蜜芽传媒

Nach iongantach an lus an t-seamrag? Tha 脿ite s貌nraichte aice ann am beul-aithris is dualchas na h-脠ireann. Ach a bheil na thathar ag r脿dh mun t-seamraig f矛or? Uill, seo agaibh rann ann am Beurla mun dearbh lus (agus gabhaibh mo leisgeul):

There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle, 'Twas Saint Patrick himself, sure, that set it; And the sun of his labour with pleasure did smile, And with dew from his eye often wet it. It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland

Seadh. Uill, tha cuid ag r脿dh gur e Naomh P脿draig fh猫in a thug an t-seamrag a dh鈥櫭坕rinn. Rinn e sin 脿s d猫idh gun do chuir e teicheadh air na nathraichean. Tha fuath aig nathraichean don t-seamraig, a r猫ir beul-aithris. L矛on Naomh P脿draig 脠irinn le cluaintean dhen t-seamraig. Rinn e cinnteach mar sin nach tilleadh nathraichean don eilean.

Ach a bheil e uile-gu-l猫ir soilleir d猫 an lus a th鈥� anns an t-seamraig? O shean, b鈥� e a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air clover 鈥� seamar. 鈥橲 e seamar beag 鈥� seamrag no, ann an G脿idhlig na h-脠ireann, seamr贸g. 鈥橲 ann bhon Ghaeilge a th脿inig am facal Beurla 鈥� shamrock. 鈥橲 e an t-seamrag bh脿n a chanas G脿idheil na h-Alba ri white clover. Tha am facal a鈥� nochdadh an siud 鈥檚 an seo ann an ainmean-脿ite 鈥� mar eisimpleir ann am Beinn na Seamraig anns an Eilean Sgitheanach agus ann an Loch na Seamraig air a鈥� Pharbh.

Anns na h-eisimpleirean sin, tha mi an d霉il gur e an clover, Trifolium repens, an lus air a bheil 鈥渟eamrag鈥�. Ach tha lus eile ann air a bheil 鈥渟eamrag鈥� uaireannan. 鈥橲 e sin Oxalis acetosella 鈥� the wood sorrel. Tha na duilleagan tr矛-bhileach, d矛reach mar a tha duilleagan Trifolium.

Tha feadhainn ag r脿dh gur e Oxalis, seach Trifolium, a chleachd Naomh P脿draig ann an leasan ainmeil. C貌 aige tha fios d猫 an lus a bh鈥� ann ach tha e cinnteach gun robh e tr矛-bhileach. Thog Naomh P脿draig e nuair a bha e a鈥� m矛neachadh teagasg na Trianaid. Thuirt e gun robh Athair, Mac agus an Spiorad Naomh fa leth ach nan aon, d矛reach mar a tha duilleagan na seamraig.

鈥橲 d貌cha nach robh e doirbh do na p脿ganaich Gh脿idhealach gabhail ris an 脿ireamh a tr矛 mar rud s貌nraichte no eadhon naomh. Bha tr矛 s貌nraichte dhaibh co-dhi霉. 鈥橲 ann tric a tha an 脿ireamh sin a鈥� nochdadh ann an sgeulachdan traidiseanta.

Ach chan eil mi buileach cinnteach c脿ite a bheil sin a鈥� f脿gail na seamraig air a bheil ceithir bileagan air gach duilleig. The four-leaved clover. Ann am m貌ran chultaran, tha a leithid a鈥� toirt deagh fhortan don duine a lorgas e. 鈥橲 e a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air four-leaved clover 鈥渟eamrag nam buadh鈥� 鈥� the shamrock of the virtues.

Bhiodh na G脿idheil, co-dhi霉 ann an Alba, a鈥� d猫anamh ceangal eadar an t-seamrag agus searraich 鈥� eich 貌ga. Bhathar ag r脿dh gum f脿s seamrag nam buadh far an do rugadh searrach. Bhiodh muinntir Bharraigh, anns an naoidheamh linn deug, a鈥� tiodhlacadh stuth a bhiodh searrach, a bh鈥� air 霉r-bhr猫ith, a鈥� cur a-mach. 鈥橲 e 鈥渄ubhliath鈥� a chanadh iad ris an stuth. Agus bha iad a鈥� creidsinn gun nochdadh seamrag anns an 脿ite far an robh an dubhliath tiodhlaicte seachd bliadhna 脿s d猫idh sin. Sin 脿ireamh sh貌nraichte eile 鈥� seachd!

Ach d猫 n矛 thu ma lorgas tu seamrag nam buadh? Uill, bhiodh na seann Gh脿idheil ag r脿dh 鈥� ma chuireas tu fod theanga i, gun tig comasan 霉ra thugad 鈥� comasan mar an d脿-shealladh!

Faclan na Litreach: Am Parbh: Cape Wrath (NW Sutherland); tr矛-bhileach: trifoliate; seamrag nam buadh: four-leaved clover; searrach: foal; dubhliath: stuff coughed up by newly born foals (lit. dark-grey); an d脿-shealladh: the second sight.

Abairtean na Litreach: nach iongantach an lus an t-seamrag?: isn鈥檛 the shamrock an amazing plant?; a bheil na thathar ag r脿dh mun t-seamraig f矛or?: is what is said about the shamrock true?; mun dearbh lus: about the same plant; 脿s d猫idh gun do chuir e teicheadh air na nathraichean: after he expelled the snakes; tha fuath aig nathraichean don t-seamraig: snakes hate [the] clover; l矛on Naomh P脿draig 脠irinn le cluaintean dhen t-seamraig: Saint Patrick filled Ireland with meadows of clover; rinn e cinnteach nach tilleadh nathraichean: he made certain snakes would not return; a bheil e uile-gu-l猫ir soilleir d猫 an lus a th鈥� anns an t-seamraig?: is it completely clear which plant is the shamrock?; an siud 鈥檚 an seo: here and there; c貌 aige tha fios d猫 an lus a bh鈥� ann: who knows what plant it was; nuair a bha e a鈥� m矛neachadh teagasg na Trianaid: when he was explaining the doctrine of the Trinity; gun robh Athair, Mac agus an Spiorad Naomh fa leth ach nan aon: that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were separate but the one; nach robh e doirbh do na p脿ganaich Gh脿idhealach gabhail ris an 脿ireamh a tr矛 mar rud s貌nraichte: that it wasn鈥檛 difficult for the pagan Gaels to accept the number three as a special thing; a鈥� toirt deagh fhortan don duine a lorgas e: brings good luck to the person who finds it; far an do rugadh searrach: where a foal was born; muinntir Bharraigh: the people of Barra; far an robh an dubhliath tiodhlaicte: where the dubhliath was buried; ma chuireas tu fod theanga i: if you put it under your tongue; gun tig comasan 霉ra thugad: that you will get new abilities.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: There are claims made that the Arabic word shamrakh, meaning a trifoliate plant, is the original for the English shamrock. But the Irish have a strong case. Seamair or saimeir is well known as the Gaelic for clover; seamair is still the standard Irish word for the plant, whereas the diminutive seamrag has become standard in Scotland (the Irish for 鈥渇our-leaved clover鈥�, by the way, is seamair Mhuire 鈥� the Virgin Mary鈥檚 clover). Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair鈥檚 famous 18th Century poem 鈥淎llt an t-Si霉cair鈥� contains 鈥済ach saimeir, ne貌inean 鈥檚 masag鈥� (every clover, daisy and little red berry) and Alexander Macbain鈥檚 Etymological Dictionary gives the Early Irish form semmor as a precursor to the modern Gaelic forms. But if any of you have further information on the Arabic connection, I鈥檇 be delighted to hear from you (roddy.maclean@bbc.co.uk).

Gn脿thas-cainnt na Litreach: stuth a bhiodh searrach, a bh鈥� air 霉r-bhr猫ith, a鈥� cur a-mach: material that a new-born foal would cough up.