Transcript

Bhí bean (an tslíomaire) thoir - ní rabh aici ach aon iníon amháin. Níor nigh sí cluas, níor chíor sí a ceann agus níor nigh sí a héadan ón oíche a rugadh í go dtí an lá a tháinig an duine uasal. Bhí mac ag an duine uasal. Agus in aois a bhliain agus fiche cuireadh é. Bhí sé féin agus a bhean go han-chaill-... uaigneach ina dhéidh. Bhíodh sé ag féachaint uirthi ag siúl an ghairdín, chuile lá, comh maith agus a bhí sé ariamh. Chuala sé caint ar an mbean seo agus tharraing sé uirthi. "Ní thabharfá abhaile mo mhac chugam," ar seisean.

"Bhuel, bhéarfainn," arsa an bhean leis, "ach níl mé in ann."

"Bhéarfaidh mise abhaile chugad é," arsa an iníon, ar sise, "má thugann tú le pósadh dhom é."

"Muise, níor mhaith liom a... Ba mhaith liom é a thabhairt abhaile chugam," ar seisean, "ach níor mhaith liom é a thabhairt... é pósadh."

"(...)," ar sise, "fág ansin é."

"Ar ghrá é a thabhairt abhaile chugam," ar seisean, "bhéarfaidh mé dhuit le pósadh é."

"Bhfuil fuil chaorach agad?" ar sise.

"Tá," ar seisean.

"An bhfuil (teara) agad?" ar sise.

"Tá," ar seisean.

"Bhfuil (bóth) agad?" ar sise.

"Tá," ar seisean.

"(Réidh ort)," ar sise, "agus (beidh mise i do) (...)."

Chuaigh sí amach agus chuaigh sí ag marcaíocht ar an gcapall, í féin agus é féin, agus thug sé ag an tsráid í. D'oscail sí an (teara) agus chuaigh sí isteach ann. D'oscail sí an mála (cruaidhe) agus rabhláil sí í féin ann. Fuair sí an craiceann éisc agus chuir sí ina (bheilt uirthi féin é).

"Tarraing amach do chapall anois," ar sise, "go dtéimis ag marcaíocht."

Tharraing sé amach a chapall.

"Agus téirigh ag marcaíocht air," ar sise.

Bhó! D'éirigh sé dho léim agus chuaigh sí ar an gcapall agus níor stop sí ariamh gur leaindeáil sí féin agus é féin i gcnoc éarlais.

"Bhfeiceann tú tadaí?" ar sise.

"Ní fheicim," ar seisean.

"Leog do ghualainn dheas ar mo ghualainn dheas," ar sise. Leog.

"Feicim mo mhac," ar seisean, "agus fág ag an lady óg é is breáchta ar fhéach mise ariamh uirthi," ar seisean.

"Bhuel, ní fhágfad," ar sise. "Níor tháinig mise insa journey," ar sise, "gan é a fháil le pósadh mé féin. Ní fhágfaidh mise ag an ropaire é," ar sise. "Druid amach anois," ar sise, "go labhraí mise leis."

Dhruid sé uaithi amach.

"A Chlaonáin óig," ar sise, "go mbeannaí Críost(a féinig).
Nach fada an steairt," ar sise, "a (tháinig as a déarfainn)
Thar Ceannainn anoir," ar sise, "faoi thoinne na caolbháiste.
Aithris dom," ar sise, "agus ná déan bréag liom.
Aithris dom," ar sise, " (i dtaobh Sheáin 'ic Séamais),
Nó tá Caitlín Builtéar," ar sise, "pósta réidh leis.
(...) sí (cróthar)," ar sise, "go gasta déantaí."

Goidé an searc ná an síorghrá," arsa an bhean istigh, "(a) thug tú féin dó," ar sise, "le go dtáinig tú fúm i gcnoc éarlais?"

Mar budh é (m'úllóir)," arsa an bhean amuigh, "agus mo (stocán) gréine. Ní fhágfaidh mé agatsa é," ar sise, "ná ag aon bhean eile in Éirinn."

Ansin a chrap Claonán a folt dá héadan. Dhearc agus d'fhéach uirthi.

"Tá do chóta," ar sise, "do (...) in éineacht,
Tá do chrios," ar sise, "do chraiceann éisc ort,
Gearr (a choill)," ar sise, "is (...) (t'éadain).
Agus (...) an ghrian fá thrí do scéimhe.
Ar tusa Mór uasal," ar sise, "nó ar tú Vénus?
Nó ar tú a (...) ó thuaidh," ar sise, "as cnoc an tsléibhe?
Aithrisím duit," arsa an bhean amuigh, "nach í a thug in éad mé,
Gurb iomaí mná maithe dhá n-éagmais in Éirinn,
Sé mo (...)," ar sise, "bláth na scéimhe,
Sé m'athair," ar sise, "(d'fhulaing d'éadain),
Thug an (t-úllóir) ó Vénus," ar sise, "torann is Éijipt"
Moithím torann an as(...)," ar sise, "curtha le chéilí.
Caisleáin ag titim," ar sise, "agus bothú ag pléascadh,
Coilltí eaglaise," ar sise, "agus iad á réabadh,
Mu' gcuire tusa amach chugam," ar sise, "Seán 'ac Séamais
Dóighfidh mé agus bruithfidh mé thú ins an domhnán céanna."

Translation

Translation in hand. Aistriúchán go Béarla idir lámha.

Commentary

This story appears to be based on a very common legend about a woman who is abducted by the fairies, and is rescued from the otherworld. Motifs include F322.5 Rescue from fairyland, and F322 Fairies steal man’s wife and carry her to fairyland. It is a well-known theme, and can be found in early Irish literature. See Tom Peete Cross, Motif-index of early Irish literature (Bloomington, Ind., 1952). Usual versions of the legend consist of a man who rescues a woman from fairy abduction, but the roles are reversed in this instance, and it is a woman who attempts to rescue the man. In addition, the narrative is comprised of prose and poetry, making it an example of a chantefable.

There is a song known from the ninteenth-century Child ballad collection under the title 39A Tam Lin, which concerns a woman's attempt to rescue a man from the fairy realm. See Francis James Child, The English and Scottish popular ballads (5 vols, New York, 1965), vol. 1, 336-7. See also E.B. Lyle, 'The ballad of Tam Lin and traditional tales of recovery from the fairy troop', Studies in Scottish Literature 6 (1969), 175-85. It also appears in Ireland, often in chantefable form, where it is a mixture of prose and rhyme or song. See Tom Munnelly, ''They're there all the same!': supernatural elements in narrative songs in the English language in Ireland', Béaloideas 60-1 (1992-3), 173-96: 181. It is not clear whether the current example represents a borrowing from the ballad, or whether it is simply based on popular legends, but the reversal of roles and the verse structure at least suggests that it may have been influenced by the ballad versions. Some international folk motifs found in the story include F324.3 Youth abducted by fairy and F322.5 Rescue from fairyland. See Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (rev. and enlarged ed., 6 vols, Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).