's a choire gharbhlaich,
Tha tigh 'n o'n fharige bu ghailbheach tonn ;
Le luinneis mheamnach a' ceapadh mheanbhchuileag,
Gu neo-chearbach le eham-ghob crom ;
Air bhuinne borb, is e leum gu foirmeil ;
'Xa eideadh colgail bu ghorm-glas druim;
Le shoiUsean airgid, gu h-iteach, meana-bhreac ;
Gu lannach, dearg-bhallach, earr-gheal sliom.
There's a Avhite-bellied salmon in the rough grassy
corry,
Coming from the sea of the wild raging waves ;
AYith stalwart leapings catching the little flies,
Unfailingly, with his bent crook'd nose.
In the raging current as he leaps so cheerily.
In his gallant array of the blue-gray back,
With his silvery spangles Avell finned, and fine
spotted,
Scale-idy, red-spotted, white-tailed, and slim.
This is genuine Gaelic poetry of a man Avho could
read nature, though, he could not read books ; and his
countrymen have done weU to erect a monument to
Duncan Macintyre near his favourite glens, at the head
of Loch Awe.