ḃí sé ag leanaṁaint Doṁnaill ċun sásaiṁ do ḃaint ḋe, ’nuair ṫáinig duine icínt roiṁe ’san dorus agus ċonġḃaiġ istiġ é. D’ḟan Doṁnall ar fud na sráide nó gur ṫuit an oiḋċe, aċt do ḃí na daoine go léir ag dul i leaṫ-taoiḃ uaḋ, mar do ḃí sé imṫiġṫe amaċ air go raiḃ sé éadtrom. D’ḟan sé ’san tóraṁ go timċioll an ṁeaḋóin oiḋċe, agus annsan do ċuaiḋ sé aḃaile ag ráḋ leis féin, “Taisbeánfaiḋ mise ḋóiḃ ar maidin a máraċ ná fuil mé as an sliġe i n-aon ċor.”
(Le ḃeiṫ ar leanaṁaint).
TRANSLATION.
Out in the day, Daniel and his mother were eating a meal for themselves, and who should strike in but a friend whose name was James Moloney, looking for the loan of a basket to put out a little share of manure.
“Goodness from God on ye,” says James.
“God and Mary to you,” say both. “How are you?”
“Move down to the fire,” says the old woman. “The day is cold; we had frost last night.”
“By my baptism we had, but where's the wonder? is not the winter on us now?”
“Have you any strange news, James?” says Daniel.
“Wisha, God help us! I have a bad story, and, indeed, I don't like it Michael O’Connor's child is dead.”
“Dead, aroo! Who said that?”
“I was down at the strand a while ago for a taescán of seaweed, and Yellow John was there before me, and it was he told me the story. He said that Michael found the child cold by his side when he woke in the morning. John was at the sandhills for a load of sand, and when he was coming through Lahinch, Michael and his wife were out in the street screeching and shouting, and the neighbours entirely gathered around, and they having the pity of the world on them.”
“O, vo, vo! Isn't it great trouble that fell on the poor people! Michael will break his heart after the child, he was so fond of him. Indeed, it is a pitiful story you have, James.”
They remained there talking for a little while, but the old woman thought it was too long, for she was afraid that the child would put a screech out of him in the room, and she said to Daniel:
“Put your coat on you and walk down to the corpse- house. Perhaps Michael would get some business of you.”
Daniel arose and prepared himself, and James took the basket, and they went out together.
Daniel walked down, and when he came to Michael O’Connor's house the child was “laid out” in the cradle in the kitchen, and his mother crying and keening over him, and the neighbours gathered in to the wake. Daniel did not let on anything at first, and he had great pity for Michael; but, after a while, he went to the fire putting a coal on his pipe, and when he turned back again, he looked at the “hero” in the cradle, and he let a burst of laughter out of him, and then another, in a way that all the people thought that he was gone out of his mind. Then he walked out, and the people inside were making wonder of the nasty thing he did. This is the reason Daniel put the burst of laughter out of him: when he looked at the cradle it is the thing he saw there a despicable-looking crabbed little creature, with long whiskers on him, and one eye opened watching every twist that Daniel put out of him. The other people thought that it was Michael O’Connor’s child who was in it, but it was not that way with Daniel. Poor Michael got very angry, and he said he never thought that anybody would do such a thing on him—to make fun of him on account of the trouble God put on him—and he was following Daniel to take satisfaction of him, when somebody came before him in the door and kept him inside. Daniel remained about the street till the night fell, but the people were turning aside from him, for it was gone out on him that he was “light.” He remained at the wake till about midnight, and then he went home, saying to himself, “I will show them to-morrow morning that I am not out of the way, at any rate.”
(To be continued.)
NOTES.
Leasuġaḋ, “manure;” literally, improvement.
ó ċianaiḃ (pronounced ó ċianaċ), “a while ago.”
teascán, “a small load.”
múraiġ, gen. of múraċ, “seaweed.”
truaiġṁéileaċ, “pitiful.”
buail síos, “strike down;” meaning walk or proceed down. In English there are such expressions as “He struck out westward,” &c.
sgairt ġáire, “a loud burst of laughter.”
féasógaiḋe, “whiskers;” for feusóga, plural of feusóg, “beard.”
go raiḃ se éadtrom, that he was “light” or gone wrong in the head.
Tomás O’H-Aoḋa.
PROVERBS AND POPULAR SAYINGS.
(Continued from December).
26. A Clare version of the “four winds” (Mr. Hayes):
Gaoṫ anduaiḋ, bíonn sí cruaiḋ, ⁊ bain-
eann sí uain as caoiriḃ,
Gaoṫ andeas, bíonn sí tais, ⁊ cuireann
sí an raiṫ ar ṡíoltaiḃ,
Gaoṫ anoir, bíonn sí treis, ⁊ cuireann
sí feilc ar ḋaoiniḃ,
Gaoṫ aniar, bíonn sí dian, ⁊ curieann
sí iasg ċu’ tíre.
Treis, strong; feilc, shivering; ċu’ = ċum.
