234
AN GAODHAL.
Translation.
If you were mine, dearest, oh, how happy you'd be,
Your infant when weeping I'd soothe on my knee;
Or if lately in Scotland I'd chanced to meet thee,
We'd surely not leave there till married we'd be.
Long time I let pass ere my love I'd disclose,
Or the mountains I'd follow my charming dark
Rose:
O'er the Erne he'd leap lightly, tho' wide the
(stream flows,
Like a sun-beam shining brightly is my lovely
dark Rose.
Should you see Rose on Sundays when fresh forth
she goes,
Round her waist St. Francis' girdle — in all hearts
love for her grows;
The time came when she longed for the mild, come-
(ly youth,
If not checked she'll beguile the whole order in
truth.
To the fair she goes airily in apparel so fine,
Tho' she has no dowry, nor treasure, nor kine.
But a locked trunk well stored with the costliest
clothes —
That's the charm with which she won me, my
(pretty dark Rose.
You've subdued me, fair teaser, — happy may you
never be —
Long, long, as my soul, love, been yearning for
(thee,
But alas! you have left me weak, helpless and poor,
Don't deceive me nor leave me till your words you
make sure.
Stars may fall from the skis, blood in streams
may be shed,
The Erne in huge waves roll o'er dark Rose's head,
Royal crowns may be rent, and the sea decompose,
But to none will I e'er yield my darling dark Rose.
In the sky a bright star thro' the thick mist I see,
The like's not in Erin, and never shall be,
Fairest flower of Irish women and of young maid¬
ens gay,
One sweet kiss from your lips would drive tooth-
(ache away.
If I had a plough that would plough 'gainst the hill,
Or a harrow that would level the whole world at will,
I'd do feats without number my love to disclose,
And my best prayers I'd offer for my winsome dark
Rose.
Literal. — O Rose, if you were mine, would it
not be happy for you, It is nicely I should soothe
your little child, if it were weeping ; Or in Scot¬
land if we happened to meet yesterday or to day,
[It is] a true story, love, that we not return till
you'd marry me.
Was it not a long time I gave her from yesterday
till to-nay? Across the mountain I myself would
follow her, my dark Rose; The creekl of the Erne
she took in a leap (she leaped across tho' great the
flood, And like a sunbeam on mountain slope is
my dark Rose.
If you see Rose on Sunday, and she rising (going)
forth, St. Francis's girdle on her around, about the
middle of her form; The time came on (to) her when
she coveted the young man fair (2), And if a check
does not go on her (is not put on her) she will be¬
witch the whole order.
'Tis airily she goes to the fair in her quilted gown,
Without dowry at her, or worldly means, or moun¬
tain kine, But the apparel very fine (which) she has
in a locked chest, That's the charm with which she
allured me, my dark Rose.
You've harassed me, you mischievous one (3), and
may it not be happy for you, (And that my soul de¬
sires you, and it is not yesterday or to day), For
you have left me weak, helpless, without means,
without fortune. (4) And do not act deceit on (tow¬
ards) me till you verify your words to me.
Stars will (may) fall from the sky and blood be
shed, The Erne fall in strong waves on my dark
Rose, Royal crowns will (may) be shattered, and
the sea rot, But with no man will I let my dark
Rose.
There is a star in the skies in (at) the edge of the
mist (5), The like is not in Erin, and never shall be,
Flower of Irish women and blossom of the young
maids, 'Twould be a cure for the toothache, he
who'd get from you a kiss.
If I had a plough that would plough against the
mountains, Or a harrow that would harrow the
whole world, I'd do feats on the back of (over) feats
for my dark Rose. And I'd give a Gospel of the
Mass to my dark fledgling.
NOTES.
1 gaoth, an old Irish word, meaning a
creek, an inlet. In its anglicised form Gwee, we have
in Donegal two examples of the use of this word in
the place-names Gweedore and Gweebarra.
2 The "fair young man whom Rose coveted, and
who was probably the author of this song, is said to
have been a monk. This explains the following line,
"If not checked, she'll beguile the whole order."
3 a bhradoig, vocative case of bradog,
a mischievous or wicked person, deri¬
ved from the adj. bradać, wicked, an¬
noying.
4 cruth usually means form, shape,
condition; but here it means fortune,
or dowry, same as spré.
5 This line is explained by the person from whom
I got the song as meaning that Rose's parents dwelt
on a high hill side, and that their home, as seen
from the glen beneath, seemed, as it were, in the
sky, or outlined against it. Hence is compared to
"a star in the sky, at the edge of the mist" covering
the mountain-tops.
The Irish Pennsylvanian, Pittsburgh, Pa. urges
the Iris-Americans of that city to organize Gaelic
classes. We hope brother Flannery will be success¬
ful and that the Gaels of Pittsburgh will second
his laudable efforts.
The Cleveland Mugwumps, who are composed
exclusively of the English and "Scotch-Irish" ele¬
ments, oppose the election of Edward Murphy to
the United States Senate because his name is Mur¬
phy. Mr. Murphy is a rich man and yet we nev¬
er heard of him to give a cent to help the move¬
ment which is exposing the nothingness and braz¬
en impudence of the class referred to, as may be
seen in the Gael's sub-title page. But Mr Murphy
and his class are getting what they deserve. When
they would remain in the dirt every Tom, Dick,
and Harry should give them a puck; and they do.
