The book Arran; - Cook Clan

FOLK LORE 283
' 'S beag fhios a th'aig mo leannan-sa
Gur " Crodhanach " is ainm dhomh.'
Cha luaithe chuala ' Crodhanach ' na facail sin, na as an t-sealladh
gabbar e 'na shradan dearga suas an luidhear, agus tuilleadh dragh
cha do chuir e air a' chaiUn.
THE SECRET NAME
There was once a young girl who had a handsome sweetheart.
He would be often going to see her in secret, but would not tell his
name, nor where he dwelt. Every time he went to visit her he would
always find her spinning. He was very desirous that she should
elope with him and always beseeching her to go with him ; but this
she refused to do. One of the times that he went to see her she was
about to begin to spin a sack of wool. He offered that he would
spin the sack of wool if she would promise to go with him. She was
tired of the work, and gave him a promise that she would go with
him on condition that she would be free from her promise if she found
out his name before the sack of wool was spun. With this he put
the sack on his back and went on his journey. On a certain night
after that, as she was going to a friend's house, and crossing a deep
stream in a lonely place, she heard the sound of a spinning-wheel
and a lilt of a song coming from the bottom of the stream. This
astonished the girl, and she drew near the place whence the sound
came. What did she see and hear but an old, dark, wizened man
sitting at a large wheel, spinning hard and singing cheerfully :
' Oh ! little does my sweetheart know
That " Crodhanach " is my name.'
The girl now understood what kind of a sweetheart she had, and
that his dwelling was in the deep recesses of the stream. When he
had finished his work he went again to see the girl, and to request
the reward of his labour. As soon as she saw him she repeated the
words she had heard :
' Oh ! little does my sweetheart know
That " Crodhanach " is my name.'
No sooner had ' Crodhanach ' heard those words than out of sight