Conaltradh nan Ian—(Fragment).
“Nuair ’bha Gaelig aig na h’eoin,
’Sa ’thuigeadh iad glòir nan dàn,
Bu tric an comhradh anns a choill
Air iomad pong, ma’s fhior na Bàird.
Thainig piàid luath na gleadhraich,
’S shuidh i air grod mheur còsach fearna,
Ma choinneamh cò’chaig a ghuib chruinn,
’Sa caog-shuil dhonn na ceann mar àirnaig.
’N so dh’èirich a phiaid gu grad,
’S thubhairt i ’s i ’s tailceadh a bonn,
’An tusa sin a’d mheall air stop
Nuair a bhi’s do cheod-cheann trom?
Am bi do theanga ’ghnath fo ghlais
’S tu gun luaidh air reach na ùi,
’S tu cho duinte ri cloich bhric
’Bhi’s air meall a chnaip gun bhri.”
“Bu treis dhaibh mar so a còmhstri,
Gearradh, ’bearradh glòir a cheile,
Ach gus an d’leum a nois an glas-eun;
’S rinn esan gach cùis a rèiteach,
’S crog a phiaid air a ceann
’S dh-fhag e i gu fuar, fann,
’N sin bh’èirich firèun nan gléus
A shinbhlas an spèur ga luath.”
[Cætera desunt.]
This curious poem seems to have been throughout of a dramatic form. Maclachlan says that, as he heard it repeated, almost all our better known wild-birds were introduced, and had appropriate speeches and parts assigned to them. He particularly referred to a very funny speech by the wren, who finally quarrels with the wagtail, by whom he had been insulted, and gives him a good licking. The end of it all is that the eagle is unanimously elected king of birds, with the glas-eun or falcon-kite as his lieutenant. The throstle cock is elected bard of birds, and the dipper admiral and commander-in-chief of the wild-bird fleet. Any one recovering the whole poem would be conferring no small boon on Gaelic literature.