The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #91955   Message #1753272
Posted By: GUEST,Philippa
05-Jun-06 - 09:42 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Ur-Chnoc Chein Mhic Cai (in English)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Translation of Ur-Chnoc Chein Mhic Cai
Both translations look good to me

After a few checks of the dictionary (example, "Brian bearnach" means a hare), I trusted the translation at www.standingstones.com and didn't look up a couple of bird species I was unsure of in the Ó Neachtain poem which follows the poem by Ó Doirnín

minor quibbles with Alba's work:

"Géag" can mean a limb (both animal or vegetable kinds) but it can also mean a beautiful youth. The "a" in this case shows that the poet is addressing someone, so I would translate "a ghéag is áille" in verse 2 as "oh beautiful maiden"

"Tá cumha agam ort" means "I am missing you" and "Tá mé ag déanamh cumha." means "I am repining" or "I am sorrowing". "Cumhaidh" derives from "cumha" (as you realised in translating verse 1) and although the poet says "de do ..." , " of your ..", I would say the wording is closer to "I can't sleep for thinking on you" (or as the other translation has it, "I ... am unable to sleep because I am pining for you" than "I can't sleep because of your beauty" (yu may be thinking of "de do chumadh"?)