Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge/Imleabhar 5/Uimhir 9/Seadhna

by Peadar Ua Laoghaire

[ 131 ]

SEAḊNA.

(Ar leanṁuin.)

	[ 132 ] TRANSLATION.
[ 131 ]Nóra. Seáḋ![1]—a Ṗeg. Támaoid anso—arís—Tá saoṫar[2] orm—ḃíos ag riṫ—ḃí eagla orm—go mbeiḋeaḋ an sgeul ar siúḃal reoṁam, ⁊ go mbeiḋeaḋ cuid de caillte agam.	[ 132 ]Nora. There!—Peg we are here—again—. There’s a saothar on me—. I was running. I was afraid—that the story would be going on before me, and that I would have some of it lost.
[ 131 ]Peg. Am’ ḃriaṫar go ḃfanfamaois leat, a Nóra, a laoiġ.[3] Ní’l i ḃfad ó ṫáinig Gobnuit.	[ 132 ]Peg. Indeed, Nora, my dear, we would wait for you. It is not long since Gobnet came.
[ 131 ]Gob. Mar sin[4] do ḃí cuigion agam dá ḋeunaṁ, ⁊ b’eigin doṁ-sa dul siar[5] leis an im go Beul an Ġearrṫa, ⁊ ’nuair a ḃíos ag teaċt a ḃaile an coṁgar,[6] do ṫuit an oiḋċe orm, ⁊ geallaim ḋuit gur baineaḋ preab asam. Ḃíos ag cuiṁneuġaḋ[7] ar Ṡeaḋna ⁊ ar an ór ⁊ ar an ḃfear nduḃ, ⁊ ar na spreaċaiḃ ḃí ag teaċt as a ṡúiliḃ, ⁊ mé ag riṫ sul a mbeiḋinn déiḋeanaċ, ’nuair ṫógas mo ċeann ⁊ cad do ċífinn aċt an rud[8] ’n‑a ṡeasaṁ ar m’aġaiḋ amaċ—An Gollán! ar an gceud aṁarc dá dtugas air, do ṫiuḃrainn an leaḃar go raiḃ aḋarca air!	[ 132 ]Gob. Yes, for we were making a churn, and it was necessary for me to go west with the butter to Beul-an-Ghearrtha; and when I was coming home the short cut, the night fell on me, and I promise you that there was a start taken out of me. There was not the like of it of a jump ever taken out of me. I was thinking of Seadhna, and of the gold, and of the black man, and of the sparks that were coming out of his eyes, and I running before I would be late, when I raised my head, and what should I see but the thing standing out overright me—the Gollán! On the first look that I gave it I’d swear there were horns on it.
[ 131 ]Nóra. A ḋiaṁaise, a Ġobnuit, éist do ḃeul, ⁊ ná bí dár mboḋraḋ led’ ġollánaiḃ ⁊ led’ aḋarcaiḃ. Aḋarca ar an nGollán! Feuċ air sin!	[ 132 ]Nora. Oyewisha, Gobnet, whist your mouth, and don’t be bothering us with your Gollans and your horns. Horns on a Gollan! Look at that!
[ 131 ]Gob. B’éidir dá mbeiḋṫeá féin ann, gur beag an fonn magaiḋ a ḃeiḋeaḋ ort.	[ 132 ]Gob. Maybe if you were there yourself, ’tis little of the inclination of fun would be on you.
[ 131 ]Síle. Feuċ anois! cia atá ag cosg an sgéil? B’éidir go gcuirfeaḋ Cáit Ní Ḃuaċalla orm-sa é.	[ 132 ]Sheela. See, now! who is stopping the story? Maybe Kate Buckley would put it on me.
[ 131 ]Cáit. Ní ċuirfiḋ, a Ṡíle. Táir ad’ ċailín ṁaiṫ anoċt, ⁊ tá ana-ċion agam ort. Mo ġráḋ í sin![9] Mo ġráḋ am’ ċroíḋe istiġ í!	[ 132 ]Kate. I will not, Sheela; you are a good girl to-night. I am very fond of you. My darling she is! My darling in my heart within she is!
[ 131 ]Síle. Seaḋ go díreaċ![10] Fan go mbeiḋ fearg ort, ⁊ b’éidir ná déarfá “Mo ġráḋ í sin!”	[ 132 ]Sheela. Yes, indeed! Wait till yon are angry, and maybe then you would not say “my darling she is.”
[ 131 ]Nóra. Seo, seo! stadaiḋ, a ċailíniḋe. Mise ⁊ mo ġollán fa ndeár[11] an obair seo. Caiṫ uait an stoca soin, a Ṗeg, ⁊ sgaoil ċuġainn an sgeul. An ḃfuair Seaḋna an sparán? Is iomḋa duine ḃí i rioċt sparáin d’faġail ⁊ naċ ḃfuair.	[ 132 ]Nora. Come, come! stop, girls. I and my Gollan are the cause of this work. Throw away that stocking, Peg, and let us have the story. Did Seadhna get the purse? Many a person was on the point of getting a purse, and did not.
[ 131 ]Peg. Ċoṁ luaṫ ⁊ duḃairt Seaḋna an focal, “dar ḃríġ na mionn!” do ṫáinig aṫruġaḋ gné ar an ḃfear nduḃ. Do noċt sé a ḟiacla ṡíos ⁊ tsuas, ⁊ is iad do ḃí go dlúite ar a ċéile. Ṫáinig sórd crónáin as a ḃeul, ⁊ do ṫeip ar Ṡeaḋna a ḋeunaṁ amaċ cia ’co ag gáiriḋe ḃí sé nó ag dranntuġaḋ. Aċt nuair d’ḟeuċ sé suas idir an dá ṡúil air, ba ḋóbair go dtiucfaḋ an sgannraḋ ceudna air a ṫáinig air i dtosaċ. Do ṫuig sé go maiṫ naċ ag gáiriḋe ḃí an díolṁuineaċ.[12] Ní ḟeacaiḋ sé riaṁ roiṁe sin aon dá ṡúil ba ṁeasa ’ná iad, aon ḟeuċaint ba ṁalluiġṫe ’ná an ḟeuċaint do ḃí aco, aon ċlár eudain ċoṁ dúr, ċóṁ droċ-aigeanta leis an gclár eudain do ḃí os a gcionn. Níor laḃair sé, ⁊ do riin’ sé a ḋíċeall gan a leigint air gur ṫug sé fé ndeara an dranntuġaḋ. Le n‑a linn sin, do leig an fear duḃ an t‑ór amaċ arís ar a ḃais, ⁊ do ċóṁairiṁ.[13] “Seo!” ar seisean, “a Ṡeaḋna. Sin céad punt agat ar an gceud sgilling a ṫugais uait indiu. An ḃfuilir díolta?” “Is mór an ḃreis[14] í!” arsa Seaḋna. “Baḋ ċóir go ḃfuilim.” “Cóir[15] nó eugcóir,” ars’ an fear duḃ, “an ḃfuilir díolta?” ⁊ do ġeuruiġ ⁊ do ḃrosduiġ[16] ar an ndranntuġaḋ. [ 132 ]“Ó! táim díolta, táim díolta!” arsa Seaḋna, “go raiḃ maiṫ agat-sa.” “Seo! má ’seaḋ,” ar seisean. “Sin céad eile agat ar an dara sgilling ṫugais uait indiu.” “Sin í an sgilling a ṫugas do’n ṁnaoi a ḃí cos-noċtuiġṫe.” “Sin í an sgilling a ṫugais do’n ṁnaoi uasail[17] ċeudna.” “Má ba ḃean uasal í, cad do ḃeir[18] cos-noċtuiġṫe í, ⁊ cad do ḃeir dí mo sgilling do ḃreiṫ uaim-se, ⁊ gan agam aċt sgilling eile i n‑a diaiḋ?” “Má ba ḃean uasal í! Dá mbeiḋeaḋ a ḟios agat! Sin í an ḃean uasal do ṁill mise!” Le linn na ḃfocal sain do ráḋ ḋó, do ṫáinig criṫ ċos ⁊ láṁ air, do stad an dranntán, do luiġ a ċeann siar ar a ṁuineál, d’ḟeuċ sé suas ins a’ spéir, ṫáinig driuċ[19] báis air ⁊ clóḋ cuirp ar a ċeannaċaiḃ.[20]	[ 132 ]Peg. As soon as Seadhna uttered tha words—“By the virtue of the Holy Things!” a change of appearance came on the black man. He bared his teeth above and below, and it is they that were clenched upon each other. A sort of low sound came out of his mouth, and it failed [ 133 ]Seadhna to make out whether it was laughing he was or growling. But when he looked up between the two eyes on him, the same terror was near coming on him that came on him at first. He understood well that it was not laughing the “lad” was. He never before then saw any two eyes that were worse than they, any look that was more malignant than the look they had, any forehead as evil-minded as the forehead that was above them. He did not speak, and he did his best to pretend that he did not notice the growling. At the same time the black man let the gold out again on his palm and counted it. “Here!” said he, “Seadhna, there are a hundred pounds for you for the first shilling you gave away to-day. Are you paid?” “It should be right that I am (I should think I am).” “Right or wrong!” said the black man, “are you paid?” and the growling became sharper and quicker. “Oh! I am paid, I am paid,” said Seadhna, “thank you!” “Here! if so," said he, “there is another hundred for you, for the second shilling you gave away to-day.” “That is the shilling I gave to the woman who was barefooted.” “That is the shilling you gave to the same gentlewoman.” “If she was a gentlewoman, what made her barefooted? and what made her take from me my shilling, and I having but another shilling left?” “If she was a gentlewoman! If you only knew! she is the gentlewoman that ruined me!” While he was saying those words a trembling of hands and feet came on him. The growling ceased. His head leaned backwards on his neck. He gazed up into the sky. An attitude of death came on him, and the stamp of a corpse came on his face.
[ 132 ]’Nuair ċonnaic Seaḋna an iompáil lí[21] sin, ṫáinig iongnaḋ a ċroiḋe air. “Ní fuláir,” ar seisean, go neaṁġuiseaċ,[22] “nó ní hé seo an ċéad uair agat ag aireaċtain teaċt ṫáirsi[23] siúd.” Do léim an fear duḃ. Do ḃuail sé buille dá ċrúib ar an dtalaṁ, i dtreo gur ċriṫ an fód do ḃí fé ċois Ṡeaḋna. “Ciorrḃaḋ ort!” ars’ eisean. “Éist do ḃeul no basgfar ṫú!” “Gaḃaim párdún agat, a ḋuine uasail!” arsa Seaḋna, go moḋaṁail, “ċeapas go mb’ éidir gur braon beag do ḃí ólta agat, d’ráḋ ’s gur[24] ṫugais céad punt mar ṁalairt ar sgilling dam.”	[ 133 ]When Seadhna saw this deadly change, the wonder of his heart came on him. “It must be,” said he, in a careless sort of way, “that this is not the first time with you hearing something about her.” The black man jumped. He struck a blow of his hoof on the ground, so that the sod which was under Seadhna’s foot trembled. “Mangling to you!” said he, “shut your mouth or you will be maimed!” “I beg your pardon, sir,” said Seadhna, meekly, “I thought that perhaps it was a little drop you had taken, and to say that you gave me a hundred pounds in exchange for a shilling.”
[ 132 ]“Ṫiuḃrainn—⁊ seaċt gcéad dá dtiocfaḋ liom baint[25] ó’n dtairḃe do rin’ an sgilling ċéadna, aċt ’nuair ṫugais uait í ar son an tSlánuiġṫeóra, ní féidir a tairḃe do lot ċoiḋċe.”	[ 133 ]“I would, and seven hundred, if I could succeed in taking from the good which that same shilling did; but when you gave it away for the sake of the Saviour it is not possible to spoil its good for ever.”
[ 132 ]“Agus,” arsa Seaḋna, “cad is gáḋ an ṁaiṫ do lot? Ná fuil sé ċoṁ maiṫ agad tairḃe na sgillinge úd d’fágḃáil mar tá sé?”	[ 133 ]“And,” said Seaḋna, “what need is there to spoil the good? May you not as well have the good of that shilling as it is?”
[ 132 ]“Tá an iomad cainte agat—an iomad ar fad. Duḃart leat do ḃeul d’éisteaċt. Seo! sin é an sparán ar fad agat,” ars’ an fear duḃ.	[ 133 ]“You have too much talk; too much altogether. I told you to shut your mouth. Here! there is the purse entirely for you,” said the black man.
[ 132 ]“Ní héidir,[26] a ḋuine uasail,” arsa Seaḋna, “ná beiḋeaḋ daoiṫin na haimsire ann. Is iomḋa lá i dtrí bliaḋnaiḃ déag. Is iomḋa bróg ḃeiḋeaḋ deunta ag duine i gcaiṫeaṁ an ṁéid sin aimsire, ⁊ is iomḋa cuma i n‑a n‑oirfeaḋ sgilling dó.”	[ 133 ]“I suppose there is no danger, sir,” said Seadhna, “that there would not be enough for the time in it. There is many a day in thirteen years. ’Tis many a shoe a man would have made in the lapse of that portion of time, and many a way he would want a shilling.”
[ 132 ]“Ná bíoḋ ceist ort,” ars’ an fear duḃ, ag cur smuta gáire as.[27] “Tarraing as ċoṁ geur i nÉirinn[28] ⁊ is maiṫ leat é. Beiḋ sé ċoṁ teann an lá déiḋeanaċ ⁊ tá sé indiu. Ní ḃeiḋ puínn gnóṫa agat de as sain amaċ.”	[ 133 ]“Don’t be uneasy,” said the black man, putting a bit of a laugh out of hini. “Draw out of it as hard as ever you can. It will be as plump the last day as it is to-day. You will not have much business of it from that forward.”

[ 133 ]

NOTES.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Peadar Ua Laoġaire.

An iomad—an iomarca; in the north, an íomad=many.

1. ​ Seaḋ, ‘there, there now!’
2. ​ Saoṫar, violent breathing through exertion.
3. ​ A Laoiġ, my young dear, my dear.
4. ​ Mar sin, ‘yes, because’ . . .
5. ​ Siar: the points of the compass are very much used in ordinary Irish conversation to indicate direction. Siar, ṡiar, in reference to a house implies the inner parts. Dul siar orm, going to the bad in spite of me. The primary meaning of siar, backwards, is evident in all these idioms. Do luiġ a ċeann siar ar a ṁuineál, his head sank back on his neck.
6. ​ Coṁgar: ṁ broad gives a strong nasal sound to the vowel preceding—pronounce like cóng-gar; cuṁgaċ ‘difficulty, a strait,’ like cúng-gaċ. Coṁangar seems a nominative, or rather an accusative. Two constructions are used, gaḃail an bóṫar, going the road, and gaḃáil an ḃóṫair, going of the road. We must regard an bóṫar as used adverbially, as an infinitive or verbal noun is never followed by a direct object in Gaelic. We also find siar an bóṫar, ‘west, or back, along the road,’ and suas an ċnuic or suas an cnoc ‘up the hill.’
7. ​ Cuiṁniuġaḋ, ‘remembering,’ also ‘reflecting;’ ṁ slender in the middle of a word is usually silent in Munster, but lengthens the foregoing vowel—pronounce cuíniú; geiṁread ‘winter’ pr. gíre; sgeiṁleaḋ, ‘a skirmish, a sally,’ pr. sgíle; deiṁin, certain, pr. like English ‘dine:’ doiṁin, ‘deep,’ as if doiġin (like Englih ‘thine’).
8. ​ An rud: this use of the definite article is quite common in introducing some new object in a story in Irish.
9. ​ Mo ġráḋ í sin: sin makes the pronoun both emphatic and demonstrative.
10. ​ Seaḋ go díreaċ, ‘oh, yes!’ ironically.
11. ​ Fa ndeár ‘caused,’ a remnant of an old Irish verb; cid fodera, what caused it.
12. ​ Díolṁuineaċ, ‘fellow, lad.’ Díolaṁnaċ, a hireling, a stout fellow (see O Reilly).
13. ​ Note pronoun omitted.
14. ​ Breis, here ‘profit.’
15. ​ There is a play on the word cóir, which, in its literal sense, is objectionable to the black gentleman.
16. ​ Quickened.
17. ​ Mnaoi uasail, translated ‘gentlewoman,’ as ‘lady’ might be understood in a depreciatory sense.
18. ​ Do ḃeir, often in the sense ‘makes,’ ‘causes to be or (followed by ar or do) to do,’ ‘induces;’ Compare the following from Aran Islands:

    “Ceist agam ort, a ċléiriġ,
    O’s tú leuġas an Bíobla,
    Ceurd (creud) do ḃeir an amuid sona
    ’S do ḃeir dona an duine críonna?”
    
    Do ḟreagair an cléireaċ mar leanas:
    
    “Roinneann Dia na suḃailciḋe
    Mar roinneann sé na gníoṁarṫa;
    Bheir sé cion duine do’n amadán,
    A’s cead soláṫair d’ḟear na críondaċt.’”

    “I have a question for thee, cleric
    As it is thou that readest the Bible—
    What makes the fool prosperous
    And the cunning man unprosperous?”
    
    The cleric replied as follows:
    
    “God divides the virtues (good things)
    As he divides the actions (capacities);
    He gives a man’s share to the fool
    And leave to earn to the man of cunning.”—[Ed.]

19. ​ driuċ, wretched aspect.
20. ​ Ceannaċa, features.
21. ​ Iompáil (iompóḋ) lí, change of colour, pallor showing itself on the face indicative of terror.
22. ​ Go neaṁġuiseaċ, with assumed unconcern.
23. ​ Teaċt ṫar=talk about, mention.
24. ​ Do ráḋ ’s gur, whereas, seeing that.
25. ​ Bain ó, take from, diminish; bain uait féin, keep down your presumption, sing a bit lower!
26. ​ ní héidir, of course . . . not, there is no danger; distinct from ní féidir.
27. ​ ag cur smuta gáire as=with a chuckle, a piece of a laugh.
28. ​ I nEirinn: equivalent to, or more emphatic than, ar doṁan, ar biṫ; pé i nEirinn í, whosoever she is.