Transcript

Bhí fear fada ó shoin ann agus bhí triúr mac aige. Bhuel, fuair sé féin bás agus dúirt Séamas agus Pádraic leo féin go rachadh siad ag saothrú[1] a mbeatha. Ach bhí Dónaillín insa gcoirnéal agus níor chor sé as an gcoirnéal ' ceann seacht mbliana. Agus nuair a d'éirigh sé fuaigh sé taobh amach dhon doras agus 's beag nár phlúch sé an teach le méid luaithreach a chraith sé as féin.

D'imigh siad leofa. Is dúirt siad le Dónaillín fuireadh[2] an áit a rabh sé. Is lean Dónaillín iad nuair a bhí siad tamall imithe. Agus nuair a chonaic Pádraic ag teacht é, agus ar seisean le Séamas, "By Gor (...), tá Séamas ag teach-, tá Dónaillín ag teacht," ar seisean.

"Bhuel, fuireoidh muid leis," arsa Séamas.

Agus nuair a tháinig siad... Nuair a tháinig sé suas leofa chuir sé... thug siad isteach insa gcoill é agus cheangail siad dho chrann l(...) a bhí ann. Agus d'imigh siad leofa ansin. Ní rabh siad ró-fhada imithe nuair a tharraing Dónaillín an crann as na fréamhrachaí agus lean sé iad. Agus dhearc Séamas aríst an taobh thiar dhó agus chonaic sé ag teacht é leis an gcrann ar a dhroim.

Bhuel, d'fhuirigh siad dó... leis go dtáinig sé. Agus bhí carraic mór istigh insa bpáirc. Agus thug siad isteach insa bpáirc é agus cheangail siad dhon gcarraic é. Agus d'imigh siad leofa ansin.

Agus, "Go cinntí cinntí," arsa Séamas, "ní thiocfaidh Dónaillín anois agus an charraic leis."

Chuir sé cupla cnead as féin agus tharraing sé an... an charraic ar a dhroim agus d'imigh sé leis 'na ndéidh. Bhuel, faoi cheann tamaill ina dhiaidh sin dhearc Pádraic aríst an taobh thiar dhó agus dúirt sé le Séamas go rabh sé ag teacht.

"Bhuel, tá sé comh maith cead an bhóthair a thabhairt dósan."

D'imigh siad ansin gur casadh feilméar dófa. D'fhiafraigh sé dófa goidéard a bhí siad a iarraidh.

"Tá muid ar thuairisc oibre," arsa Séamas.

"Bhuel, bhéarfaidh mé sin dhaoibh," ar seisean, "agus tagaidh libh. Goidéard a (thabharfas mise dhuitse le a) dhéanamh, a Dhónaillín?" arsa... arsa an máistir.

"Ó, muise, do rogha (do) rud," arsa Dónaillín, ar seisean. "Dearcfaidh mé cearcaí is mucaí is rudaí dhon tsórt sin, is ag scríobadh an tsráid, is déanfaidh mé mar sin."

Bhí go maith. Chuir sé an t-aimsir orthu. Nuair a bhí siad cupla lá ag obair ansin dúirt Séamas leis an bhfeilméar go rabh cupán óir an áit ar chodail siad san oíche roimhe agus dhá n-abródh sé le Dónaillín go dtabharfadh sé aige é.

"Bhuel, abród," arsa Dón-... arsa an máistir.

Tháinig sé ag Dónaillín agus d'fhiafraigh sé dhó an dtiúrfadh sé an cupán óir aige.

"Bhéarad," arsa Dónaillín, "má thugann tú máilín beag salainn dom."

"Bhuel, neart salainn a gheofas tú," arsa an máistir.

Thug sé an máilín salainn dó agus d'imigh Dónaillín leis is é ar a dhroim go ndeachaigh sé isteach insa gcoill, an áit ar chodail siad cupla oíche roimhe sin. Agus nuair a fuaigh sé ansin fuaigh sé suas ar an teach ag an tsimiléar agus chuile fhocal a bhí siad a rá istigh mhoithigh Dónaillín iad. Bhí sé... Bhí an suipéar thíos acu. Agus chaith Dónaillín cuide dhon tsalann síos insa... insa similéar agus thoisigh... thoisigh an pota ag cur amach ar a bhéal agus an tinidh ag greadadh.

"Ó, rith amach," arsa an tseanbhean, arsa... le... arsa... leis an... dúirt sí leis an gcailín óg... nó an gcailín aimsire, "agus tabhair cupán óir leat. Agus tabhair lán uisce isteach agus cuirfidh tú an tinidh as."

Fuaigh an cailín amach agus rith sí 'na tobair... 'un an tobair. Agus nuair a bhí sí ag taomadh an t-uisce tháinig Dónaillín taobh thiar dhaoith' (...).

Translation

There was a man long ago and he had three sons. Well, he himself died, and James and Patrick said to themselves that they would go to earn their living. But Little Daniel was in the corner and he didn't move from the corner for seven years. And when he got up he went outside the door and he nearly smothered the house with all the ash he shook from himself.

Off they went. And they told Little Daniel to stay where he was. And Little Daniel followed them after they had gone a while. And when Patrick saw him coming he said to James, "By Gor, (...), Little Daniel is coming," he said.

"Well, we will wait for him," said James.

And when he caught up with them they brought him into the forest and they tied him to a (...) tree which was there. And they then went away. They had not gone far when Little Daniel pulled the tree from its roots and he followed them. And James again looked behind him and he saw him coming with the tree on his back.

Well, they waited for him until he came. And there was a big rock in the field. And they brought him into the field and they tied him to the rock. And off they went then.

And, "Surely, surely," said James, "Little Daniel will not come now with the rock tied to him."

He gave a few groans and he pulled the rock onto his back and off he went after them. Well, a while after that Patrick again looked behind him and he told James that he was coming.

"Well, it is best to let him travel the road."

Off they went until the met a farmer. He asked them what they were seeking.

"We are looking for work," said James.

"Well, I will give you that," he said, "and come along. What will I give you to do, Little Daniel?" said the master.

"Oh, now, whatever you want," said Little Daniel. "I will keep an eye on hens and pigs and that sort of thing, and scrape the street, and I will do the likes of that."

All was good. He gave them work. When they had been working there for a few days James told the farmer that there was a golden cup in the place that they had slept the night before and that if he said it to Little Daniel that he would bring it to him.

"Well, I will say," said the master.

He came to Little Daniel and he asked him if he would bring the golden cup to him.

"I will," said Little Daniel, "if you bring me a little bag of salt."

"Well, you will get plenty of salt," said the master.

He gave him the little bag of salt and Little Daniel went off with it on his back and he went into the forest, where they had slept a couple of nights before that. And when he went there, he went up onto the house to the chimney, and every word that they spoke inside Little Daniel heard them. They were having their supper below. And Little Daniel threw some of the salt down into the chimney, and the pot started overflowing and the fire started sparking.

"Oh, run out," said the old woman, ... she said to the young girl, the servant girl, "and bring the golden cup with you. And bring in its fill of water and you will quench the fire."

The girl went out and she ran to the well. And when she was getting the water Little Daniel came behind her (...).

Footnotes

Commentary

This may be based on an international folktale, ATU 1525 The master thief. It is a miscellaneous type, which has many variants, and combines a number of known motifs about thieves in many different ways. It may also borrow some motifs from another folktale, ATU 328 The boy steals the ogre’s treasure. In variants of this tale the youngest of a group of brothers uses salt to make a giant thirsty, and drives him outside in search of water. Meanwhile his treasure is stolen. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). ATU 1525 is one of the most popular folktales in Irish tradition, with a great many examples coming from all over the country. ATU 328 is also a well-known tale in Irish tradition. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). Some international folk motifs of note in this story may be F866.3 Golden cup and K337 Oversalting food of giant so that he must go outside for water. Meantime his goods are stolen. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (revised and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).