LITERAL TRANSLATION.
To me an elegy is not a pleasant poem; I hate the sound of its wailing and its tune; I would not love metres in cold words, Nor sorrowful lays of Gaelic.
I never thought that a time would come, When a cry from the grave should pierce my head, Telling me that quenched was the lamp, Or the flaming light of Gaelic.
My shame! Ireland, that has lost thy fame! O whither has gone thy great self-esteem ? That stood not by it firmly, closely, Print-nourishing the Gaelic.
I hear not a chirp from a bird in a cage, The thrush is ever silent on a bough! To young and old a calamity is the death Of our ancient language, Gaelic.
But, Irishmen, not death is its dying! A proud victorious Phœnix is growing From the dear dust, that shall light the lamp Of our ancient speech, Gaelic.
Love of my heart, our own tongue! It shall yet be high in rank; Woman and child will hold it dear, And Young Men, do you also love Gaelic.
SEAḊNA.
(Ar leanṁuin.)
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.
Peg. Am’ ḃriaṫar go ḃfanfamaois leat, a Nóra, a laoiġ.[3] Ní’l i ḃfad ó ṫáinig Gobnuit.
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!
Nóra. A ḋiaṁaise, a Ġobnuit, éist do ḃeul, ⁊ ná bí dár mboḋraḋ led’ ġollánaiḃ ⁊ led’ aḋarcaiḃ. Aḋarca ar an nGollán! Feuċ air sin!
Gob. B’éidir dá mbeiḋṫeá féin ann, gur beag an fonn magaiḋ a ḃeiḋeaḋ ort.
Síle. Feuċ anois! cia atá ag cosg an sgéil? B’éidir go gcuirfeaḋ Cáit Ní Ḃuaċalla orm-sa é.
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!
Síle. Seaḋ go díreaċ![10] Fan go mbeiḋ fearg ort, ⁊ b’éidir ná déarfá “Mo ġráḋ í sin!”
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.
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.
