Transcript

Bhí fear fadó ann agus bhí triúr mac aige. Agus chuaigh sé amach sa ngairdín lá dos na laethanta. Agus bhí sé ag rámhóireacht tríd an ngairdín nó go bhfaca sé éan 'na luí (thuas fí chrann) agus taobh óir agus taobh airgid uirthi. Agus tháinig sé isteach agus thit sé i ngrá léithi. Agus má dhein choíche, d'éirigh duine dá chlainn mhac agus chuaigh sé siar (chuige) féachaint cad a bhí ag caitheamh air.

"Fios mo bhealaigh," a deir sé, "a ghrá, níl ag éinne."

Chuaigh an tara... Tháinig sé sin aniar agus bhí sé go dubhach (do)brónach, agus shuigh sé síos, agus (d'éirigh) an tara fear agus siar leis. Agus má chuaigh choíche d'fhiafraigh sé dá athair cad a bhí ag caitheamh air.

"Fios mo bhealaigh," a deir sé, "níl ag éinne."

Tháinig sé sin aniar agus bhí sé go dubhach (do)brónach. Agus shuigh an bheirt acu síos agus bhí siad ag comhrá cainte eatarthub féin.

D'éirigh Seán. Leathamadán a bhí ann agus... (nár) chorraigh as cúinne na luaithe nó go raibh sé bliain is fiche. Siar leis go dtí an athair agus dúirt... d'fhiafraigh sé dhe cad a bhí ag caitheamh air.

"Fios mo bhealaigh," a deir sé, "níl ag éinne."

"Caithfidh mise a fhios... a fhios a bheith agam cén galar athá ag plé leat," a deir sé. Do dh'éirigh sé is fuair sé poc sa (bhéal) in aghaidh chlár a bhí ann is (...) is do bhris sé an clár.

D'inis a athair ansin dó cad é a bhí ag caitheamh air. "(Bhí mé) amuigh sa ngairdín lá dós na laethanta," a deir sé. "Is bhí mé ag rábhóireacht tríd an ngáirdín," a deir sé. "Má bhíos choíche," a deir sé, "chonaic (mé éan na moiche) ar bhrainse de chrann," a deir sé, "agus bhí taobh óir agus taobh airgid ar an éan," a deir sé.

"(Caithfidh) mise dul (faoi dhéin leis an t-éan sin)," a deir Seán.

"Á, mo (bheannacht Dé an tAthair). Sé an áit a bhfuil an t-éan san domhan thoir istigh i gcage miotalach athá ag an... ag giant. Fathach mór athá ann," a deir sé.

By gor, tháinig sé aniar is (d'fhiafraigh) an bheirt eile (dhe) cén scéal a bhí aige. D'inis sé dhó (dé) scéal a bhí aige (...) ina leithéid sin d'áit, istigh i gcage miotalach. Chuir siad sin iad féin i gcóir agus away leothub go dtí (...) agus (capaill agus diallait) acu agus a ndóthaint óir agus airgid. By gor, nuair a dh'imíodar d'éirigh Jack do léim agus bhain sé croitheadh as féin is bhain sé tunna luaithe dhe féin. (An) tarna croitheadh dhá thunna agus an tríú croitheadh trí thunna. (R)ug sé léim is chuaigh sé amach ar an tráigh. Away le Seá-... le Ja-... le Seán ag an (...). Away leis, a mhiceó, agus bhí sé ag imeacht leis riamh riamh agus é ag teacht suas leothub i ngach uile orlach. Agus nuair ab ard dóibh sin ba íseal do Sheán. Agus nuair ab íseal dóibh sin b'ard do Sheán. D'fhéach duine acu ina dhiaidh agus chonaic sé Seán ag teacht ina dhiaidh.

"Féach anuas Seán," a deir duine acu, "nó gheobhaidh sé sin... níl aon... níl aon (snáthad in éanachaí)."

"Scaoil leis," a deir an fear eile, "nó go dté muid síos go dtí an gcoill athá thíos anseo agus tabhairfidh muid isteach é," a deir sé, "agus déanfaidh muid gad agus ceanglóidh muid do chrann é."

Scaoil le... siad le Seán agus thug siad isteach sa choill é nuair a tháinig Seán suas leothub agus dhein siad gad agus cheangail siad do chrann é. Agus nuair a dh'imíodar ó Sheán d'fhéach Seán (ar an) dtaobh seo agus d'fhéach sé (ar an) dtaobh sin agus thug sé léim as claí amach. Tharraing sé dhá acra don talamh, crainn is uile, stumpaí is uile aniar ina dhiaidh. Leag sé na crainn a bhí amach roimhe. Leag sé na claitheacha agus bhí sé treabhadh na (máighthe) leis nó gur fhéach duine acu ina dhiaidh.

"(Ara, éach anois) Seán," a deir sé, "agus tá leath na contae ceangailte ina dhiaidh. Crainn is uile," a deir sé, "is é ag teacht."

"Féach leis," a deir an fear eile. "Scaoil leis," a deir sé, "nó go dté muid go dtí an gcoill athá thíos anseo," a deir sé. "Agus cuirfidh muid isteach ann é agus ceangaileoidh muid do chrann é," a deir sé. "Thá p(...) chomh mór leis an gcrann go bhfuil sé ceangailte dhe."

Dhein. Cheangail siad Jack isteach san tara crann is bhí sé chomh mór le baile mór ar fad. Nuair a dh'imíodar ar thóir... thóir Sheáin, by gor, d'éirigh Seán agus d'fhéach sé ar an dtaobh seo agus d'fhéach sé ar an dtaobh sin agus thug sé léim as claí amach. Thug sé seacht n-acra don talamh aniar ina dhiaidh agus an dá chrann ceangailte dhe. Bhí sé ag leagan na gclaitheacha agus ag treabhadh na máighthe chomh tréan agus b'fhéidir leis. Agus bhí sé ag teacht suas leothub gach uile orlach insa mbóthar agus d'fhéach duine acu ina dhiaidh (cu) agus dúirt sé go raibh Jack ag teacht ina dhiaidh.

Translation

There was a man long ago and he had three sons. And he went out into the garden one of the days. And he was wandering through the garden and saw a bird lying up under a tree with a golden side and a silver side. And he came in and he fell in love with it. And if he did, one of his sons got up and he went over to him to see what was the matter with him.

"Nobody has knowledge of my journey, dear," he said.

The sec-... He came back and was sad and mournful, and he sat down, and the second man got up and went over. And if he did, he asked his father what was the matter with him.

"Nobody has knowledge of my journey," he said.

He came back and was sad and mournful. And the two of them sat down and they conversed with each other.

Seán got up. He was a half-wit who hadn't moved from the ash-corner (?) till he was twenty one years old. He went over to the father and said... he asked him what was the matter with him.

"Nobody has knowledge of my journey," he said.

"I must know... find out what disease is at you," he said. He got up and he banged his mouth against a board that was there and (...) and he broke the board.

The father then told him what was the matter with him. "I was outside in the garden one of the days," he said. "And I was wandering through the garden," he said. "If I was," he said, "I saw the early bird on a branch of a tree," he said, "and the bird had a golden side and a silver side," he said.

"I must go to that bird," said Seán.

"Ah, my blessing of God the Father (?). The bird is to be found in the eastern world in a metal cage belonging to a giant. He is a big giant," he said.

By gor, he came back and the other two asked him what news he had. He told them(?) (...) in a certain place, in a metal cage. They got themselves ready and away they went to (...) with horses and saddles and plenty of gold and silver. By gor, when they left, Jack leapt up and he shook himself and he shook a ton of ashes off himself. The second shake two tons and the third shake three tons. He jumped and he went out onto the beach. Away went Seá-... Ja-... Seán at the (...). Away he went, sonny, and he was progressing ever and always and he was catching up with them with every inch. And when they went high Seán was low. And when they went low, that was when Seán went high. One of them looked behind and he saw Seán coming after him.

"Look at Seán coming down," said one of them, "or he will get... there isn't... there is no needle in birds (?)."

"Leave him off," said the other man, "until we go down to the wood which is down here and we will bring him in," he said, "and we will make a strap and tie him to a tree."

Let him... They let Seán off and they brought him into the wood when Seán caught up with them and they made a strap and they tied him to a tree. And when they left Seán Seán looked to this side and he looked to that side and he jumped out over the ditch. He pulled two acres of the land, trees and everything, stumps and all, after him. He knocked the trees that were in front of him. He knocked the ditches and he was ploughing the plains along until one of them looked behind.

"Ah, look now at Seán," he said, "with half the county tied behind him. Trees and everything," he said, "coming."

"Look at him," said the other man. "Let him off," he said, "until we go down to the wood which is down here," he said. "And we will put him into it and we will tie him to a tree," he said. "(...) is as big as the tree he is tied to."

They did that. They tied Jack into the second tree and it was as big as a whole big town. When they went after.... after Seán, by gor, Seán got up and he looked to this side and he looked to that side and he jumped out over the ditch. He brought seven acres of the land behind him and the two trees tied to him. He was knocking the ditches and ploughing the plains as strongly as he could. And he was catching up with them every inch of the road and one of them looked behind and he said that Jack was coming after them.

Commentary

This is an example of an international folktale, ATU 550 Bird, horse and princess. It has several variants, one of which being The search for the golden bird. It concerns a king who is sick with a mysterious illness, and only the singing of a golden bird will cure him. He sends his three sons out on a quest to retrieve the bird, but the older two are haughty and dismissive of the youngest. It is the youngest who eventually succeeds in the quest, usually by being kind to people and animals who then aid him in his endeavour. It is very often combined with another folktale, ATU 551 Water of life. So many variants exist of the two stories that it is often difficult to distinguish between them. The story is known throughout Eurasia and the Middle East, the Americas and North Africa. See Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 vols, Helsinki, 2004). It is reasonably popular in Ireland, with examples coming from the north and along the western seaboard. See Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). International folk motifs in this example include H1210.1 Quest assigned by father, H1331.1 Quest for marvellous bird, H1213 Quest for remarkable bird caused by sight of one of its feathers and H1331.1.3 Quest for golden bird. The events in the story also suggest the presence of another motif, L101 Unpromising hero (male Cinderella). Usually, but not always, the unpromising hero is also the youngest son. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).