Tras-scríbhinn

Bhí rí sa bhFrainc agus rí sa nGréig agus rí sa gCladach Grinn. Bhí mac rí na Fraince agus mac rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn, bhí siad rí-mhór le chéilí. Bhí siad go mion 's go minic ag dul ar cuairt go dtí a chéilí. An lá seo tháinig mac rí na Fraince ar cuairt ag mac rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn. D'fhiafraigh mac rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn dhó an rabh aon scéal nuaidh aige ó bhí sé anseo go deiridh.

"Tá," a deir sé. "Rugadh mac óg dhomhsa ó bhí mé anseo go deiridh."

"Maith mar tharlaigh," arsa rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn. "Rugadh iníon óg dhomhsa agus sílim nuair a bheidh sí ina bean óg nach mbeidh aon bhean sa domhan chomh breá léithi."

"Maith mar... Agus tharla gur rugadh in aon am amháin iad déanfaidh muid cleamhas anois dhaofa. Agus cé ar bith spré a bheas le fáil is a cheapfaidh muid dhaofa (...) tairrneochaidh[1] muid (airteagal air)."

Bhuel tugadh aire mhaith dho na malraigh agus nuair a bhí siad in ann scríobh bhíodh siad ag scríobh leitreacha go dtí a chéilí.

Bhí rí sa nGréig agus bhí triúr mac aige. Agus dúirt an fear is sine go rabh sé in oidhríocht agus go rabh sé in am aige pósadh agus, "Siúlfaidh mé an domhan," a deir sé, "go bhfagha mé an bhean is breácha sa domhan."

D'imigh sé féin agus a bheirt dearthár amach i mbád agus shiúil siad tha-... agus d'iomraigh siad an mhuir(e) mhór nó go dtáinig siad ag rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn go dtáinig siad ag an gcaisleán. Agus do... d'iarr... thóraigh sé an iníon ar rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn.

"Bhuel, tiúrfaidh mise do fhreagra dhuit," a deir sé, "nuair a thiocfas mé anuas as an seomra."

Chonaic... Thug sé isteach iad. Agus nuair a chonaic sí é thit sé... thit sí i ngrá leis agus thit seisean i ngrá léithi. Bhí siad scathamh ag caint agus d'fhiafraigh sí dhó, "Ar thóraigh tú mise ar m'athair?"

"Thóraíos," ar seisean.

"Cén freagra a thug sé dhuit?"

"Go dtiúrfadh sé mo fhreagra dhom nuair a thiocfadh sé anuas as an seomra."

"Á," ar sise, "is fada amach uaimse a chaithfeas tusa fanacht nuair a thiocfas mac rí na Fraince anseo. Tá mo chleamhnas-sa déantaí ó rugadh muid agus tá scéala curtha go dtí é."

"An éalóidh tú liom?" ar seisean.

"Éalóidh," ar sise.

Chuaigh siad amach agus... ar aghaidh an chaisleáin. Nuair a bhí sé scathamh amuigh ar an muir thoisigh se ag déanamh gaisce:

"Is faoi mo choinní[2] atá an t-each
Nár ligeadh ariamh amach 'un féir,
Is faoi mo choinní atá an chú
Nach ligfeadh uaithi an lúth ná an tréan,
Is faoi mo choinní atá an seabhac
An seabhac is fearr dho thogha na n-éan,
Is faoi mo choinní atá an bhean
Is breácha agus is gile faoi luigheamh[3] na n-éan."

"Ní córa dhuit í," arsa an bheirt dearthár, "ná dhúinn í. Shiúil muidí an oiread ar a son agus shiúil tusa."

"Ó, ná déanaigí sin ormsa, a dheartháireachaí," a deir sé. "Ach nuair a theastós mná uaibh siúlfaidh mise an domhan go bhfagha sibh mná a fheilfeas dhaoibh féin."

"Ní mar sin a bheas," ar siadsan, "ach mar seo."

Tharraing siad an bád isteach ar chalaidh cloiche agus d'áitigh an triúr acu ar a chéilí. Is gearr gur leag siad an (buinne ruadh ó dheas na ráth).

Níor mhaith leofa a bheith ag féachaint air ansin nuair a bhí sé ag fáil bháis. Fuair siad... Fuaigh siad taobh thiar dhon chalaidh agus d'áitigh an bheirt acu le chéilí. Ní rabh siad an-fhada imithe nuair a tháinig mac rí na Fraince ag rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn.

"Cá bhfuil mo bhean?" a deir sé.

"Ó, ná bac léithi," a deir s-... rí an Chladaigh Ghrinn, "ach an méid a ceapadh dhuit tiúrfaidh mise dhuit é."

"(...) do chuid airgid!" a deir sé. "Ní theastaíonn do chuid airgid uaim," a deir sé, "ach mo bhean. Gabh amach anseo agus spáin dhomhsa cén cheard a thóig siad."

"Thóig siad amach go díreach," a deir sé, "amach ar aghaidh an chaisleáin."

Fuaigh mac rí na Fraince amach lena bhád agus bhí sé ag iomramh agus ag (...) go bhfaca sé bád tarraingtí isteach ag calaidh cloiche. Tháinig sé isteach lena bhád.

Aistriúchán

There was a king in France and a king in Greece and a king in the Clear Shore. The son of the king of France and the son of the king of the Clear Shore were very fond of each other. They visited each other very often. One day the son of the king of France came on a visit to the son of the king of the Clear Shore. The son of the king of the Clear Shore asked him if he had any news since he was here last.

"I do," he said. "A son has been born to me since I was last here."

"It is good that that happened," said the king of the Clear Shore. "A young daughter was born to me and I think that when she is a young woman there won't be a woman in the world as beautiful as her."

"It is good that... And seeing as they were born at the same time we will make a match for them now. And whatever dowry that will be available and that we decide for them (...) we will draw up an article(?) on it."

Well the youngsters were well cared for and when they were able to write they used to write letters to each other.

There was a king in Greece and he had three sons. And the eldest one of them said that he was being bequeathed to and that it was time for him to marry and, "I will walk the world over," he said, "until I find the most beautiful woman in the world."

He and his two brothers went out into a boat and they went arou-... and the rowed the ocean until the came to the king of the Clear Shore and to the castle. And he... he asked the king of the Clear Shore for his daughter.

"Well, I will give you your answer," he said, "when I come down from the room."

[She] saw... He brought them in. And when she saw him he fell... she fell in love with him and he fell in love with her. They spoke for a while and she asked him, "did you ask my father for me?"

"I did," he said.

"What answer did he give you?"

"That he would give me my answer when he came down from the room."

"Ah," she said, "you must stay far from me when the son of the king of France comes here. My match has been made since we were born and a message has been sent to him."

"Will you elope with me?" he said.

"I will," she said.

They went out and... in front of the castle. When he was a while out at sea he started boasting:

"For me is the horse
That was never let out to grass,
For me is the hound
That would never let one who is agile and strong go,
For me is the hawk
The best hawk of the choicest birds,
For me is the woman
Who is the finest and brightest under the birds as they rest."

"She is not due more to you," said the two brothers, "than to us. We walked the same distance for her as you did."

"Oh, don't do that to me, brothers," he said. "But when you want women I will walk the world until you find suitable women for yourselves."

"It won't be like that," they said, "but like this."

They pulled the boat in onto a stony shore and the three of them argued with each other. It wasn't long until they knocked the (...).

They didn't like looking at him there when he was dying. They got... They went to the back of the shore and they argued with each other. They weren't long gone when the son of the king of France came to the king of the Clear Shore.

"Where is my woman?" he said.

"Oh, don't bother with her," said the king of the Clear Shore, "but what is owed to you I will give to you."

"(...) your money!" he said. "I don't want your money," he said, "but my woman. Come out here and show me which direction they went."

"They went out straight," he said, "in front of the castle."

The son of the king of France went out with his boat and he was rowing and (...) until he saw a boat pulled in onto a stone shore. He came in with his boat.

Fonótaí

Tráchtaireacht

Níl an scéal seo iomlán, dá bhrí sin is deacair léamh a dhéanamh air. B'fhéidir gurb éard atá ann ná leagan den scéal idirnáisiúnta béaloidis ATU 516 Faithful John, a bhaineann le fear a ealaíonn le banphrionsa. Féach Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 iml., Helsinki, 2004). Níl an argóint ina thaobh seo láidir, áfach, mar tá roinnt móitífeanna sa scéal béaloidis sin nach bhfuil sa scéal seo. Ina theannta sin, tá an scéal neamhchoitianta in Éirinn: níor cláraíodh ach ocht n-uaire é, i gcontaetha Mhaigh Eo, na Gaillimhe agus Chiarraí. Féach Seán Ó Súilleabháin agus Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). D'fhéadfadh sé go bhfuil na móitífeanna idirnáisiúnta béaloidis a leanas sa sampla seo: R225.2 Lovers elope to prevent girl’s marriage to undesired fiancé agus R225 Elopement.