You can download this book in pdf format - Electric Scotland

—
plaint here as with many others in the small
number of his compositions that have been preserved.
He was married, and had one child at
least, a daughter. It is supposed that he was a
son of Aonghus Mac A^asdair Ruaidh. He was
the author of " Torradh Iain Luim, ' John Lom's
elegy already quoted. He was also the author of
" Brosnachadh Dona Gaidheal 's a' Bhliadhna
1745"—an incitement to the Highlanders in the
year 1745—a long poem of 118 lines, in a very
earnest and semi-religious strain. I quote the
first stanza to give an idea of the poem as a
whole :
A Chlanna nan Gaidheal
Dha 'm b' àbhuist 'bhi rioghail.
Ho ro togaibh an àird,
Is freasd' libh an dràsta
Do Thearlach mar dhilsean
Ho ro togaibh an àird,
Seadh freasd' libh dha uile
Gun fhuireach gun righneas,
Na leughaibh bhur cunnart,
Ar muinghin tha 'n Criosda ;
Gu storniail, acfhuinneach,
Le sunnd gu astar oirbh
Is colg gu tapadh oirbh
Ho ro togaibh an Tdrd.
SILIS NIGHEAN MHIC RAONAILL
(CICELY MACDONALD).
Cicely or Julian MacDonald, the celebrated
Keppoch poetess, was a daughter of Gilleasbuig,
15th chief of Keppoch, and flourished from tlie
reigns of Charles II., to that of George I. She
was a keen Jacobite like the rest of her family,
and, of course, hated the house of Hanover most
cordially. In her youth she was full of life and
spirit, and composed several epigrams, some of
which are very clever. She was married to a
scion of the family of Lovat, and lived with him
in " Moraghach Mhic Shimidh," which she
describes in a poem as a place barren and
desolate, in comparison with her native country
of Lochaber.
The first piece she composed after her marriage
was the celebrated poem beginning " A theanga
sin 'sa theanga shraoil." While resident in the
north, she also composed " Slàn gu brach le eeol
na, clàrsaich," as a lament for Lachlan Mac-
Kinnon, the blind harpist, who was a great
favourite of hers, and who used to spend some
time in her father's family. He was also in the
habit of paying her visits in the north, and
played on his harp while she sang. Another
short piece she composed while in the north was
an answer to a song by Mr MacKenzie of Gruinard.
It is entitled " An obair nogha."
18
—
— —
Her husband died while on a visit to Inverness,
and she composed an elegy for him— " Marbhrann
air bàs a Fir," which is a very fine production,
extending to 48 lines. It begins :
'S i so bliadhna 's faid' a chlaoidh mi,
Gu'n cheòl gu'n aighear gun fhaoilteas.
Mi mar bhàt air tràigh air sgaoileadh
Gun stiùir gun seòl, gun drànih gun taonian.
Fonn.— O's coma leam fhin na cò dhuibh sin,
Mire no aighear, no sxigradh,
'N diugh o shin mi r'a chunntadh,
'S e ceann na bliadhna 'thug riadh dhiom
dùbailt.
Her elegy on " Alasdair Dubh Ghlinnegaraidh "
is a most' beautiful poem, and has served as a
model for many Gaelic songs. It consists of 9
verses of 8 lines in each verse, as follows :
Alasdair à Gleanna-Garadh,
Thug thu'n diugh gal air mo shnilean,
'S beag ioghnadh mi bhi trom creuchdach,
Gur trie g'ar reubadh as i\r sinn :
'S deacair dhomhsa bhi gun 'n osnaidh,
'8 meud an dosgaidh th' air mo chàirdean ;
Gur trie an t-pug oirnn a' gearradh,
Taghadh nan darag 'is àirde.
After her husband's death she nearly died of a
severe illness, and on her recovery composed
several sonos and hymns of uncommon pathos,
some of which appeared in a hymn book published
at Inverness in 1821. She lived to a good
old age, but the date of her death is uncertain.*
Another lady of the Keppoch family deserving
of mention is no less a personage than the sister
of the murdered heirs of Keppoch. There is not
much known about her, but that she composed a
beautiful elegy on the death of her brothers. It
is entitled "CumhaNi' Mliic Raonuill," extending
to 72 lines, wherein she gives a minute description
of what she saw when she went into her brothers'
room, and found their blood upon her shoes.
Judging from the character of the song and the
words, it must have been a very beaiitiful and
mournful one when well sung. Those interested
will find the air in " Gran na h-Alba," p. 12.
Tradition says that she was sent over the river
Spean to Insch on some pretext, .so that she was
not in the castle when the deed was actually
done. It is also said she received such a shock
on beholding her brothers' dead bodies that she
lost iier reason, a thing not at all unlikely. I
quote a couple of stanzas of the elegy for the
curious :
Dh' eirich mise moch Di-dòmhnaich,
Hi rithill iùthaill !
'S shuidh mi air an tulaich bhùidhich—
Fùth mo liunn-duibh o-hao-o !