Transcript

1. Eolach domhsa gur mhair saoi
Ar íor an tsaoil gan cheo
Nárbh aithne dó brón ná scíth
Is nár thaithigh sé puinn ansó.

2. Bá mhór a mhaoin, ba leathan a cháil,
Ba mhó (...) hísle rá
Ba róbhreá (tuartha) (...) (bhorb)
(...).

3. Bhí ag an saoi seo ab aiteach méinn
Dís dea-laoch do chloinn mhac,
Searc le maíomh a chroí is a chléibh
Dar leis féin dob fhéile dreach.

4. Feacht n-aon dá raibh an saoi
I ngleanntán úr leis féin
Tig do láthair duine dhon dís
Is cuireas an ní seo i gcéill.

5. "A athair ionmhain," ar an mac
I mbriathraibh beacht go fíor,
"As méid do ionmhais is do mhaith
Léig liom as mo mhír."

6. "Doiligh liom, a mhic mo chroí,
Gur ghlacais chughat aon rún dá shórd,
Gur buaine fear 'na bhaile dúinn
Ná dul i dtriúch nár dhú dá phór."

7. "(Taire) an tsaoil ní heagal liom,
(Le) misneach úr atáim dá lua,
B'fhearr liom dul ná fuireach sunn,
Táim ullamh umhal i gcomhair na ruag."

8. Glacann an mac a chuid den stór
Is d'imigh ar fód an bhóthair chruaidh,
An fear scaiptheach do scaip an t-ór
Bhí ina dheoidh go mór (an ua).

9. (An ua) do chaith sé seal i mbrón
Ag fear gan trócaire aige ná trua,
Ina mhuicí muc ar (uathadh lóin)
Ach an méid nár thóg na muca rua.

10. Buachaillíocht mhuc níorbh fheidhm dá shórd
Don mhac do tógadh ar a dheis,
Bíodh, dar duach, gur thrua mar sceol
É a bheith gan stór 'na leidhb ar leis.

11. Seal ansúd i machnamh dhoimhinn
Go lag go deimhin ag déanamh cumha
Gan áit faisc, gan bleacht, gan greim,
Ba thearc a mheidhir i gcéin gan chlú.

12. Meidhir níor ghlac an macaomh óg
Fá bhréid an bhróin ar leirg lom,
Féithe a dhearc ag fearthainn dheor
Ina gceathaibh teo ag téacht go bonn.

13. "Ghlac mo lagar chumhach," ar an mac,
"Gur ghlacas rún nár leas liom féin,
Thug mé doirbh doilbh dubhach
In eitim chúng i bhfad i gcéin.

14. "Im dhéidh ag baile tá fir is mná
Go síth i bpáirt gan scáth gan cheist
Ag déanamh fónaimh ar a bpá
An méid is áil leo a chur ar breis."

15. I bhfrithing na conaire abhaile téann
Fa dhrochéadach 's a ghné fá cheilt,
Ag seo an t-agallamh do dhein gan bhréag
Lena athair féin ar chéim fá leith.

16. "A athair (dhil), is maith dhom féin
Má dheineas éacht don lot
Fá chomhair neimhe is i t'aghaidh féin
Pheacaíos, féach, ba ghéar an lot.

17. Ó chailleas mo chlú is nách fiú mo shórd
Mo ghairm go deo fád chomhair mar mhac,
Déin díom giolla singil scóir
Mar aon don chló atá faoi d' reacht."

18. Ghlac trua le taise an t-athair dhó
Is is searcach sóúil do phóg an mac,
Chuir air iorradh chluthar chóir
Os cionn na mbróg ba dhóthain flaith.

19. Déantar fleadh le hór(d)ú an tsaoi
Don fhear do bhí tar éis teacht ó bhás,
Laogh biata á ghléasadh 'un bídh
Ceol is aoibhneas síor ag cách.

20. An mac do fhan sa bhaile riamh
Is lean go dian ' tabhairt aire 'á ghnó
Ghlac sé fuath is fearg dhian
Ó éad na siansa is lear an ghleó.

21. "A athair," ar sé, "is leamh mo chás
Gé gur fhanas id pháirt gach lá dom shaol,
Ní fiú mé... Is fiú mo... Is fiú mionnán níor mharaíos dom
Le caitheamh mar scroid lem chairde Gael.

22. "Dheinis-se fleadh don fhear nár thuill
Is d'imigh le baois an tsaoil
Chaith a chuid le (formad) is drúis
Ba mhinic é múchta i gcionta baotha."

23. "A mhic, mo stóir, is tu-... is eol don domhan
Gur tú mo rogha dár mhair dom chloinn,
Is iomdha seod id chomhairse sonn
Tá... Is ná tógse dabht im chomhrá dhíbh.

24. "Is leat mo thí is a-... mo theach agus a líon
Is ar shealbhaíos gan chíos gan cháin,
Ná glacse fal fleadh má ghníos
Dod dheartháir dil ar a thíocht ón mbás."

Translation

1. I know of a wise man who lived
Towards the end of his life without sorrow (?)
Who wasn't familiar with sadness or fatigue
And who didn't experience much misery.

2. He had great wealth, he was known far and wide,
Great was (...) (?)
Greater still (...) (harsh)
(...).

3. This wise man of pleasant disposition
Had two strapping young men for sons,
[They were] his heart's great love, worthy of celebration (?)
So he thought, of noble appearance (?).

4. One time the wise man was
On his own in a fresh little glen
One of the two came to him
And expressed the following.

5. "Beloved father," said the son
In precise and truthful words,
"Of your wealth and goods
Give me my portion."

6. "It sorrows me, my dear son,
That you have formed an intention of this sort,
A man is stronger in his own land
Than when he goes to land where he is not a native."

7. "I do not fear the baseness(?) of life,
This I say with fresh courage,
I would rather leave than stay here,
I am ready and willing for the journey."

8. The son takes his portion of the wealth
And he headed away on the hard road,
The thriftless man spent the gold
Afterwards he was greatly (...).

9. (...) he spent some time in sorrow
With a man who had no mercy or pity for him,
As a swineherd with little food
But the amount the brown (?) pigs did not take.

10. Herding pigs was not suited to his kind
For the son who was raised on his [father's] right side,
It was, goodness, a pitiful story
That he was without wealth in a sorry state.

11. [He spent] some time there in deep thought
Clearly, certainly and repining
Without shelter, without milk, without a bite to eat,
He had little joy, far from home, unknown.

12. The young man was joyless
Full of sorrow on a bare hillside,
His eyes shedding tears
In warm showers down to the soles of his feet.

13. "My lonesome weakness took hold(?)," said the son,
"Because I did something that was of no benefit to me,
That caused me to be depressed, sad and gloomy
In dire straits (?) far from home.

14. "Back home there are men and women
Who are peaceful together without fear or questions
Working to earn their wage
Saving as much as they want (?)."

15. He goes back home by the same road
Wearing tattered clothes and his face hidden,
This in truth is the dialogue he had
With his own father in such and such a place (?).

16. "Dear father, forgive me
If I made a display of waste(?)
In front of heaven and against you
I sinned, see, great was the waste.

17. Since I lost my honour and that I am unworthy
Of being called your son anymore,
Make me a hired (?) labourer
Like one of those under your command."

18. The father took great pity on him
And he kissed the son with love and joy,
He dressed him in fine warm clothing
And shoes, it was most generous (?).

19. Let a feast be held by the order of the wise man
For the man who has come from death,
Let a fatted calf be prepared for eating
Music and continual joy for all.

20. The son who had stayed at home all along
And worked (?) hard minding his own business
He was filled with hatred and great anger
On account of the extent of noise and commotion.

21. "Father," he said, "I'm disgusted
Although I stayed with you each day of my life,
I am not worthy... I am worth... And you never killed even a kid goat for me
To eat as a treat with my dearest friends.

22. "You held a feast for the man who didn't earn it
And who went about foolishly in life
He spent what he had with envy and lust,
He often abandoned himself to foolish passions."

23. "My son, my beloved, you are... everyone knows
That you are the chosen one of my sons
There are many treasures here for you
There is... And do not doubt what I tell you.

24. "My house and its... my house and all who dwell there are yours
And all I own without rent or tax,
Do not bear a grudge if I held a feast
For your dear brother on returning from death."

Commentary

Doegen's informants were supplied in advance with Father Peadar Ua Laoghaire's Irish translation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32) and encouraged to adapt the text to their own dialect. Cf. Peadar Ua Laoghaire, Na cheithre Soisgéil as an dTiomna Nua (Dublin, 1915), 191-2. The present informant uniquely rendered the parable in verse. A modified version of his composition was later published under the title 'An Stró-mhac, nó an "Prodigal Son"' in Pádraig Ó Cruadhlaoich, Filidheacht Phádraig Uí Chruadhlaoich (2 vols, Dublin, 1936 and 1942), vol. 2, 151-4, where he states that he had been asked to translate the parable and put into verse.