Clan Traditions and Popular Tales of the Western Highlands and Islands

by Unknown

Fairy:—“’S e mo leanabh mìleanach
Seachd Maìleanach
Seachd Dhuanach,
Gual na lag; ’s lag na luineach
Nach d’ fhàs “nacach.”

[Reciter don’t understand gnathach, common.]

Mother:—Se mo leanabh ruiteach (colour ruddy)
Reamhar molteach
Miuthear mo luachair
Ohog ri mnathan
M’ eòin ’us m’ uighean
On thug thu muine leat
’Us maire leat
’Us mo chrodh lùigh
’Us mo lochraidh leat.
Mother:—Bha thu fo ’m chrios an uire
’S tha thu ’m bliadhna
Gu cruinn buanach
Air mo guailain
Feadh a bhaile.
Fairy:—Thug go gu gŏrach (fat, Reciter)
Mnath ’n òg a bhaile
Lan shaochail[36] uimach
Thug go gu gŏrach
Le ’n ciabhan dhonna
Le ’n ciabhan troma

[He said at first somewhere, “Le ’n ciochan corrach”? place.]

Thug go gu gŏrach
’S le ’n suilean donna
Mother:—Se sin Leoid
Na lorg ’s na luireach
Se Lochlan bu duchas dhuit
O fire fire nì mi uimad
Cireadh do chinn
Ni mi uimad.
Fairy:—Fire fire nì mi uimad
Cha tu an uan beag
Ni mi uimad
Crodh ’us caorich
Ni mi uimad.
Mother:—Fire fire ni mi uimad
Breachan chaola
Ni mi uimad
Fire fire ni mi uimad
A bhog mhiladh (? fileadh. Oh soft soldier, soft mine own)
O bhòg ’s leam thu
O bhog mhilidh bhog
Mo bhrù a rug
O bhog mhilidh bhog
Mo chioch a thug
O bhog mhilidh bhog
Mo gluin a thog
O bhog mhilidh
Bho ’s leam thu.
Fairy:—B’ fheàrr leam gu faic mi do bhuaille
Gu àrd àrd an iomal sleibhe
Còta geal cateanach[37] uaine
Mu do ghuailain ghil ’us léine.
Nurse:—B’ fhearr leam gu faichean do sheisearach
Fir na deance (?) a cuit shil
Gu rò do cheol air feadh do thalla (land or hall)
Leann bhi ga gabhail le fìon
Bhog mhilidh bhog
’S leam thu.

And so she says a verse each day, and if that would not do, she came the next and made another, and the little lad made out the song which he sat and heard. When the child was baptized she went away and never came back again.

N.B.—I have set the verses to each character as best I could, not knowing much about it except the last two, these the reciter placed.

NOTES:

The Fairy Song in the MS. is most difficult to read. It was written phonetically, and is now in some places indistinct. The following transliteration and translation by Mr. Duncan Mac Isaac, of Oban, show a probable reading, and this may be enough, in view of the spell-words of the fairy, whose mystic diction appears to have been of a conservative quality, and to have affected the responses of the infant’s mother.—[A. C.]

Fairy—’S e mo leanabh mì-loinneach
Seac maoileanach
Seac ghuanach,
Guailne lag, ’s lag ’n a lùireach
Nach d’ ùisinnicheadh.
Mother:—’S e mo leanabh ruiteach
Reamhar moltach
M’ iubhar mo luachair
A thog ri mnathan
M’ eòin is m’ uighean
O ’n thug thu m’ ùine leat
Is m’ aire leat
Is mo chrodh-laoigh
Is mo laochraidh leat.
Mother:—Bha thu fo ’m chrios an uiridh
’S tha thu ’m bliadhna
Gu cruinn buanach
Air mo ghualainn
Feadh a’ bhaile.
Fairy:—Thuth gò gugurach
Mnathan òg a’ bhaile
Làn shòghail uidheamach
Thuth gò gugurach
Le ’n ciabhan donna
Le ’n ciabhan troma
Thug go gugurach
Le ’n cìochan corrach
’S le ’n sùilean donna.
Mother:—’S e sin Leòid
’N a lorg ’s ’n a lùireach
’S Lochlann bu dùthchas dhuit
O fire fire nì mi umad
Cìreadh do chinn
Nì mi umad.
Fairy:—Fire fire nì mi umad
Cha tu an t-uan beag
Nì mi umad.
Crodh is caoraich
Nì mi umad.
Mother:—Fire fire nì mi umad
Breacain chaola
Nì mi umad
Fire fire nì mi umad
A bhog mhìlidh
O bhog ’s leam thu
O bhog mhìlidh bhog
Mo bhrù a rug
O bhog mhìlidh bhog
Mo chìoch a thug
O bhog mhìlidh bhog
Mo ghlùin a thog
O bhog mhìlidh
Bho ’s leam thu.
Fairy:—B’ fheàrr leam gu faic mi do bhuaile
Gu àrd àrd ’an iomall sléibhe
Còta geal caiteineach uaine
Mu do ghualainn ghil is léine.
Mother:—B’ fheàrr leam gu faicinn do sheisreach
Fir na deannaige a’ cur sìl
Gu robh do cheòl air feadh do thalla
Leann ’bhi ’g a ghabhail le fìon
Bhog mhìlidh bhog
’S leam thu.
Fairy:—He is my ungraceful child,
Withered, bald, and light-headed,
Weak-shouldered, and weak in his equipments,
That have not been put to use.
Mother:—He is my ruddy child, plump and praiseworthy;
My yew-tree, my rush, raised to women;
My bird and my eggs, since thou hast taken my time with thee,
My watchful care, my calved-cows, and my heroes with thee;
Last year thou wast under my girdle,
Thou art this year neatly gathered
Continually upon my shoulder
Through the town.
Fairy:—Hooh go googurach,
Young women of the town, fond of delicacies and dresses,
Hooh go googurach,
With their brown ringlets, with their heavy tresses,
With their abrupt breasts, with their brown eyes.
Mother:—That is a Mac Leod by heredity
In his coat of mail;
Thy nativity is Scandinavian;
O pother, pother, the combing of thy head,
I’ll do that about thee.
Fairy:—Pother, pother, I’ll do about thee;
Thou art not the little lamb
I’ll make about thee,
Cattle and sheep I’ll make about thee.
Mother:—Pother, pother, I’ll do about thee,
Narrow plaids I’ll make about thee,
O pother I’ll make about thee, thou soft warrior,
O tender one, thou art mine, thou soft soldier,
The fruit of my womb, thou soft, tender warrior,
My breast that took, thou soft champion,
Reared upon my knees, thou tender champion,
Since thou art mine.
Fairy:—I’d prefer to see thy cattle-fold
High, high on the shoulder of the mountain,
A white coat, ruffled green,
About thy white shoulders, and a shirt.
Mother:—I’d prefer to see thy team of horses,
And the men of the handfuls sowing seed,
And that thy music would be through thy hall
Accompanied by ale and wine;
Thou tender champion,
Thou art mine.