蜜芽传媒

An-uiridh, ann an Litir ceud, seachdad 鈥檚 a tr矛 (173), thug mi sgeulachd ghoirid dhuibh a fhuaradh bho bhoireannach ann am Bhatarsaigh 鈥� Nan NicFhionghain, Nan Eachainn Fhionnlaigh, a chaochail o chionn beagan is fichead bliadhna. Cha robh d霉il agam gun tillinn thuice cho luath, ach bha mi aig 貌raid mu a deidhinn o chionn ceala-deug, agus bu mh貌r a ch貌rd i rium. Tha mi air a bhith a鈥� smaoineachadh air Nan grunn tursan bhon uair sin.

鈥橲 e an t-Ollamh Iain MacAonghais a thug an 貌raid aig Comunn G脿idhlig Inbhir Nis, mu dheidhinn cuid de na seanfhaclan is gn脿thsan-cainnt a chl脿r daoine ann an c貌mhraidhean le Nan. Bha Iain e貌lach oirre agus chruthaich e dealbh don luchd-猫isteachd de bhoireannach laghach coibhneil aig an robh st貌ras a bha m貌r is beartach, ach a bha a鈥� buntainn ri farsaingeachd saoghal nan Gaidheal. Ged a bha i a鈥� fuireach air eilean iomallach, bha a cridhe aig cridhe na Gaidhealtachd.

Dh鈥檌nnis Iain grunn de na seanfhaclan aice a th鈥� air cl脿ran ann an Sgoil E貌lais na h-Alba, ach chan eil iad air an cur ri ch猫ile fhathast mar chruinneachadh ceart. 鈥橲 d貌cha gun tachair sin uaireigin mar ph脿irt dhen phroiseact ris an canar Tobar an Dualchais, a tha a鈥� cur seann stuth mar sin ann an cruth diodsaideach.

Ach an-dr脿sta, bu mhath leam st貌iridh beag laghach eile aig Nan aithris dhuibh, ged a tha mi air a dh猫anamh beagan nas s矛mplidhe. 鈥橲 ann mu dheidhinn bodach is cailleach anns an Eilean Sgitheanach a tha e. Bha am bodach a鈥� call a chuimhne ach bha e cho brogail 鈥檚 gun rachadh e don mhonadh a h-uile l脿. Co-dhi霉, l脿 a bha seo, agus e a鈥� tilleadh 脿s a鈥� mhonadh, lorg am bodach sporan air an talamh. Bha e l脿n notaichean.

Nuair a r脿inig e an taigh aige, chaith e an sporan a sm霉r na m貌nadh, agus cha do smaoinich e air tuilleadh, oir bha e a鈥� call a chuimhne. Cha do leig a鈥� chailleach oirre gun robh i a鈥� faicinn dad 脿s an rathad, ach d猫 rinn i l脿rna-mh脿ireach ach fhuair i leabhar beag agus chuir i am bodach dha sgoil c貌mhla ris na gillean 貌ga.

An ceann deannan l脿ithean as d猫idh sin, c貌 th脿inig mun cuairt ach am b脿illidh. Thachair e ris a鈥� bhodach agus thuirt e ris, 鈥淎n l脿 a bha mi a鈥� togail a鈥� mh脿il mu dheireadh, chaill mi sporan.鈥�

鈥淥,鈥� ars鈥� am bodach, 鈥渇huair mise sporan.鈥� Bha e a鈥� tighinn gu chuimhne mar a lorg e e.

鈥淥, an d鈥� fhuair?鈥� ars鈥� am b脿illidh. 鈥淒猫 rinn thu leis?鈥�

鈥淐ha do rinn mi ach a chaitheamh ann am sm霉r na m貌nadh,鈥� ars鈥� am bodach.

鈥淯ill, ma th脿,鈥� ars鈥� am b脿illidh, 鈥渢ha e an sin fhathast.鈥�

鈥淭ha,鈥� ars鈥� am bodach, 鈥渢ha mi cinnteach gu bheil.鈥�

Chaidh am bodach dhachaigh c貌mhla ris a鈥� bh脿illidh agus th貌isich iad air r霉ileach sm霉r na m貌nadh. Ach, ged a bhiodh iad a鈥� r霉ileach fhathast chan fhaigheadh iad an sporan. Thionndaidh am b脿illidh ris a鈥� bhodach agus thuirt e ris, 鈥淐貌 l脿 a fhuair thu an sporan?鈥�

鈥淎n l脿 mun deach mi dha sgoil,鈥� thuirt am bodach.

鈥淥 Mhic an 脌nraidh!鈥� ars鈥� am b脿illidh, 鈥渁n l脿 mun deach thusa dha sgoil, cha do rugadh mise an uair sin no fad鈥� as a dh猫idh.鈥�

Dh鈥檉halbh am b脿illidh is cha d鈥� fhuair e sporan no dad eile. Bha an sporan agus an t-airgead aig a鈥� chaillich, ge brith gu d猫 mar a chosg i e.

Faclan na seachdaine: an-uiridh: last year; Bhatarsaigh: Vatersay; Nan Eachainn Fhionnlaigh: Nan, daughter of Hector, who was himself a son of Finlay; ceala-deug: fortnight; an t-Ollamh Iain MacAonghais: Dr John MacInnes; Comunn G脿idhlig Inbhir Nis: The Gaelic Society of Inverness; laghach coibhneil: nice and kind; Sgoil E貌lais na h-Alba: The School of Scottish Studies; b脿illidh: factor; r霉ileach (dialectual form of r霉rach): searching with hands.

Abairtean na seachdaine: a fhuaradh bho bhoireannach: which was obtained from a woman; cha robh d霉il agam gun tillinn thuice: I didn鈥檛 expect to return to her; a bha a鈥� buntainn ri farsaingeachd saoghal nan Gaidheal: which belonged to the broad world of the Gael; ann an cruth diodsaideach: in a digital format; bha e cho brogail 鈥檚 gun rachadh e don mhonadh: he was so sprightly that he would go to the hill; bha e l脿n notaichean: it was full of paper money; chaith e an sp貌ran a sm霉r na m貌nadh: he threw the purse in the peat dross; cha do leig a鈥� chailleach oirre: the old woman didn鈥檛 let on; dad 脿s an rathad: anything out of the ordinary; chuir i am bodach dha sgoil: she sent the old man to school; an ceann deannan l脿ithean as d猫idh sin: a few days after that; an l脿 a bha mi a鈥� togail a鈥� mh脿il: the day I was collecting the rent; an l脿 mun deach mi: the day before I went; no fad鈥� as a dh猫idh: or long after it.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: 鈥淥 Mhic an 脌nraidh!鈥� ars鈥� am b脿illidh: it is difficult to give a translation of Mhic an 脌nraidh 鈥� literally it means Son of the Tempest or Son of the Distress and is an expletive (as uttered here by the factor). But the point I want to make is a grammatical one about mhic (or o mhic or a mhic). This is the word mac (son) in the vocative case, known in Gaelic as an tuiseal gairmeach. Unfortunately for the learner, dictionaries do not give the vocative case of nouns, so they must be constructed from basic principles. And, for singular words, these are as follows (we will look at plural vocatives in a future Litir): In masculine nouns, it is the same as the genitive singular case, and lenited eg a bhalaich! (lad!), a Dh貌mhnaill! (Donald!). [The exclamation mark is here only included to demonstrate that the noun is in the vocative]. In feminine nouns it is the same as the nominative case, and lenited (ie not slenderised), eg a chaileag! (lass!), a Mh貌rag! (Morag!). Adjectives follow the inflexion of the noun so we get, for example, a bhalaich bhig! (little lad!) and a chaileag bheag! (little lass!). In the case of mac followed by a noun (or name), the second word is in the genitive (as 脿nraidh, the genitive of 脿nradh) eg a mhic mo bhr脿thar! (son of my brother!)

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: ge brith gu d猫 mar a chosg i e: however she spent it. Ge brith is a dialectual variant of ge bith or ge be, and is common in the southernmost of the Western Isles. It means whatever or however or, with c貌, whoever (ge brith c貌 thigeadh: whoever would come, regardless of who would come).