AN GAOḊAL.
429
AN BÁRD 'GUS AN FÓ.
A GAELIC IDYL,
Produced for the first time, in Steinway Hall,
Thursday and Friday, 25th and 28th November,
by the Chorus of The S. P. I, Language, and
composed for the Society by Professor Paul Mc¬
Swiney.
(We shall give both the original and translation
of this opera in the GAEL.)
CHARACTERS RERESENTED.
NESSA, - - - Miss Carrie Hun King
BANIA, - - - Miss Clara Stuttsman
EOCAIDH, A Bard - - Mr. P. S. Munro
BEOTHACH, A Soldier, - - Mr. Wm. Long
CHORUS and ORCHESTRA.
SGEUL GAOḊALAĊ.
BROLLAĊ.
Gan cuiṁne tá na Báird do ḃí.
Gan cuiṁne a sgeulta gráḋ a ċoiḋ'e;
Gan cuiṁne an caṫ-rann treun, ársuiġ,
'Gus an crónán os cionn na marḃ;
Oir ṫainic faol-ċú an t-Sasanuiġ,
A's tá cluinte a uaill go garḃ.
Ḃí deora 'gus teine 'nn ar d-teangain
ḃreáġ;
In gaċ focal buḋ fuaire ḃí aḃrán gráḋ,
A Ḋia! mar faisg'ḋ gaċ croiḋe le cráḋ,
Nuair ċualaiḋ siad gul caointeora!
Aċ Ó! mar do gleus'ḋ gaċ teud an trá
Do ṡeinn sé air Éirinn 's a glóire!
A! ḃí ceol 'san tSean Tír 'san am fad ó,
Nuair ḃí gráḋ i gcroiḋṫiḃ fear níos teo,
'Gus ḃí deuntaḋ bearta i gcaṫ 'sa ngleo
Do b' ḟiú iad aḃráin fíre,
'Gus ḃí ceoltóiriḋe binne an trá sin beo
Do ṁolfaḋ neart na tíre.
TRANSLATION.
PROLOGUE.
Forgotten are they, the Bards of old,
Forgotten the tales of love they told :
Forgotten the war-song, stern and bold,
And the lullaby o’er the dead ;
For the Saxon wolf hath crept on the fold,
And his voice is heard instead.
There were tears and fire in that melting tongue,
Whose coldest word was a soulful song.
Ah God ! how iron hearts were wrung
By the wail of the Keener haunted !
But Oh ! how their chords again were strung
When the Might of the Dead he chanted !
Ah ! music lived in the Old Land then,
When love made hearts, and hearts made men,
And men wrought deeds again and again
Were worthy a minstrel's song,
And minstrels there were whose immortal strain
Could no mortal prowess wrong.
PÁIRT I.
Cóiṁṡeinm Osgailteaċ.
In Earraċ a saoġail ḃí ḋá óglaċ 'san t-
[slíġe
O Ḟir na h-Éireann!
Ḃí aon aca súgaċ 'san dara aig caoi ;—
O Ḟir na h-Éireann!
Oir buḋ fear ḋíoḃ mac de ċeoltaiḃ binn',
A's do ċán sé le spioraidiḃ aeir;
Aċ an dara, do ḃí sé 'na ṡaiġdiúr grinn,
Agus d' iomċair sé croiḋe ḃí saor.
In Earraċ a saoġail ṡuiġ ḋá ṁaiġdean
O Ṁná na h-Éireann! ('san t-slíġe;
Ḃí aon aca súgaċ 'san dara aig guiḋe;
O Ṁná na h-Éireann!
Oir ḃí bean díob smuain'ḋ air Ḋia gaċ
(trá,
A's ḃí talaṁ a h-aisling' ṫar spéir;
Aċ an dara, do ġáir sí gan brón, gan
(cráḋ,
Le na croiḋe in a súiliḃ soilléir'.
Cóiṁṡeinm.
Ṫar ḃárr an tsléiḃe, os cionn an ṁáġa,
Ṫar an g-cnoc a's ṫar ḃárr na n-gleann,
Go méiréaċ a' ruagaḋ gruaim' a's sgáṫa
Amaċ ó uaiṁ a's cluan go teann.
Ṫar ṫalaṁ ḟliuċ go luaṫ aig imṫeaċt,
Scuabaḋ an drúċd ó 'n arḃar buiḋe,
Tiormuġ'ḋ deora le teas a beannaċt
Tagann Maidin an Laoi.
Tar, O tar in do ġlóire!
Tar ó do ċluan a ṁaiġdean ċeansa!
Trí lom-ċeo air ṡléiḃtiḃ móra
Soillsiġ mar óiġ a g-culaiḋ a bainse!
Oir tá'n ḟuiseog 'g éiriġe tar neul ċugad
'Gus ag aṁarc amaċ ó na scáil ċugad,
Tá'n Londuḃ 'san Smólaċ cur ceol ċug'd
Le aḃrán deáġ-ċroiḋe atá saor.
Mar sin bíḋ'ḋ Bárd seinm go binn ċug'd
Ní féidir ḋúinn éiriġe go grinn ċugad,
Aċ mar scaṫán a ċaiṫeas go glinn ċugad,
D' áillneaċt, dealruiġṫe go fíór.
PART I,
INTRODUCTORY CHORUS.
In the Springtime of life met two youths by the
[way :—
O Men of Erin !
