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PUBLISHED AND TRADITIONAL. 169
A sgoltadh an ceann gan guaillean,
Ga 'm bualadh le smuais nan dorn."
had we as we ought to have
Islay-hilted blades upon our thighs,
Could cleave their heads down to the chin,
To smite them with the pith of fists.
Allan MacDougall, Ailean dall, was born 1750,
and died 1829. One of his songs is to Glengary,
"Luchd bhreacan an fheilidh." Those of the tartan
dresses (now called belted plaids) are mentioned as
those that would rise with Glengary their chief.
" Fuaim fheadan," the sound of chanters, and " binneas
theud," the melody of strings, are mentioned as pleasing
to the chief, who therefore enjoyed pipe music, and
that of stringed instruments. In his songs to the
shepherds, who were not favourites with the poet, he
says of them that they have a Lowland screech in their
throats crying after their dogs, and earnestly desires to
keep them out, and not let their nose in, the reason
being given in the following lines : —
" Bho nach cluinnear aca stori,
Ach craicinn agus cloimh ga reic,
Cunntadh na h-aimsir, 's gach uair
Ceannach nan uan mu 'n teid am breith."
Since no tale is heard with them,
But of skins and wool to sell,
Telling the seasons and every weather,
Buying the lambs before they are born.
This, then, was not an age of pastoral Gaelic poetry, and
the poet seems to have foreseen what has happened.
The poet has a song to whisky also, in which he
A sgoltadh an ceann gan guaillean,
Ga 'm bualadh le smuais nan dorn."
had we as we ought to have
Islay-hilted blades upon our thighs,
Could cleave their heads down to the chin,
To smite them with the pith of fists.
Allan MacDougall, Ailean dall, was born 1750,
and died 1829. One of his songs is to Glengary,
"Luchd bhreacan an fheilidh." Those of the tartan
dresses (now called belted plaids) are mentioned as
those that would rise with Glengary their chief.
" Fuaim fheadan," the sound of chanters, and " binneas
theud," the melody of strings, are mentioned as pleasing
to the chief, who therefore enjoyed pipe music, and
that of stringed instruments. In his songs to the
shepherds, who were not favourites with the poet, he
says of them that they have a Lowland screech in their
throats crying after their dogs, and earnestly desires to
keep them out, and not let their nose in, the reason
being given in the following lines : —
" Bho nach cluinnear aca stori,
Ach craicinn agus cloimh ga reic,
Cunntadh na h-aimsir, 's gach uair
Ceannach nan uan mu 'n teid am breith."
Since no tale is heard with them,
But of skins and wool to sell,
Telling the seasons and every weather,
Buying the lambs before they are born.
This, then, was not an age of pastoral Gaelic poetry, and
the poet seems to have foreseen what has happened.
The poet has a song to whisky also, in which he
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Early Gaelic Book Collections > Matheson Collection > Popular tales of the west Highlands > Volume 4 > (185) |
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Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/81489277 |
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Description | Volume IV. |
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Shelfmark | Mat.77 |
Additional NLS resources: | |
Attribution and copyright: |
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Description | Items from a collection of 170 volumes relating to Gaelic matters. Mainly philological works in the Celtic and some non-Celtic languages. Some books extensively annotated by Angus Matheson, the first Professor of Celtic at Glasgow University. |
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Description | Selected items from five 'Special and Named Printed Collections'. Includes books in Gaelic and other Celtic languages, works about the Gaels, their languages, literature, culture and history. |
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