50
AN GAODHAL.
fown. Their correct pronunciation is
noted in the paradigm, p. 38.
Exercice 1.
Translate —
1. I am pleased. 2. It is a pleasure with me
i.e., am I pleased? 3. The cliff is high. 4. Is
the cliff high ? 5. A blessing from God on you,
i.e., God bless you. 6. There is fame on you, i.e.
you are famous. 7. (There) is leave with me, i.e.
I have leave. 8. The wine is white, and the swan
is white. 9. The man is just. 10. Help me. 11
I am withered. 12. He has a wife. 13. Has
he a wife? 14. I have a question on you, i.e., I
have a question put to you. 15. Have you a ques¬
tion (to put) to me? 16. I am worthy. 17. There
is a hump on me, and I have a harp. 18 It is
better with me you to have a harp than a hump,
i.e., I wish rather you to have a cruit than on you
19. There is knowledge with me. 20. Do you
know — literally — is knowledge at you? 21. There
is esteem on me, i.e., I am esteemed. 22. Are you
esteemed? 23 Are you famed ? 24. I am not
25. Is want on you, i.e., are you in want? 26.
Want is on me, i.e, I am suffering from want.
Exercise 2.
VOCABULARY.
órdha, golden.
uibhe, uibheacha, eggs.
áirighe, certain.
rug, laid, did lay.
mío-shástadh, dissatisfied,
righin, slow.
teacht-asteach, income.
smuaineadh, thinking.
cisde, treasure.
do fhághail, to get.
a g-cuideacht, at once
mharbhuidh, killed.
fuair, found.
go díreach, just, exactly.
mar, like.
bheidheadh, would be [pron, veyuch.]
aon, any.
santuigheann, covets
mórán, much.
tuileadh, more; merits.
cailleann, loses.
iomlán, all.
rug, or breith, did seize; did bring forth
Translate into Irish. —
The Goose with the Golden Eggs.
A certain man had the good fortune to possess
a Goose which laid him a Golden Egg every day.
But dissatisfied with so slow an income, and think¬
ing to seize the whole treasure at once, he killed
the Goose; and cutting her open, found her — just
what any other goose would be !
Much wants more and loses all.
Hints. — ádh, luck, is the same as for¬
tune : and to have is equal to possess,
and "at” one is possession. Also, what
one has in the way of the "senses,” con¬
tra-distinguished from the materiality,
is “on" him, or her.
[ Students please bear in mind that all lan¬
guages have their innate (if the expression be per¬
mitted) peculiarities. See, for instance, the various
sounds of gh in though, rough, high, slough, etc.,
and ea in fear, heart, heavy, etc. in the English
language; and that if a German or other foreign¬
er were to re-formulate that language he would
have the plural of man formed by the addition of
s, in the usual manner, and he could maintain
that it was according to rule !
Then, the accepted grammars and dictionaries of
languages are our guides, and it is by them we are
bound : and if we ignore them, whatever our pri¬
vate conceptions may be, we place ourselves bey¬
ond the pale of common forbearance.
The Irish is freer from constructural irregulari¬
ties than any other language. But howsoever di¬
rect and cogent the rules of a foreign language
(and the Irish is as foreign to the English-speak¬
ing Irishman as the English is to the German) may
be they become awkward, and we would fix them
our own way. Hence the tendency of late of a
certain class of foreigners to experiment on the
Irish language their philological prowess, resting
assured (apparently) that they were as safe in doing
so as was the Ass in throwing his heels in the face
of the dying Lion — He is not yet dead. — Ed.
AR m-BAILE DÍL FÉIN.
(Home, Sweet Home.)
Gídh siúbhlamaoid 'measg fonn a's
'measg pálas annseo,
Dá úmhla ar m-baile is feárr linn é
gan gó,
Bídheann beannacht ó Dhia féin 's an áit
sin a choídh',
Noch nach bh-fuil le fagháil a n-áit eile
air bíth.
Ar m-baile dhíl féin,
Dá úmhla atá tú
'Stú 'n áit is feárr faoi 'n ngréin.
Ní h-áil liom aon nídh 'nuair atáim air
seachrán,
A! tabhair dham arís dídeann sámh mo
bhótháin,
An t-eun a sgap suairceas go minic
am' chroídhe;
'S an cara fíor m'anma budh dilse air
bíth.
GABHAR DONN.
[We have an excellent piece consisting of 64 lines
from the Gabhar Donn for next issue. We hope
trans-Atlantic friends will write plainly as they
are too far away to receive "proof.” The Gabhar,
Fr. Growney and Mr. Henebry write plain script]
