Tras-scríbhinn

Bhí gasúr ann fada ó shoin arbh ainm Croidheán. Agus nuair a bhí sé seacht bliana de aois fuair sé bás. Agus shíl a athair is a mháthair gur 'na[1] bhflaitheas a fuaigh sé. Agus lá amháin tháinig fear isteach. Bhí sé greannmhar. "(...)" arsa an tseanbhean.

"Sé," arsa seisean.

"Órú, charbh fhéidir gur as na flaithis tú?"

"Is é."

"An bhfaca tú Croidheán?"

"Chonaic."

"An bhfuil sé go maith?"

"Ó, tá sé go maith," arsa seisean. "Tá sé ag buachailleacht achan lá."

"An mbíonn mórán seascaireacht éadaigh sa lá air?"

"Leoga, ní bhíonn."

"An mbíonn mórán seascaireacht éadaigh san oíche air?"

"Leoga, ní bhíonn."

"An mbíonn im ar an arán aige?" arsa sise.

"Ní bhíonn," arsa seisean.

"Bhuel, cuirfidh mé... cuirfidh mé cóta leat agus plaincéad agus croc ime agus leathstocaí óir agus dhéanfaidh sin tamalt maith (dó). Ach b'fhéidir," ar sise, "go mbeadh sé trom agad (is b'fhearr dom) beathach is an dá chliabh a thabhairt leat."

(...) d'imigh sé leo agus nuair a bhí sé giota mór fada ar shiúl tháinig an sean-nduine[2] isteach.

"Tá tú ag teacht anois," arsa sise, "nuair atá an fear ar shiúl a bhí astoigh a bhí i gcuideachta Chroidheáin sna flaithis."

(...) nár mharbh sé í nuair a chuala sé goidé a rinn sí agus shín leis i ndéidh an fhir.

Chonaic an fear ag tarraingt air é. Chuir sé isteach an beathach 'na coilleadh agus luigh sé féin (...) ar an bhealach mhór.

"Éirigh amach suas as sin," arsa an sean'uine.

"Chan éirím," arsa seisean. "Dá bhfeicfeá thusa an rud a chonaic mise anois. Chonai' mé fear agus dhá chliabh agus beathach agus iomlán ar shiúl suas 'na bhflaitheas."

Phill an sean'uine. (Dar leis gurbh é) sin an fhírinne, agus níor amharc sé ón lá sin go dtí an lá inniu go feargach ar an tseanbhean.

Aistriúchán

Long ago there was a boy called Croidheán. And when he was seven years old he died. And his mother and father thought he had gone to heaven. And one day a man came in. He was strange. "(...)," said the old woman.

"Yes," he said.

"Might you be from heaven?"

"Yes."

"Did you see Croidheán?"

"I did."

"Is he well?"

"Oh, he's well," he said. "He herds cattle every day."

"Does he wear warm clothes during the day?"

"Indeed, he doesn't."

"Does he wear warm clothes at night?"

"Indeed, he doesn't."

"Does he take butter on his bread?" she said.

"He doesn't," he said.

"Well, I'll send... I'll send a coat and a blanket and a crock of butter and a sock of gold along with you and that will last him a good while. But maybe," she said, "that would be too heavy for you and(?) I'd better give you a horse and two baskets to take along."

(...) he went off with them and when he was a good way off the old man came in.

"Here you are now," she said, "and the man who was here and who was with Croidheán in heaven has gone away."

He nearly killed her when he heard what she had done and he went off after the man.

The man saw him drawing near. He put the horse into the wood and he lay down (...) on the road.

"Get up from there," said the old man.

"I can't get up," he said. "If you only saw what I saw just now. I saw a man and two baskets and a horse and the lot moving up in the heavens."

The old man returned. He thought it was true, and he didn't look angrily at the old woman from that day down to the present day.

Fonótaí

Tráchtaireacht

Is cosúil gurb éard atá anseo ná malairt leagain den scéal idirnáisiúnta béaloidis, ATU 1540 The student from Paradise. Sna leaganacha idirnáisiúnta, baineann an scéal de ghnáth le mac léinn, déirceoir nó caimiléir a deir gur as Páras dó. Ceapann baothán éigin go hearráideach gurb éard a bhí i gceist aige ná gur as Parthas dó, agus tugann siad bia, éadaí nó airgead dó le hiompar ar ais ar neamh agus le tabhairt do dhuine muinteartha dóibh a cailleadh le gairid. Cuireadh i gcló den chéaduair é as Laidin ag deireadh na cúigiú haoise déag agus ó shin, leath sé ar fud na hEorpa agus go mórán den Áise agus den Afraic. Féach Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktales: a classification and bibliography (3 iml., Helsinki, 2004). Tá an scéal coitianta in Éirinn, agus rinneadh clárú air i ngach cúige. Faightear go minic é comhcheangailte le scéalta eile mar gheall ar amadáin nó dúramáin. Féach Seán Ó Súilleabháin agus Rieder Th. Christiansen, The types of the Irish folktale (Helsinki, 1968). D'fhéadfaí a áireamh leis go bhfuil gaol aige leis na móitífeanna idirnáisiúnta béaloidis, leithéid J2326.1 Foolish woman gives swindler money for her parents in heaven, agus J2326 The student from Paradise. Féach Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (atheagrán méadaithe, 6 iml., Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).

Tá leaganacha eile den scéal seo in Conall Ó Grianna, Rann na Feirsde: seanchas ár sinsear (Rann na Mónadh, 1998), 312-13, agus in Gordon W. MacLennan, Seanchas Annie Bhán (BÁC, 1997), 224-9.