Transcript

Bhí fear saibhir ann uair agus do bhí beirt mhac aige. Agus dúirt an mac ab óige acu lena athair, "A athair, tabhair domhsa an méid atá ag dul dom dod chuid." Agus do roinn sé an chuid eatarthu. Agus tar éis beagán laethanta do bhailigh an mac ab óige chuige a chuid go léir agus d'imigh sé go dúthaigh iasachta, mar ar scaip sé a chuid le baois agus le rabairne.

Agus nuair a bhí gach aon rud caite aige tháinig gorta ana-dhian ins an tír sin agus bhí sé go mór in uireasa. Ansan d'imigh sé agus do réitigh sé le duine do mhuintir na tíre sin chun bheith aige mar sheirbhíseach. Agus chuir seisean amach é chun a chuid tailimh ag cothú muc. Agus dob áthas leis an t-ocras a bhaint dó féin le bia na muc, ach ní tabharfí[1] san dó. Ansan do mhachnaigh sé ina aigne agus dúirt sé leis féin, "Cad a bhfuil do lucht tuarastail a thuilleamh i dtigh mh'athar agus a ndóthain aráin acu, agus mise anso ag fáil bháis don ghorta. Éireod agus raghad ag triall ar mh'athair, agus déarfad leis, 'A athair, tá peaca déanta agam in aghaidh nimhe agus id láthairse. Ní fiú mé feasta go ndéarfí gur mac duit mé. Ach leog dom bheith mar dhuine dod lucht tuarastail a thuilleamh.'"

Agus d'éirigh sé agus tháini' sé fí[2] dhéin a athar. Agus fós nuair a bhí sé i bhfad uaidh, do chonaic an t-athair é, agus tháinig trua ana-mhór aige dhó, agus do rith sé chuige agus chaith sé é féin ar a bhrád agus phóg sé é. Dúirt an mac, "A athair, tá peaca déanta agam in aghaidh nimhe agus id láthairse. Ní fiú mé feasta go ndéarfí gur mac duit mé." Dúirt an t-athair lena sheirbhísigh, "Brostaíg, agus tugaig amach an chulaith éadaigh is fearr agus cuirig uime í, agus cuirig fáinne ar a láimh agus bróga ar a chosa. Agus tugaig libh an gamhain ramhar agus maraíg é. Ithimís agus bímís go sóch. Óir bhí an mac so dar liom marbh ach tá sé beo arís. Agus chromadar ar bheith go sóch."

Ach bhí an mac ba shine aige amuigh sa pháirc. Agus nuair a bhí sé ag teacht chun an tí, d'airigh sé an ceol agus rince agus do ghlaoigh sé duine dos na seirbhísigh agus d'fhiarfaigh cad a bhí ar siúl. Dúirt an seirbhíseach, "Tháinig do dheartháir do bhí ar fán, agus do mhairbh t'athair an gamhain ramhar toisc é theacht slán chuige." Tháinig tormas ar an mac críonna agus ní raghadh sé isteach.

Ansan do tháinig an t-athair amach agus chrom sé ar thathant air. Dúirt an mac leis go feargach, "Féach, táimse ag obair duit leis na blianta so go léir, agus níor dhiúlthaíos riamh do rud a dhéanamh ort, agus níor thugais riamh dom oiread is mionnán chun sóchas do dhéanamh lem chairdibh. Ach an mac so dhuit, chomh luath agus a tháini' sé, tar éis a choda do scaipeadh le haimhleas agus le stráisiúntacht, do mharaís an gamhain ramhar dó."

Dúirt an t-athair, "A mhic, taoi-se im fhochair i gcónaí, agus is leat a bhfuil agam. Ach ba chóir dúinn gairdeachas agus adhnó do dhéanamh, óir bhí do dheartháir anso dar linn marbh ach tá sé beo arís. Do bhí sé caillthe agus do fuarathas é."

Translation

There once was a rich man and he had two sons. And the youngest son said to his father, "Father, give me the portion of your possessions that is coming to me." And he divided the possessions between them. And after a few days the youngest son collected his possessions and he went to a foreign land, where he spent his wealth with wantonness and abandon.

And when he had spent everything there came a severe famine in that land and he was greatly in need. He went and he arranged with one of the inhabitants of that land to work for him as a servant. And [the man] sent him out on his land to tend pigs. And he would have gladly sated his hunger with the pigs' food but no one would give that to him. Then he thought to himself and said, "How many hired servants are there in my father's house with enough bread while I am here dying of hunger? I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy of being called your son. But allow me to be one of your hired servants.'"

And he arose and he came to his father. And when he was still a good distance from him his father saw him. And he took great pity on him. And he ran towards him and embraced him and kissed him. The son said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy of being called your son." The father said to his servants, "Hurry and bring out the best suit of clothes and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. And take the fatted calf and kill it. Let us eat and be merry. For I thought this son was dead but he is alive again. And they began to make merry."

But his oldest son was out in the field. And when he was coming towards the house he heard the music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what was going on. The servant said, "Your brother who was astray has come. And your father has killed the fatted calf because he has come back to him safely." The older brother became sulky and he would not go in.

Then the father came out and began to entreat him. The son said to him angrily, "Look, I have been working for you all these years, and I have never refused to do anything for you. And you have never given me as much as a kid goat so that I might make merry with my friends. But this son of yours, as soon as he came, having imprudently and audaciously spent everything he had, you killed the fatted calf for him."

The father said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. But we should rejoice and make a fuss, for we thought of your brother here as dead but he is alive again. He was lost and he has been found."

Footnotes

Commentary

This telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32) is based on a translation supplied to the speaker in advance. Cf. Peadar Ua Laoghaire, Na cheithre Soisgéil as an dTiomna Nua (Dublin, 1915), 191-2. The speaker was encouraged to adapt the text to his own dialect.