English:

A ship has come ashore here,
Which has left my in distress;
I got a dram or two out of her;
That is why I feel so ill;
I am so wretched today that I can only move with an effort.
The "Spay Royal" I drank has made my mind sorrowful.

I heard she was there,
And it was time to go to her,
That there was plenty of stuff in her,
Shoes and silks, and whisky as well,
Of every known brand;
And though there was black oil on top,
The best part was below.

I went up as the rest did,
And we used what was in her;
I thought that there wouldn't be a word about it,
That the ship was a total loss;
But that was not how things turned out,
At once a report was made,
And I got a stern summons,
Taking me away to prison.

We went down to Loch Maddy,
Expecting to be put in irons;
Not a week, nor a month,
But a year's imprisonment I would get.
The Excisemen and a Policemen or two
Were out to condemn us,
But in spite of their talk
Roidseag looked like getting clear.

Though I were to go thence to Inverness prison,
I would not bow my head,
There would be no disgrace in it;
But for some people,
With their careless talk and readiness to tell,
Not a man who took a drop out of her
Would have been caught.

What left me sad,
And put the poem in my mind,
Was thinking of the poor lads
Whom the Court sent to prison;
Who were so well esteemed everywhere,
No one was heard to say they had misbehaved,
It hadn't been heard they were alive,
Until she struck her nose on land.

The Excisemen said in the Courthouse,
And I was annoyed with him for it,
That they would get her away,
That the cargo was not spoilt;
Though I was not very intelligent myself,
I knew for sure, at any rate,
She would not move from that rock,
That she would be only seen ashore.

Whoever walks from Ludag will see,
Will see a sight of her with his own eyes,
Where she is stretched out on the bottom;
The Politician is there,
She has a bend that cannot be straightened;
She'll never move from there
Until she goes to pieces.

But if it were worth my while,
I would put it down,
And I wouldn't tell a lie,
Some got plenty out of her,
Of every kind of thing in her,
Who were boastful in every way,
And proud throughout the district;
But listen to me,
And I'll never say more about the kindly "Polly".

The hull of the "Polly" still lies between Calbhaidh and Hartimeal, and every year divers go out to recover the goods left behind. Whisky from the "Polly" though now undrinkable, fetch very high prices at auctions around the world.

Let me know if you would like any other songs from the Long Island, and I'll see what I can do!

Slan leat

Aodh