Ossian Collection > Leabhar na Feinne

THE SOXG OF THE SMITHY. DUAN NA CEARDAICHE.
23 Fheara na geillibb do 'n athacli,
'Se labhair Fionn 's catli na gliruaidh ;
Pillibh an ruaig suas Druimalba,
Faiceadh Cormac call a bhuaidh.
2-1 Chaidh na fir an dail a clieile,
Goll a' caithe na faiche ;
Oscar mo shar llbac dealanach,
Caoilte eridhe na gaisge.
25 Cuthullin an aigne mhoir,
Faolan og, agus Diarmad maiseach ;
Toscar nan arm geura
Bha mi fein a' measg nan toiseacb.
20 Co sbeinneadh catli nan laocb,
Co db' fbeuda' a luaidb an t-ar ;
Thuit le laimb Ghuil lolun armach,
Mac rigb Chormaic sios air lar.
27 Thuit le Oscar Conchar nan Ian,
'S gann dh' fheudta fbearg a chasga;
Db' eiricb Cormac dhiona' a shloigh,
Dh' eiricb Fionn suas mar fhrascbarn,
28 Thacbair na fir laimb air laimb,
Chaidh 'n gatban uam bloigbdibh a' s t-atbar
Tbarruing iad an lannan crodha,
Cbluinnte fead an arman dathte.
29 Dh' flialbh clogaide Chormaic ehruinn,
Lann bu duilich a chasgadh ;
Cbromaic tba do bhas a' m' laimb,
Ach 's aitbne do Fhionn Mac na maise.
30 Chormaic eiricb 's leat t-armacbd,
Pill gu talla garbh na macbarach ;
'S dochdair Alba ri chlaoidh,
'S lionar suidh tba dbi teachrach.
31 Roc thuit le lubaibli fein,
An struth Dhuithe tbreun nan glas charn ;
Siol gun bhaigh chatar an uachdar,
Buaidb gu brath cba tig le taise (gaise).
32 Tba Fionn, deir Cormac nan ceud.
Mar shruth do 'n fbeur anam na tÌ9r ;
Mar reul san oidbche da na neoil,
'San ceo a' camadh ma cheann gun chli.
o3 Biodh ruim reidh, a fhlatb nan ard bheann,
Tba nam b ag iarraidb mo bhagradh ;
Eirin uile ged bu learn,
Gheibheadh tu cboinn Garna chasgadh.
THE SONG OF THE SMITHY.
Celtic Heroes had mythical weapons like others of their
class. They got them from a monstrous Smith, who be-
longed to the Norsemen. He was one of tliree brothers :
'Roc' was one, 'Lon Mac Liòbhan,' the hero of this
ballad, was another, and ' the Smith of the Ocean ' seems
to have been the third. Their Father was ' a mighty
man.' They had one leg and one eye. This one at least
had seven arms, with wliich he plunged swords into his
mother's breast. These mythical Celtic people clearly
are the equivalents of Vulcan and the Cyclops, Arges,
Brontes, Steropes, &c. ; who were slain with arrows by
ApoUo,because they made thunderbolts, with which^scu-
lapius was slain by Jove. The versions of this ballad are
so like each other, that, by the able help of Mr. Hector
Mac Lean, we have hammered them into one. In April,
1872, I collated Y. 1., 104 Unes, orally collected in Barra,
with Y. 2, 37 lines, written in Tslay, see Vol. III. ' Popu-
lar Tales.' In June, the collector of these and other
versions read aloud all other versions which we had got,
in their order of date, while I noted each verse of Y. with
corresponding letters and numbers. We read D. F. H.
M. O. V. Y. Z. From these eight versions, written be-
tween 1750 and 3872, by as many collectors, in as many
dili'erent parts of Scotland, Mr. Hector Mac Lean selected
various lines and readings; and, having ■H'ith great trouble
collated the whole, he wrote the words in his modem
G.aelic orthography. The result is, that 104 lines taken
down from the repetition of one man in Barra, in 1860,
have grown to 175 lines, chiefly by the addition of the
verses marked F. from Fletcher's version. The story told
in these verses is commonly told with many more incidents,
but the verse is forgotten. We next read the whole over
again for various readings, and added all that concerned
4. Daorghlas ,
5. Diamiaid
the story in foot-notes. By this process all dialects are
lost, and the language is brought do«'n to modem ortho-
graphy. Notliing else is changed. The men named have
swords assigned to them, but the same men and weapons
do not always go together. They get eight swords and
eight spears. Kennedy sings, H. 20: —
' B'aidbearach sinn an dara mbaireach
Ann an Ceardach Lon Mac Liomhean
Gu bu ilhaith ar 'n ochd cloidbeamhnan
'S ar 'n o-chd Sleaghan righne fior ghlann.'
Four Heroes were first engaged in the adventure ; a
second band of four are mentioned, but seven other men
are named in difi'erent versions. Eleven men and as many
weapons are named. Three men and two swords are
named, but not together. —
1. Fionn had 1. Mac an Liun.
2. Oisein . 2. Gearr nan CaUan ; or Gear nan Calg.
3. Osgar . 3. A Chruaidh-Chosgarrach ; an Euch-
drigh ; an Drioghleannach ; an
Druidhlannach ;
.4n Leadamach Mhòr ; a Chreichd'ich :
a Chruaidh-Chosgarrach ;
An Libmharrach ; an Loindicannach ;
a Chosgarsach Mhbr ;
G, 7, 8. The three sons of the tribe of the Smithy, who
are often named in other ballads, had three
swords. H.22:—
Bha tri cloidbeamhnan Chlann na ceardach
Bu ro mhaith am fijum ri gaisgeadh
'S b ainm do chloidheamhnan nan, Saoithean
Feadag is Faocbadh, is Fasgadh.
Otherwise, 6. Fead ; 7. Faoidh ; 8. Fasdal :— (i.
Whistler ; 7. Sleep, or Rest from pain ; 8. Shelter.
9. Goll ; and 10. Faolan, one of Fionn's sons, have no
swords. 9. A Bhagarach, and 10. Mac-na-Ceardich, or A
Chonnlann-Nichd-na-Ceardach, have no masters. Sword
is masculine, Blade is feminine, so the names vary in
different versions. 11. Dearg Mac Droighan is men-
tioned once in O., a very imperfect late version ; he has
no sword ; and he does not seem to have anything to do
with this adventure. One sword has three masters.
Eleven swords are named and eleven men. Caoireal,
Fionn's youngest son, is not named. He comes late in
the story, and makes up the 12.
Here follows the fused version of the Smith}- Song ;
the only bit of cooking that is to be in this work.
DUAN NA CEARDAICHE.
D. F. H. M. T. Z,
1 Latha dhuinn air luachair leothaid,
Da cheathrar chròdha db' aon bhuidhinn ;
Mi fhein a 's Osgar a 's Daorghlas
A 's Fionn fein, gum b 'e Mac Cumhail.
D. 2.
2 Da cheathrar fhialaidh 's iad beul-dhearg.
Da cheathrar bheul-dhearg 's iad altach ;
'Nam suidhe dhuinn air an tulaich,
'S arm leinn 'bu chumha ar cuimhne.
D. F. H. 0. M. T. z.
3 Chunnaic sinn a' teachd 'nar comhdhail,
Òlach mòr a 's e air aon chois ;
An culaidh dhuibh ghris-fhinn chraicinn,
Le còtan lachdunn 's le ruadh bhrat.
Y. Le chochal {mlianlidal) duhh ciar.dhuhh crakln
Y. Le cheanna-bheairt lachdann 's i ruadh-mheirg.
Y. Le i 'onnar lackduinn 's le rttaidh hhmrt.
(bheire) D.
D. 4, H.
4 Bha cnrrachd mu cheann maol eitidh, (chlogad)
B' i 'mhaol gheur a bha ro-ghruamach ;
Aon sùil mholach an clàr aodainn,
'S e 'sior dhèanadh air Mac Cumhail.
D. F. H. M. T. z.
5 'S ann an sin a thubhairt Mac Cumhail,
'N am duinne 'bhith 'dol seachad ;
Co 'm ball am bbeil do thuineadh,
'lUe le d' chulaidh chraicinn ?
H. 4.
6 Nior bheannaicb an truth do sheachdnar
Fbinn Mhic Cumhail O Almhnin ;
Dhuitse 's na comainean ceudna
Fhuath ro-dheisnich, eitidh, cbealgaich.