Hew Morrison Collection > Poems and songs of John MacCodrum, Archibald MacDonald, and some of the minor Uist bards

203
Sgallach " of \vhich I regret to say I have only two or three
verses. .\t certain seasons of the year a large quantity of
fish principally the species known in the Western Islands as
mucan ruadhii, a species of perch, used to be washed ashore
in tempestuous weather. In those days food supplies were
not too plentiful in the Highlands, at all times, and the
people used to turn out in force to gather this harvest of the
sea. The appearance presented by the people of the town-
ship of Aird, lining the curved sea-shore and intently
occupied in the search for stranded perch was, from one
aspect of it sufficiently pathetic, but the poet seizes on the
humorous side of the scene.
Seisd : — 'I'ha na fir mhbra, mhora, mhòra,
'i'ha na fir mhora falbh ri oirthir,
Tha na fir mhora siubhal ri stoirm,
"S ann orra tha 'n colg a' falbh ri oirthir.
Mnathan cho miannach, mucan cho lionmhor,
'S milis am biadh, gu siorr' cha teirig e,
(iillean cho luath ri iomall a' chuain
'.S 'n uair "chi iad muc ruadh \s a' stuaigh gu 'm V)eir iad orr'
Tha na fir mhora, ^:c.
Uilleam Mac Iain am breabadair òg,
'S ann air a bha 'n còta 's mor a thoilleadh ann,
Le truimead an eallaich cha togadh e cheann,
S ann air a bha 'n call 's an am 'n do theirig iad.
Tha na fir mhora, (S:c.