déiġionaċ. Tá sé teaċt amaċ níos
coitċionnta ná ḃiḋeaḋ sé, óir níor ṫeip
aon uiḃir míosa go fóil an ḃliaḋain so,
& is mór an sgeul sin le ráḋ. Tá fuin¬
neaṁ & spreacaḋ air h-uile niḋ ann, i
nGaeḋilge & i m-Béarla, & ní'l an oir¬
ead cainte míréasúnta ann i d-taoḃ
politics a's ḃíḋeaḋ, & mar sin is feárr
é ḃeiṫ. ("Cuir 'sa talaṁ iad a's fág
marḃ iad)
Go d-tugaiḋ Dia raṫ & raṫaṁnas
duit & saoġal fada le d'obair naoṁṫa
do leaṫnuġaḋ.
Do ḋearḃráṫair Gaolaċ,
Pádruic Ua Caṫasaiġ,
Some peculiar words as well as certain evidences
of a diphthongal vowel intonation deducible from
the rather irregular assonantal scheme used in the
following ballad declare it the work of an East
Munster man. We prefix by way of title a rather
quaint English note found in the margin. Readers
familiar with this class of Irish recognizing the ex¬
treme difficulty of making a fairly close translation
will readily accord indulgence for the short-coming
of the attempted literal rendering appended for the
use of learners.
“A dolefull Ditty, Being a Lament for John
Molloy's right shameful Desercioun of his friends
(the cordial Conversation whereof bee did enjoy be-
times) who being erstwhile of Keel in these parts
hath newly journey'd into the Wilderness of Minn¬
esota nigh to (sic) the Province of New England.',
I
Sgeul agam 'sa t-saoġal-so
Ḃí gas do ṡeasaḋ taoḃ liom
Maiseaċ, meiḋireaċ,
Magaṁuil, meaṁraċ,
Mear-ġlan, mórṫaċ, maorḋa.
II
Ba luaṫ a léim ar bántaiḃ
I ruaṫar raon an ḃáire
Tre fuinneaṁ dluṫ
A reaṫa siúḃal
Ní ḃuaḋfaḋ gaoṫ an Ṁárta air.
III
Ba sganraḋ saoġal a plaosgaḋ
De ṗlataiḋiḃ maoil ar aonaċ,
Ba ṫeann a ḋóid
Nár ṁeall i ngleo
Cum foġa ḃí faġairt a's faoḃar air
IV
Mar ċlagarnaċ a ċréim-ċur
D' ḟrasaiḃ fiuca, fraoċda,
Ar Gallaiḃ duír
Tug feall a's buaḋairt
Ar faitċe Fódla feur-ġlas.
V
Is sóġaċ do ċaiṫfeaḋ píopa
Tráṫnóna i d-taca ḋíoga
Gan suim ar doṁain
San maiġistear moḋaṁuil
Nár ḃ-fan i ḃfeiḋil ár gclaoiḋte.
VI
An tuiric ḃuain dot' ḟéirm,
Nó mustar ṁeata, ṁéirlig,
Gur breall gan strus
Gan sancum suilt,
Gan dealraḋ gan spriuc do ċaoṁ-
ċruṫ?
VII
Sáḋaile ar doṁain ní ṁuiḋfinn ort
Da ḃfaġḃainn-se coḃair ón iosbairt,
Do luaisg mo ṫreor
Do ḃruiḋig mo ṁeón
Do ṫruaill an eol ṫug Dia ḋam,
VIII
'Sé ṫeiḃ orm do réiḋteaċ
An treiġid-se ċiap na h-aoḋa ,nam,
Gur gann an glór
Ód ṗeann doġeoḃad
Ṫar tonn giḋ fada gcéin tú.
Translation.
For a while I had in this world
A youth who used to stand by me,
Beauteous jolly, funny, fanciful,
Right, active, commanding.
Smart his bounce on bawns
In the rushing rout of the hurling
Through the straining energy of his
running gait
The winds of March would not beat
him
A terror to the world all he used to
crack
Of bald pates at the fair,
Rigid-tendon'd his fist never clack
in a row
For an onslaught he was tempered and
edged.
Like the rattling, his wound-blows,
Of hail madly dancing
On the dour strangers who brought
trouble and treachery
Upon the plain of green-grand Fodla.
Merrily he would smoke a pipe
At eventide beside a ditch
Without recking the least the modest
master
Who was unwearied in seeking to en¬
compass us.
