AN GAOḊAL.
89
But the author of the poem was Dubhthach Mac
ua Lugair, royal poet of the men of Erinn. The
cause of the Senchus having been composed was
this :— Patrick came to Ireland to baptize and to
disseminate religion among the Gaeidhil, i.e., in
the ninth year of the reign of Theodosuis, and in
the fourth year of the reign of Laeghaire, son of
Niall, king of Erin.
(To be continued.)
Modern Irish as I understand it.
Raṫ-guṫa-áird a , [dún], Is airṫi ḃeir¬
ṫear Ráṫ-ġuṫa-áird, .i. ráṫ ann a n-
airgiṫíḋ b neaċ air a ġuṫ árd, .i. air a
ḃeiṫ geoineaċ, no air a ġuṫ nó a laḃ¬
airt] neiṁḋlisdineaċ nó indliġṫeaċ c ;
nó ó ġuṫaiḃ [nó laḃraḋ] na n-árd, .i. na
n-eolaċ, nó na n-árd, .i. na n-uasal.
Air ḃruaċ Niṫe, .i. Niṫ ainm na h-
aṁan, nó Niṫ, air an g-ceannairc do
las na Págánaiġ a n aġaiḋ Ṗádraic; nó
[neaṁaince) neaṁ-ṡoṁaoineaċ, .i. um
éisg agus toraḋ ; nó Niṫ neaṁonnaċ .i.
cnaip neaṁonn d do gaḃṫaoi ann a
tráiġ; nó air ġuṁa e ġoinneaċ, ronta f
do riġneaḋ a ḃ-farraḋ g le Neaṁanaċ;
mo Niṫ nimneaċ, .i. ó ḋeoċ niṁe do ra¬
daḋ h innte do Ṗádraic.
Cuaċ lán de niṁ do rad, nó do ṫug,
draoi de na draoiṫiḃ do, & do foillsíġ¬
eaḋ do Ṗádraic é, agus anns an, do
laḃair Pádraic na briaṫra so ós lionn:
"Iubu fis fri ibu, fis ibu anfis, *
Fris bru uaṫa, ibu liṫu Xristi Iesu."
Agus, giḋ bé air biṫ déarfas sin for i
niṁ no lionn ní ḃeiḋ iorċóid air d'a
ṫaoiḃ. No cumaḋ é "In nomine Dei
Pátris, &c." Do neiṫ j ann, agus do
ċúm agus do ċan ós k an lionn. End
of the Notes.
The following is the poem promised.
"Do ḃaist Pádraic le glóir,
Ann aimsir Ṫéódósuis,
Ṡeanṁóireaḋ sé go maiṫ,
Do ṫuaiṫ ionṁolta ṁic Ṁiliḋ."
Agus do b' iad uġdair an t-Seancuis
an uiḃir do ṗearsanaiḃ do ḃuain leis
An Seancus, .i. :—
"Laoġaire, Corc a's Daire dúr,
Padraic, Beannan, a's Ceárnaċ cóir,
Rosa Duḃṫaċ a's Feargus buḋ ṡéiṁ,
Buḋ naoi d-taca do'n t-Seancus Mór"
Aċd iomorro, do b' é Duḃṫaċ mac ui
Lugair, ríġ ḟile ḃ-fear n-Éireann, úġ¬
dair an laoiḋ. Do b' é tuccaid l an
t-Seanċuis do ċuma so :— Téaċt Ṗád¬
raic go h-Éirinn ċum baiste & creidiṁ
do sgaipeaḋ a measg na n-Gaoḋal, .i.
anns an naoṁaḋ bliaḋain de ḟlaiṫeas
Téódósuis, agus anns an ceaṫraṁaḋ
bliaḋain de ḟlaiṫeas Laoġaire mac
Néill, riġ Éireann.
Le ḃeiṫ leanta.
N. B — I thought it better to retain some of the
words of the original in my version in as much as
they are found in modern print.
Notes.
a guṫ árd, may signify, loud speaking,
high voice, or voice of the high or
noble.
b airgiḋíḋ, v. was punished, fixed, fas¬
tened, tied, bound.
c neiṁḋlisdineaċ nó indliġṫeaċ, adj.
unlawful
d neaṁonn, n. m. is a diamond, not o¬
nyx as in translation.
e guṁa, n. m. a battle
f ront or ronta, adj. fierce, cruel.
g farraḋ, n. m. company, a ḃ-farraḋ,
in company with.
h rad, v. to give or bestow.
i for, prep, over, on or upon.
j neiṫ, n. m. battle, fight, engagement.
The God of battle with the pagan I¬
rish.
k ós, prep. over, above.
l tuccaid, n. f. cause, reason, occasion.
* It is seen that this prayer or invocation, as it
were, is given in the English translation as in the
original Irish, except the change of type, and an
explanatory note from the author says, “ibu, etc.
These words, like some of the charms of the middle
ages, appear to have no meaning.” Well, I disagree
with the author or translator, and without a proper
resource at my command, I will try to give them,
at least, a partial signification. I will separate the
words, and as an elucidation, write as below, as
near a meaning as possible beneath each. Thus. —
Iubu or iobaḋ
fis
fri ibu or iḃim
Death
knowledge with I drink,
fis
ibu or iḃe anfis or ainḃis,
knowledge
drinking
ignorance,
Fris
bru or bruḋ uaṫa, ibu or iḃim
With-him confusion
singly, I drink
liṫ liṫu Xristi Iesu or Iosa.
prosperity Christ Jesus.
Then is not this like what it means, —
Iḃim le fios bás, fios ag iḃe ainḃḟios,
