You can download this book in pdf format - Electric Scotland

More documents

Recommendations

Info

— poem in the Celtic Magazine for September, 1885, i» fewstanzas of which will he interesting to English speaking people, and give them an idea of the character of the poem, and what our early Highland hards could do before the days of plagiarism : " poor old owl of the sron. Hard is your bed this night in my room, But that it you be as old as Clan Donald You had cause enough in your day for gloom. " I am as old as the oak on the moor. By many a wintry blast o'er blown, And many a sappling grew to a tree Ere I became the old owl of the sron." Sith you say you are so very old. Confess your sins before you die, I'll be the priest this night, and you'll Tell all the truth, and nothing deny ! " I never broke into a church. Or stole a kerchief, or told a lie, I never gadded abroad with a beau. But a chaste old lady at home was I. I have seen Breham, the doughty old blade. And Torridan with locks all grey, Fergus I knew, both tall and stout. Brawny boys, and brave were they, I have seen the rough-skinned Alasdair, Though but handsome was he in his day, Full oft I listened from the crag. When he came hunting up the brae. After Alasdair, Angus I knew. He was a blameless hand at his trade. The mills at Laraeh were made by him. And better mills no where, never were made." Wild times were in Lochaber, I trow, Harrying east, and harrying west, When you were frowning with eye-brow grim, A little brown bird, in a little brown nest. " Some of my sires betwixt the Fearsaid And the Insch were lodged full well. And some at Deating were nightly heard, Hooting at sound of the vesper bell. And when I saw the plundering clans. Striking and slaying, and driving about On the nodding cliff 1 took my stand. And there I kept a safe look out." Crag of my heart ! nodding cliff Joy of all birds, so fresh and fair ; 'Tis there I was born, and there the stag Stands and snuffs the breezy air. crag ! the home of the chase. Where I would sit and hear »Iie bay Of the eager hounds, as they drove the deer Down the steep and narrow way. And the scream of the eagles from the scour. And swan and cuckoo with floating song. And sweeter than these the belling to hear Of the dappled youngdeerasthey trotted along! ! ; — Pleasant to hear was the rustle of leaves On the sheer-sided mountain's breast. When the antlered hind on green wood shade, At heat of noon lay down to rest, &«., &c. There are 67 stanzas of 4 lines in each, making 268 lines in all in the original, 63 stanzas of which have been translated. The Uev. Mr MacLean Sinclair in his " Gaelic Bards from 141 1 to 1715," remarks with regard to the origin of this poem that when DomlinuU MacFliionnlaidk was an old man and unable to hunt the deer, the young laird of Keppoch Kaonall Gorach invited his principal followers to an entertainment at Taigh-nam-fleadh. The aged bard was not asked, but started of his own accord and went as far as Taigh-na-fuine. Finding, however, that he was not Avanted at the entertainment, he turned home. On his way back, he heard an owl in the woods of Strone, and linding it as old and lonely as himself, he gave vent to his poetical inspiration. There is also an account of our famous hard in The Gad, vol. v., p. 828, signed " Diarniid," said to have been contributed by the late Donald MacPherson, a Lochaber man, who was for a long time employed in the Advocate's library in Edinburgh. His account is in Gaelic, and reads very much like a sgeulachd, but one thing he has apparently settled, viz.—that the author of " The Hunter and the Owl," was a Lochaber man. As the work is out of print, and not easily procurable I shall give some extracts from it. " It has been the fortune of Donald, son of Finlay, that more than one district has claimed kinship with him. Some say that he was of the folk of Braemar, others that he was a native of Glencoe, and there are those who assert that the age in which he lived is unknown. But there is one point on which all are agreed—and it is this that it was he who composed the " Song of the Owl." Anyone acquainted with the history of the clans, and considers this poem attentively, will perceive that about 300 years have elapsed since Donald lived, and that he must have had his abode in Brae-Lochaber. I remember hearing old men talk about Donald, son of Finlay. According to their account he was of the people of Glencoe, and his father, Finlay, was standard bearer to Mac-'ic Iain—son of John MacDonald of Glencoe. His mother was a native of Lochaber. His maternal grand father was Ijard and huntsman to Mw'ir- /:,n,inii// (M;MÌ)unaId of Keppoch), and his Ikhiic \\as ,ii Cica- ( uianach. It was with him that D.mald itMX'ivcd his early training, so that he was thus brought up from his early youth to an acquaintance with poetry and the "chase, so he himself says —
Ann I was ever since I was born, In fellowship with deer and roe. Wlien liis father died lie went to live at Glencoe, but it is not known how long he remained there. I'roiii llie iioeni it will be understood tliat lie and lii.s chief Iiad some disagreement ; wliatever tlie cause may have been hoiiald l
Page 2 and 3: O^ ^^l
Page 5: MACDONALD BARDS MEDIEVAL TIMES. KEI
Page 8 and 9: INDEX. Page. Alexander MacDonald, B
Page 10 and 11: Donald Donn p. 12, see also p. 95.
Page 13 and 14: MacDonald Bards from Mediaeval Time
Page 15: which stood the chapel and palace o
Page 19 and 20: ander and Ronald. Alexander—Alasd
Page 21 and 22: ilaughter of the Earl of Gowrie. He
Page 23 and 24: nighean donn." poem, " 'S truagh, a
Page 25 and 26: GILLEASBUIG NA CEAPAICH. (ARCHIBALD
Page 27 and 28: Fonn (Chorus). 0, 'chruinneag, e 'c
Page 29 and 30: — 'S daingeann a bhuail iad às g
Page 31 and 32: Some of our minor Scotch poets take
Page 33 and 34: — ! — Bha Iain gun teagaibh Gu
Page 35 and 36: — went down with her and took awa
Page 37 and 38: 'S mairg a mhol a' Mhòrthir robach
Page 39 and 40: — The late Thomas Pattison of Isl
Page 41 and 42: so is " Tearlach Mac Sheumais " (Ch
Page 43 and 44: Ma chaidh thu nunn thar linntichean
Page 45 and 46: — Mhac Mhic Alastair," and said t
Page 47 and 48: Latin Verses. Verses written by Sir
Page 49 and 50: — after bidding farewell to the R
Page 51 and 52: Translation by Mr L. MacBean of som
Page 53 and 54: The Alex. MacDonald above referred
Page 55 and 56: t Mrs Grant translates the verse as
Page 57 and 58: Och, aluchd-àiteacluiidli iia h-ua
Page 59 and 60: He ultimately married a young girl
Page 61 and 62: Here the merry lark ascends on dewy
Page 63 and 64: 'Mhuintir dh' an suaicheantas fraoc
Page 65 and 66: KAONAILD NIUHEAN MHIC NEIL. (RACHEL
Page 67 and 68:
Yet 'mid the drift, wert thou but n
Page 69 and 70:
Donald swept onward, spreading havo
Page 71 and 72:
MAIRI NIGHEAN IAIN BHAIN (MARY, DAU
Page 73 and 74:
Tha ùrnuigh nam bochdan, Do 'n a n
Page 75 and 76:
Loch Moidart, Loch-nan-uanih, Loch
Page 77 and 78:
His pibroch is a long one, and, I t
Page 79 and 80:
Bhagair ar eascaird eitidh borb, Ma
Page 81 and 82:
Another fine hymn of tMenty-nine ve
Page 83 and 84:
Oir thàinig oirnn naigheachd 'bha
Page 85 and 86:
Dòmhnuill," 1896 (a poem); (2) " T
Page 87 and 88:
Lo ])rasgan de Ghaidheil, Làn àrd
Page 89 and 90:
IAIN DOMHNALLACH AN BALL, OBAN. (BL
Page 91 and 92:
who was a grand-danghter of Charlot
Page 93 and 94:
all subsequent documents the name a
Page 95 and 96:
Maidens ! softly touch the clàrsac
Page 97 and 98:
Let, the free-born sons of the moun
Page 99 and 100:
— fought with his brother Donald
Page 101 and 102:
Ach gu'n caisg an Righ Mor e, Hi ha
Page 103 and 104:
'Nuair a thàinig e as a colainn, '
Page 105 and 106:
— NIGHEAN MHIC AONGHUIS OIG. Besi
Page 107 and 108:
Nach co-ion da 'blii 'caig rium Is
Page 109 and 110:
In this elegy there are 13 verses,
Page 111 and 112:
Gur a binn leam 'bhi leughadh Mu'n
Page 113 and 114:
Latha Sliabh-an-t-siona, Bu churaid
Page 115 and 116:
the silver-hilted sword—the windo
Page 117 and 118:
and imprisoned. His papers were car
Page 119 and 120:
On what she did, now many look, Won
Page 121 and 122:
IAIN DOMHNULLACH (John MacDonald).
Page 123 and 124:
10. " Spaidsearachd Dlionuill Ghrua
Page 125 and 126:
personal danger ; certainly not, fo
Page 127 and 128:
Another beautiful poem by " Fear Gh
Page 129 and 130:
De Chlann DòmhnuiU tlo-rireaclli,
Page 131 and 132:
9.—Because the great majority of
Page 133 and 134:
tional form, and as those who cheri
Page 135 and 136:
landers were accustomed to sing at
Page 137:
-^/
show all

You can download this book in pdf format - Electric Scotland

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?