154
AN GAOḊAL
ring, mayst thou be, bright, secret love of my
heart. 13. Because thou art, O Lord, very good,
I am resolved, from this forward, to be faithful
to Thee. 14. O loving God, O loveliest love of
my heart, treasure a thousand times, universal
goodness, I give myself up to Thee, to be under
thy guidance for ever, because Thou art good to
me and loving in my regard, and that Thou deser-
est my entire love; from this forward I will love
thee from my heart, and there will never be an
end to it, by the help of Thy holy grace. 15. O
treasure of my bosom, how great was the love you
had for your father-in-law, whereas you paid all
that was on him. 16. Is your mother-in-law in
the house? 17. She is, in consequence of her
daughter being ill ; but she will be glad when she
will have learned that an honest man like you was
inquiring for her. 18. Her fame and reputation
through the country is great. 19. It is true they
are. 20. May she be so from this onward.
Baile na Saiġdiúiriḋ, Condae
Montgomeriġ, Ohio, an t-oċt air
ḟiċid lá de ṁí na Saṁnaḋ, '82.
A Ċara Ḋilis:
Do ċuir mé air aġaiḋ ċugad trí ḟiċ-
id piġine ċum aisíoc air ṡon An
Ġaoḋail air feaḋ bliaḋain eile ó Ios-
ep Moriartiġ.
Tá 'n aimsir an ḟuar annso anois le
sneaċta air an talaṁ agus le sioc geur.
Táim a sláinte ṁaíṫ anois, buiḋeaċas
do Ḋia. agus tá súil agam a ċlos go ḃ-
fuil tú a sláinte ṁaiṫ mar an g-ceud-
na.
Do ṫug mé iarraċt a h-aṫruiġṫe ó 'n
d-teangain ḃéarla gorḃ ċum ar d-tean-
gan ṁín, ṁilis, ṁáṫara, innis ḋam ann
san Gaoḋal, ma 's sé do ṫoil é, ma
ṡaoilean tú mar sin gur ab na focail
go ceart. Is so iad go ḃ-fuil na foc-
ail aig teaċt air éis. —
"Do ḃeiṫ sásta 'nuair a tá mí-áḋ
orrainn Do ḃeiṫ foiġdeaċ 'nuair ní
fuaramar brontanas : agus áṫas mór
orrainn 'nuair a tá siad aig taḃairt
dúinn. Go cinnte, is é seo páirt árd
go mór na h-eagna. Is meuduiġṫe de 'n
ċroiḋe aig a ḃ-fuil bailiuġaḋ-ṁilis aig
dul suas árd go flaiṫis."
Translation.
To be resigned when ills betide us : patient
when we receive not gifts: and glad when they
are given to us.
Surely this is wisdom's highest part.
It is the insense of the heart, whose fragrance is
going up high to the kingdom of Heaven,
"B-fuil aon ḟear aig a ḃ-fuil anam
ċo marḃ a nár ḋuḃairt leis féin é go
brát; Is é seo mo ṫalaṁ ḋílis ḋúċais
féin é."
Translation :
Is there a man with soul so dead who to himself
has never said? This is my own dear native
land !
Agus anois deirim leat, ó mo ċroiḋe
amaċ,
Go Saoruiġ Dia Éire!
(Maiseaḋ ó ṫárla naċ ḃ-fuil maiṫ
ann sagart air biṫ gan cléireaċ
deir muidne, leis an mian ceudna,
ÁMÉN — F. G.)
Beannaċt De leat, a ṁic, a rún ḋílis.
Fanaim do ċara fíor-ḃuan,
Miċeál Eoġan Ua Cullán.
We refrain from giving an opinion as to the
merits or demerits of the foregoing translations
so as to allow our Gaelic students an opportunity
to test their lingual capabilities.
An honored student of the language suggested
to us some time ago that such competition as this
proposed would be of great advantage to those
who, like himself, had only a classical knowledge
of the language. We could not then open our col-
umns for such purpose owing to our limited sup¬
ply of Gaelic type ; we do it now, and invite all
our Gaelic students to take part in it.
Hence, an original paragraph will be sub-
mitted monthly in future for translatory competi-
tion ; the competitors to be known only by a cer-
tain letter, except to us. Now, in case premiums
should at any time be offered for the best transla-
tions (and we hope a small fund will be raised for
the purpose), we think that a majority of such
competitors might adjudicate, or, five of our most
prominent Gaelic scholars might be appointed, the
decision of a majority of them to be final : we con-
fining said judges to not occupy more than one
column, individually, of the Gael when rendering
their decision.
Our students need not, under this arrange-
ment, be ashamed of criticism as the assumed let-
ter only will go before the public. Let us, then,
have a translation of the above from all our stu-
dents — there is nothing that improves a student
so much as translating exercises. We shall pub-
lish all the translations sent to us of the matter
proposed. A friendly rivalry of this kind will be
of incalculable service to the student aud a pow-
erfully propelling lever in extending the language
Communications on this head will be inserted
in the order of their reception.
