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32 Gaelic Society of itweniess.
L;itii\
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Jvrdns merida.
BLACKBIRD.
Gaelic Lon-dubh, Euu-dubh. Welsh—
Mwyalch, Aderyn du.
The blackl)ird has always been I'eckoned a mournful bird in
the Highlands, partly, perhaps, from its sombi-e colour, and more
especially because of its sweet plaintive song, the I'apid warbling
notes of which the Highlanders likened to some of their most
mournful piobaireachd laments, whilst the mavis' song resembled
the salute or welcome class of piobaireachd— "An smeorach ri
failte, 's 'n lon-dubh ri cumha"— " The mavis sings a welcome, and
the blackbird a lament." Ewan MacColl, the Lochfyne bard,
expresses this old Highland belief very beautifully in his address
to a blackbird, some of the verses of which I may quote
" A. loin-duibh, a loin-duibh. 's fada dh" imich uait surd—
Ciod e so, 'chuir mulad 'na d' dhan-s?
Tha 'n samhradh a' tighinn, tha 'choille 'fas domh'il,
'S gach eun iunt' le sunnd 'cur air failt.
" A loin-duibh, a loin-duibh, 'n uair tha'n uiseag 's an speur,
'Cur gean air Righ aobhach an Lo,
'Nuair tha 'n smeorach 's a leannuan 'comh-shodan ri d' thaobh,
'M bi thusa 'n ad aonar ri bron 1
" A loin-duibh, tha do thuireadh a' lotadh mo chri
'8 ioghnadh learn ciod a chradh tliu co glioirt
'N e namh 'an riochd caraid a ghoid uait do shith ?
'N e gu 'n d' mhealladh 'n ad dhoohas thu 'th' ort 1
"A loin-duibh, a loin-duibh, 'm beil do leanuan riut dui'?
Cha 'n urrainn do 'n chuis bin gu brath :
Co ise air thalamh 's an cuireadh tu uidh,
Nac mealladh 's nach maoth'cheadh do dhan '!
" A loin-duil)h, a loin-duibh, dearc 'us suthag nam blar,
Bi'dh deas dhuit gun dail air son bidh :
Tha 'n clamhan 'san t-seobhag fad', fada o lainih ?
Nach sguir thu, ma ta, de do chaoidh ]
" A loin-duibh, a lion-duil^h, tha mi 'cuimhneachadli nis !
Bha 'n t-eun'dair an ratliad so 'n de
leannan thuit leis
Koin ghrinn, 'se so 'ghuin thu—nach el"
O an-iochd an trudair ! do
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