Matheson Collection > Gaelic songs of Mary MacLeod

King Malcolm) enjoyed the crown but a very short time, with ^u.(*a^ '
great trouble from England, quhen he is killed by M'kpeudar ""' — J
(MacPeter), Thain of Mems, by the former Donalds procure-
ment, who, to strengthen himselfe in his kingdom, conduced
with Sueno 2, King of Norrowy, for assistance to recover the
crown, he gave him the north and west Isles, which his race
possesses to this day, viz. the Mackleuds. For Leodus, the sone
of Oliverius Norwegie, possessed the Lewes, called so from
Leodus, who had 4 sones, Torcil, Tormoid, Teah, and Teascil,
who divided the country among them, Torcil possessing the
Lewis, Tormoid the Haris, and the other two, parcells among
them ; upon them 4 the poet in that language gives this distich
on
Schlichd Oliver shin nach duair baistig, tha buon maslig;
Ta Tormodich, agus Torkil, Teah, is Teaskill. R^^iv- "^
(Sliochd Olbhair sin nach d'fhuair baisteadh, tha buan masladh; f
Ta Tormodaich, agus Torcuill, Teah agus Teascuil.)
" The clan Torkil in Lewis were the stoutest and prettiest
men, but a wicked bloody crew whom neither law nor reason
could guid or moddell, destroying one another, till in end they
were all expelled that country, and the M'Kenzies now possess
it. The poet gave them this satyr:
She mi varrell er Chland Leod eir cossvil ead re Poir i, ^aTnV
Duse « /i2w<^5 \
The shin mis i is mo, Ichis i te is Oig Tuse. \^ t.ciU^ ^ \
Is e mo bharail air Chlann Leoid, gur cosmhail iad ri pòir^^__?^*
...(?) ov. CAc^'
An te is sine, ma's i as mo, itheas i an te as òige an tùs."
The Norse descent of the Clan Leod is a favourite theme
with Mary; cf. 1. 791 and note.
698. Olghar: see note to 1. 791. Ochraidh: not identified.
-^ 699. Boirbhe, Beirbhe (N. Bjorgvin), Bergen, one of the
principal cities of Norway. This is perhaps the only name of
a place in Scandinavia which survives in modern Sc. Gaelic,
and it has the article in Gaelic, an unusual feature in Norse
703. De shliochd àrmunn Chinn-tìre: a poetically general