454
AN GAOḊAL
Michael Sweeney, the bard of Iar-Connaught,
who composed this song, had been asked one time
to dispraise Jenny Ward whose beauty and comeli¬
ness were envied by the village belles. The bard
disguised himself as a stranger and proceeded to
where Miss Ward had been engaged with some
girls of the neighborhood scutching flax. Pre¬
tending to be a poor man, he asked the girls if
any of them would be kind enough to direct
him to where he could find a night's lodging,
but the girls did not seem to have any com¬
passion on him, save one, and that one was
Jenny Ward. She directed him to her father's
house, instructing him to say that she sent him
to find a night's shelter and whatever else he could
get with it, promising him that he would be suc¬
cessful.
The bard left, and instead of dispraising Jenny
Ward, wrote the following. I wrote this from the
dictation of Mr. Patrick Mylott of West Hoboken.
Martin. P. Ward.
JENNY WARD.
Air — Suas air Ḃruaċ an t-Sléiḃe.
I
Ṡiúḃal mise ṫart Éire agus Sacsanaiġ
dá réir sin,
Asia agus Égipt is gaċ aon ḃaile cuain
Agus mac saṁuil mo ċeud-searc ní ḟa¬
ca mé 'sa méid sin,
Le na h-oineaċt as le na féile, le ciall
& le stuaim.
Is aici ḃí na beusaiġ nár smuain ariaṁ
air aon ḟear;
Buḋ deacair bean d'a tréiġṫe air aon
ċor d' ḟáġail;
Cia gur mór le ráḋ 'san m-Béarla Di¬
ana, Juno 's Ḃénus,
Ní h-iad a ġeaḃfaḋ an scór aċ an
péarlaḋ, Jenny Ward.
II
Is gile í réir mo ṫuairim 'ná 'n eala air
na cuanta,
Is bu binne liom naoi nuaire í 'ná na
cuaċa anns an ngleann;
Ní cainteoir bog no cruaiḋ í, is tá sí
céilliġe, stuama,
Is ní'l aon níḋ dul cruaiġ airṫi tá foil¬
leaṁnaċ do ṁnaoi.
An trá ṫéiḋmuid ann suaircis sí ḃíḋ¬
eas againn air ġluaiseaċt;
Sí an ċraoḃ 'measg na m-buaċall í trá
ḃíḋeann siad cruinn;
Sé mo leun gan mé 'san stuaḋ-ḃean fé
ḃruaċ na coille dualaiġ,
Ó sí ḃláṫ na g-craoḃ í a ṫóigfeaḋ an
ceo duḃ dom' ċroiḋe.
III
Is deas é 'nna cuid eaduiġ, 'sní deise
'ná 'nna feuċaint,
Is deas a súil sa béilín 'stá an ċaor in
a gruaḋ;
Is deas a brollaċ glégeal is a ḋá ciċ
ċórṫa ġeura,
A cúilín costa craoḃ ġlas 'sa h-eudan
gan ġruaim.
Bu deas a meaṁair meur í seinm tiúin
air ṫeudaiḃ,
No a spriġáil píosaiḋe céimbriċ le ciall
agus le stuaim;
'Sgo m-beárr liom-sa gan spré í lá
breáġ le éiriġ gréine.
’Ná a ḃ-fuil ó Ċruaċ go Néṗinn faoi
ċaoiriḃ is faoi ḃuaiḃ
IV
Cia ċíḋfeaḋ i d-tiġ an óil í, sí gnaoi
gaċ buaċaill óg í,
'San daiḃseóir deas ní beo é gan a taḃ¬
leis air láiṁ;
Ní'l fear grinn no deunaḋ órḋáin naċ
orṫi ḃíḋeas a cóṁráḋ,
'Sdá ráḋ gur b'í 'n reult eoluis í trá¬
nóna is maidin ḃreáġ.
Tá 'n lilí 'gus an rósa in a gruaḋ is
gile có-ṡnuaḋ,
Tá a súil mar an ómra deunaḋ eoluis
ann gaċ gleann;
'Sgur milse blas a póigín 'ná mil na m-
beaċ 'sa b-Fóġṁar,
'Sé mo leun gan mise pósda le mo
stóirín, Jenny Ward.
V
A stóirín fearaiḃ Éireann ní duit buḋ
ċóir mé ṡeunaḋ,
'Gus ḟeaḃas do molfainn féin ṫú is do
ḃeurfainn duit-se cliú;
Ó buḋ daṁsa b'ḟusaḋ ḋeunaḋ ó's mé 's
faide ċaiṫ dod' ḟeuċáint,
A breaṫnúġ' air ċlár d' eudain nuair
ba leur dam do ṡnuaḋ.
Trá ḋearcas air do ṁéinn-ṁaiṫ dar
liom buḋ láġaċ do ṫréiġṫe,
Led' oineaċt agus féile le ciall agus le
stuaim;
Aċ ó sé mise naċ ḃ-fuil breugaċ ní
ċáinfiḋ me go h-eug ṫu,
A's mo ṁíle beannaċt 's ceuḋ leat ó
naċ n-éalóċ' tú liom.
