358
AN GAODHAL.
OIL CITY, PA., MAY 12. '84,
To the Editor of the GAEL.
Dear Sir. — I have attempted to
gratify the readers of the GAEL by
sending you a translation into Irish of
Moore’s beautiful melody written by
him to the air of Nóra Chríonna. I am
not aware that the composition has
been hitherto translated into Gaelic;
perhaps the deterring cause has been
the difficulty of the air and rhythm.
I am not so vain as to imagine that I
have attained to the climax of perfec¬
tion in my performance; but if any
critic may suppose that he can do bet¬
ter, let him try a version ; avoiding, at
the same time, the use of my terms
and phraseology. I think I have con¬
ferred a slight benefit upon our lang¬
uage by introducing into this song two
terms which, I believe, have not be¬
fore now found their way into the writ¬
ten idiom; for I have used the term
chroidhe to represent the English adjec¬
tive “dear"; for this practice is custo¬
mary in the spoken dialect; as, a
Mháire chroidhe; Dear Mary; a Dhomhnaill
chroidhe, &c. A chroidhe na páirte; and
a chroidhe na n-drólann, are also terms
of endearment in Irish. The other word
which I have introduced is groídhin, it
is in use in the south of Ireland, is pro¬
nounced very much though not exact¬
ly like the English word "groin,” and
denotes superior excellence or some¬
thing extremely occeptable, and in that
sense bears a close analogy to the
Scotch term "gree."
N B. In my last production publish¬
ed in the Gael, namely, Nead na Cua¬
iche, there was an omission of one word
in the fourth line of the first verse;
the whole line corrected runs thus in
the Gaelic, —
'S an smólach milis, ghuitheach a foínn
san n-garrán.
Yours, very truly
Wm. Russell.
(Also, read fifth word of third line and
verse of translation, "predaceous.” Ed.)
Ag Lesbia tá súil lonnrach ghlé,
Ach d'aon ní fios cé dhó do lonnrann;
A gaethe sgéidhig air deis, 's air cléith,
Ach cad uime, ag aon ní'l cúntas.
Is dilse féachain seal le gean,
Air fhoghra Nóra 's gnáthach dúnta;
Is tearc a dearc — ach gach le cheann,
Mar luisne obann bídheann sé ion'tach!
O! mo Nóra Chríonna, chroidhe,
Mo Nóra chaomhnach, mhaorga, Chríonna!
Tá áille súl ann iomadamhuil,
Ach ad dhearcaibh searc, a Nóra Chríonna!
Ag Lesbia tá daor-ghúdhnna óir,
Chómh tarrangtha cúmhang, an chuilionn,
thimchioll,
Nách bh-fanann briocht de 'n áille chóir
Air bhall d' á cruith 'nuair bhídheann sé
uímpe.
Mo ghroidhin-se gúdhnna Nóra chroídhe,
Chómh luchthmhar tá le lóithne gaoithe,
Ag fágainn gach h-uile áille saoir
Mar is áil le Neamh é — árd, no ísiol!
Seadh, mo Nóra Chríonna, dhíl!
Mo Nóra mhánla, ghrás'úil, Chríonna!
Sí 'n áille sár an rób' is feárr —
An róba tá air Nora Chríonna.
Ag Lesbia tá-san eagna ghlic;
Ach a poínc 'nuair lonnraid thimchioll-
Ní feasach d'aon cad é a d-toisg;
Nó an sinn do dhalladh, nó do dhíothchur?
Ag Nóra sinte air a cneas,
Go sámh na shuam tá grádh, faoi shoghchas,
Leaba aoibhin sítheach, thais,
Ar geall a gairbhe leis na rósaibh!
O! mo Nóra Chríonna chroidhe!
Mo Nóra chaoin neamh-ghaoiseach Chríonna!
Ag céill, cé doimhinn, aon spreidh ní
bh-faíghim
Mar théigheann do radharc, a Nóra Chrí¬
onna!
TEACH NA bh-FEAR RIAGHALTA,
Naomh Ióseph, O.
Do Chlódhadóir An Ghaodhail.
A Shaoi — Coimhéad an Gaodhal ag
imeacht. Sé buanas an Ghaodhail beath¬
a ar n-airdíntinne.
Do chara,
MICHEÁL O,HOURAGÁIN.
(Father Horrigan believes in brevity, Ed.]
