Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge/Imleabhar 5/Uimhir 10/Domhnall Ua Laoghaire agus na Mná Sidhe

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Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, Imleabhar V, Uimh. 10 by Tomás Ó hAodha
Domhnall Ua Laoghaire agus na Mná Sidhe
[ 156 ]

DOṀNALL Ó LAOĠAIRE AGUS NA MNÁ SÍḊE.

[ 156 ]Amaċ san lá do ḃí Doṁnall agus a ṁáṫair ag iṫe lóin ḃig ḋóiḃ féin, agus cia ḃuailfeḋ isteaċ aċt duine muintire dar ḃ’ainm Seumus O’Maoilḋoṁna’, ag iarraiḋ iasaċt’ cléiḃ ċun rud beag leasuġaḋ do ċur amaċ.

[ 157 ]Out in the day, Daniel and his mother were eating a meal for themselves, and who should strike in but a friend whose name was James Moloney, looking for the loan of a basket to put out a little share of manure.

[ 156 ]“Bail ó Ḋia oraiḃ,” ar Seumus.

[ 157 ]“Goodness from God on ye,” says James.

[ 156 ]“Dia ’s Muire ḋuit,” ar siad araon. “Cionnus tá tú?”

[ 157 ]“God and Mary to you,” say both. “How are you?”

[ 156 ]“Druid síos ċun na teineaḋ,” ars an ḃean aosda. “Tá an lá fuar; do ḃí sioc aguinn aréir.”

[ 157 ]“Move down to the fire,” says the old woman. “The day is cold; we had frost last night.”

[ 156 ]“Do ḃí, am’ ḃaisteaḋ, aċt cia’n t-iongantas? Ná fuil an geiṁreaḋ orainn anois?”

[ 157 ]“By my baptism we had, but where's the wonder? is not the winter on us now?”

[ 156 ]“Ḃfuil aon sgeul nuaḋ agat, a Ṡeumuis?” ar Doṁnall.

[ 157 ]“Have you any strange news, James?” says Daniel.

[ 156 ]“Ṁaisead, go ḃfóiriḋ Dia orainn! tá droiċ-sgeul agam, agus go deiṁin ní maiṫ liom é—tá leanaḃ Ṁiċíl Uí Ċonċuḃair marḃ.”

[ 157 ]Wisha, God help us! I have a bad story, and, indeed, I don't like it Michael O’Connor's child is dead.”

[ 156 ]“Marḃ airiú! cia duḃairt é sin?”

[ 157 ]“Dead, aroo! Who said that?”

[ 156 ]Do ḃí mé ṡíos ag an tráiġ ó ċianaiḃ fa ḋéin teascáin ṁúraiġ, agus do ḃí Seaġán Buiḋe ann róṁam, agus is é d’innis dom an sgeul. Duḃairt sé go ḃfuair Miċeál an leanaḃ fuar le n-a ṫaoiḃ, ’nuair ḋúisiġ sé ar maidin. Do ḃí Seaġán ag an daḃaċ fa ḋéin ualaiġ ġainiṁ, agus ’nuair do ḃí sé ag teaċt tríd an “Leaċt,” do ḃí Miċeál agus a ḃean amuiġ ’san sráid ag lúiriġ agus ag béiciġ, agus na coṁarsain go léir bailiġṫe timċioll, agus truaġ an doṁain aca orra.”

[ 157 ]“I was down at the strand a while ago for a taescán of seaweed, and Yellow John was there before me, and it was he told me the story. He said that Michael found the child cold by his side when he woke in the morning. John was at the sandhills for a load of sand, and when he was coming through Lahinch, Michael and his wife were out in the street screeching and shouting, and the neighbours entirely gathered around, and they having the pity of the world on them.”

[ 156 ]“O, ḃó, ḃó! naċ mór an trioblóid do ṫuit ar na daoiniḃ boċta! Brisfiḋ Miċeál a ċroiḋe i ndiaiḋ an leanaiḃ, do ḃí sé ċoṁ ceanaṁail sin air. Go deiṁin is truaiġṁéileaċ an sgeul atá agat, a Ṡeumuis.”

[ 157 ]“O, vo, vo! Isn't it great trouble that fell on the poor people! Michael will break his heart after the child, he was so fond of him. Indeed, it is a pitiful story you have, James.”

[ 156 ]D’ḟan siad annsan ag caint le ċéile ar feaḋ tamaill ḃig, aċt do ṡaoil an ḃean aosda go raiḃ sé ro-ḟada, mar do ḃí eagla uirre go gcuirfeaḋ an garlaċ liúġ as san tseomra, agus duḃairt sí le Doṁnall.

[ 157 ]They remained there talking for a little while, but the old woman thought it was too long, for she was afraid that the child would put a screech out of him in the room, and she said to Daniel:

[ 156 ]“Cuir do ċasóg ort agus buail síos ċu’ tiġe an ċuirp. B’ḟéidir go ḃfaiġeaḋ Miċeál gnó icínt ḋíot.”

[ 157 ]“Put your coat on you and walk down to the corpse- house. Perhaps Michael would get some business of you.”

[ 156 ]D’éiriġ Doṁnall agus do ċuir sé é fein i gcóir, agus do ṫóg Seumus an cliaḃ, agus d’imṫiġ siad amaċ le ċéile.

[ 157 ]Daniel arose and prepared himself, and James took the basket, and they went out together.

[ 156 ]Do ḃuail Doṁnall síos, agus ’nuair do ṫáinig sé ċun tiġe Ṁiċíl Uí Ċonċoḃair do ḃí an leanaḃ leagaṫa amaċ ’san ċliaḃán ’san ċistean, agus a ṁáṫair ag gul agus ag caoineaḋ ós a ċeann, agus na coṁarsain bailiġṫe isteaċ ċun an tóraiṁ. Níor leig Doṁnall aon rud air ar dtús, agus do ḃí an-truaġ aige le Miċeál, aċt tar éis tamaill do ċuaiḋ sé ċun na teineaḋ ag cur smeaċada ar a ṗíopa agus ’nuair d’iompuiġ sé siar aríst d’ḟeuċ se ar an “ngaisgiḋeaċ” ’san ċliaḃán, agus do ċuir se sgairt ġáire as agus annsan sgairt eile, ar nós gur ṡaoil na daoine ar fad go raiḃ dé imṫiġṫe as a ċiall. Annsan do ḃuail sé amaċ, agus do ḃí na daoine istiġ ag deanaḋ iongantais de’n rud dána do ḋein sé. ’Sé so an ċiall do ċuir Doṁnall an sgairt as: nuair d’ḟeuċ sé ar an gcliaḃán, ’sé an rud do ċonnaiċ sé ann—dreannaċán beag críonna agus feusógaiḋe fada air, agus a leaṫ-ṡúil osgailte ag faire ar gaċ uile ċor do ċuireaḋ Doṁnall as. Do ṡaoil na daoine eile gur ḃ’é leanaḃ Ṁiċíl Uí Conċuḃair do ḃí ann, aċt níor ṁar sin le Doṁnall. Do ṫáinig fearg ṁór ar Ṁiċeál boċt, agus duḃairt sé nár ṡaoil sé go ndeanfaḋ aoinne’ a leiṫéide sin do rud air—magaḋ do ḋeanaḋ faoi mar ġeall ar an trioblóid do ċuir Dia air—agus do [ 157 ]ḃí sé ag leanaṁaint Doṁnaill ċun sásaiṁ do ḃaint ḋe, ’nuair ṫáinig duine icínt roiṁe ’san dorus agus ċonġḃaiġ istiġ é. D’ḟan Doṁnall ar fud na sráide nó gur ṫuit an oiḋċe, aċt do ḃí na daoine go léir ag dul i leaṫ-taoiḃ uaḋ, mar do ḃí sé imṫiġṫe amaċ air go raiḃ sé éadtrom. D’ḟan sé ’san tóraṁ go timċioll an ṁeaḋóin oiḋċe, agus annsan do ċuaiḋ sé aḃaile ag ráḋ leis féin, “Taisbeánfaiḋ mise ḋóiḃ ar maidin a máraċ ná fuil mé as an sliġe i n-aon ċor.”

(Le ḃeiṫ ar leanaṁaint).

[ 157 ]Daniel walked down, and when he came to Michael O’Connor's house the child was “laid out” in the cradle in the kitchen, and his mother crying and keening over him, and the neighbours gathered in to the wake. Daniel did not let on anything at first, and he had great pity for Michael; but, after a while, he went to the fire putting a coal on his pipe, and when he turned back again, he looked at the “hero” in the cradle, and he let a burst of laughter out of him, and then another, in a way that all the people thought that he was gone out of his mind. Then he walked out, and the people inside were making wonder of the nasty thing he did. This is the reason Daniel put the burst of laughter out of him: when he looked at the cradle it is the thing he saw there a despicable-looking crabbed little creature, with long whiskers on him, and one eye opened watching every twist that Daniel put out of him. The other people thought that it was Michael O’Connor’s child who was in it, but it was not that way with Daniel. Poor Michael got very angry, and he said he never thought that anybody would do such a thing on him—to make fun of him on account of the trouble God put on him—and he was following Daniel to take satisfaction of him, when somebody came before him in the door and kept him inside. Daniel remained about the street till the night fell, but the people were turning aside from him, for it was gone out on him that he was “light.” He remained at the wake till about midnight, and then he went home, saying to himself, “I will show them to-morrow morning that I am not out of the way, at any rate.”

(To be continued.)

[ 157 ]

NOTES.

Leasuġaḋ, “manure;” literally, improvement.

ó ċianaiḃ (pronounced ó ċianaċ), “a while ago.”

teascán, “a small load.”

múraiġ, gen. of múraċ, “seaweed.”

truaiġṁéileaċ, “pitiful.”

buail síos, “strike down;” meaning walk or proceed down. In English there are such expressions as “He struck out westward,” &c.

sgairt ġáire, “a loud burst of laughter.”

féasógaiḋe, “whiskers;” for feusóga, plural of feusóg, “beard.”

go raiḃ se éadtrom, that he was “light” or gone wrong in the head.

Tomás O’H-Aoḋa.