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18 Dec 20 - 06:13 AM (#4083977) Subject: Lyr Add: An Gaidheal am Mesag nan Gall From: GUEST,Rory An Gaidheal am Measg nan Gall (The Gael Among The Lowlanders) Also known as “Och a Ruin Gur-a Tu th’air m’Aire” Poem by John “The Bard” MacLean in 1818. John Maclean, or Am Bàrd MacGilleathain, meaning "The Bard MacLean," Scottish Gaelic poet (b at Caolas, on the Hebridean island of Tiree, Scotland 8 Jan 1787; d at Addington Forks, Nova Scotia 26 Jan 1848). In 1818 he published in Edinburgh a collection of poetry called Orain nuadh Ghaedhlach, le Iain Mac Illeain, ann an Eilean Tirreadh . . . (New Gaelic songs by John MacLean in the island of Tiree). Dedicated to Alexander MacLean, Laird of Coll, this book contains 22 poems by John MacLean and 34 by other major Gaelic poets. At an early age, he displayed a talent for composing poetry, a skill which earned him the patronage and friendship of Alexander 15th Maclean of Coll (an island in the Scottish Hebrides). Apprenticed to a shoemaker at age 16, he later went to Glasgow to work at his trade but returned to Tiree about a year later. Shortly after the publication of his first book of poems he decided to emigrate to Canada and he and his family left Tobermory, Mull, in 1819 on the ship Economy. They settled at Barney's River, Pictou County, and removed, in January 1831 to Glenbard, Antigonish County. The hardships which he endured as a pioneer are graphically depicted in the most famous of his poems "A'Choille Ghruamach" ("The Gloomy Forest") circa 1821. His songs constitute an important source of information on the way of life in a 19th-century Scottish Gaelic community. Through his elder daughter, Christy, the Bard Maclean was grandfather of Nova Scotian-born the Rev Dr Alexander Maclean Sinclair, North America's leading 19th-century Gaelic scholar. The song was composed by the Bard MacLean in Tiree before he immigrated to Nova Scotia. The story given by Reverend Alexander MacLean Sinclair in 'Clarsach na Coille' is that a man named Angus MacNeil was working for the Bard’s father for a time as a hired hand. He left to go to look for work in the lowlands. When he returned he asked the Bard to compose a song for Catriona MacLeod, a sweetheart that he had in Canna. Although the Bard composed a sweet love song apparently Angus didn’t marry Catriona after all. Apparently he threw her over for an older woman with more money! "An Gaidheal am Measg nan Gall” by John “The Bard” MacLean in 1818. Published in Alexander Maclean Sinclair's 'Clàrsach na Coille', 1881, pp 43-45. Binneadh an t-òran so do dh' Aonghas Mac-Nèill, gìlle 'mhuinntir Bharra. Bha e 'na sgalag aìg Ailean Mac-Gilleain athaìr' a' Bhàird rè dha no tri de bhliadhnaichean. Dh 'fhàg e Aìlean is chiadh e do 'n Ghalltachd a dh' ionnsaidh na buana. 'N uair a thill e air ais do Thireadh thòisich e air iarraidh air a' Bhàrd òran a sgrìobhadh dha air leannan a bh' aige ann an Cana. Ghaidh an t-òran a dheanamh, ach cha do phòs Aonghas Catriona NicLeòid. Thrèig e i airson seann nmaighdinn leis an d' fhuair e beagan airgid. This song was composed for Angus MacNeil, a lad from Barra. He was a servant of the Bard's father, Allan MacLean, for two or three years. He left Allan and went to the Lowlands to harvest. When he returned to Tiree he began to ask the Bard to write him a song about his sweetheart in Canna. The song was composed, but Angus never married Catherine Macleod. He left her for an old maid with whom he got some money. Seist: Och, o, a rùin gur-a tu th 'air m' aire, Och, o, a ghaoil gur-a tu th 'aire m' aire Gur tu mo rùn 's gur-a tu th 'air m' aire, 'S gur h-e do shùgradh tha tigh 'nn fainear dhomh 1 Cha togar fonn leam ach trom air m 'aineoil, Cha dean mi òran 's an dòìgh bu mhath leam; Gur mi bha gòrach 'n uair 'thug mi 'n gealladh Do 'n nionaig òig a tha 'chòmhnuidh 'n Cana. 2 Gur h-ann le àilgheas a dh' fhàg mi 'm fearann 'San deachaidh m'àrach 'nuair 'bha mi 'm leanabh, 'S mi 'n dùìl gu 'n deanainn am bliadhna 'dh 'earras, Na cheannaicheadh lìon dhomh gu iasgach Earraich. 3 Gur mi 'bha stàtail m' an d 'fhàg mi Ailean A togail ghàradh 's a càradh bhealach, Ach b' fheàrr 'bhi ann airneo 's meallt' mo bharail. Na 'bhi 's an àm s' ann an taing nan Gallaibh. 4 Cha ghabhainn tuarasdal bhuaithe 'm sgalag Ach tigh 'nn do 'n Ghalltachd a shealltainn chaileag. 'N uair ni gach tè dhiubh am Beurla m' fharraid Their mis' an Gàidhlig gu 'n d' fhàg mi Barra. 5 Cha 'n 'eil e còrdadh rium seòl an arain, 'Bhi falbh Di-dòmhnaich 's a giùlan eallaich; 'S nach faighinn fàrdach no àite 'm fanainn Ach sabhal fàs air neo stàbull ghearran 6 'N uair 'ni siiin gluasad Di-luain do 'n bhaile, Bidh bodaich Ghallt' ann an geall ar mealladh; Cha tuig mi 'n nàdar le 'n cànain Ghallaich; Tha mise dall 's gun an cainnt am theangaidh. 7 Thoir soraidh bhuamsa thar cuan gu m' leannan 'Us innsibh fhèin dh' i gu bheil mi fallain; Gu bheil mi 'n drast ann an Ca 'der parish, 'S gu 'n deachaidh 'Ghàidhlig à àite seallaidh. 8 Is tu, Chatriona, 'tha tigh 'nn air m 'aire, 'S cha 'n e do stòras a rìnn mo mhealladh; Ach thu 'bhi bòidheach gun bhòsd gun bharrachd, De 'n fhine mhòr, o Mhac-Leòid na h-Earadh "The Gael Among The Lowlanders" Chorus: Oh, oh, my love, you are on my mind, Oh, oh, my love, you are on my mind, You are my love and you are on my mind, It is your playfulness that I think of. 1 A song doesn't lift me, but I am heavy of heart I will not make a song the way I used to I was foolish when I made a promise To the young girl from Canna 2 It was with joy that I left the land In which I was brought up when I was a child, I hope to make some wealth this year, Which would buy me a net for Spring fishing. 3 I was stately before I left Allen Building walls and fixing fences I would prefer to be there Than to be here obliged to the Galls 4 I will no longer earn a wage from him as a servant But have a house in the Lowlands to show a girl. When each of them will ask me in English I will say in Gaelic that I left Barra. 5 I am not liking the sail to the land, Going on Sunday carrying a load; And that I would not find a home or a place to stay, But a vacant barn or a pony stable. 6 When we left Monday to go to the town There were English old men there who made us promises I didn't understand the English language I am blind without my language 7 Send my greetings over the sea to my sweetheart And tell her that I'm healthy And I am yet in Cader parish And that Gaelic has gone from my view 8 And you Catriona, you are on my mind It is your treasures which have enticed me And you are beautiful, without boasting, without superiority From the great line of the MacLeods of Harris ------------------ BIOGRAPHY MacGHILLEATHAIN, IAIN (John MacLean) Gaelic poet; b. 8 Jan. 1787 in Caolas, on the island of Tiree, Scotland, third son of Allan MacLean and Margaret MacFadyen; m. 19 July 1808 Isabella Black in Glasgow, and they had four sons and two daughters; d. 26 Jan. 1848 in Addington Forks, N.S. John MacLean, who was referred to in Scotland as Iain MacAilein (John, son of Allan) and Am Bàrd Thighearna Chola (Bard of the Laird of Coll), would be known in Nova Scotia as Am Bàrd MacGhillEathain (Bard MacLean). He was probably the last of the traditional bards, whose duty it was to record in verse the important events in the life of the clan chief and his family. According to the standards of his time, he was well educated, being literate in both Gaelic and English. At the age of 16 he was bound as an apprentice to a shoemaker on the island of Tiree. After completing his apprenticeship three years later, he worked in Glasgow as a journeyman for about a year and subsequently returned to Tiree to practise his trade. In 1810 he was drafted into the Argyll militia. Military life did not agree with him, however, and a substitute was secured upon a payment of £40; his discharge is dated 17 Jan. 1811. He then went back to Tiree where, in addition to shoemaking, he was a merchant on a small scale. MacLean had begun composing poetry when quite young, and after returning to Tiree in 1811 he spent much of his free time collecting Gaelic songs in the Highlands. In 1818 he published in Edinburgh a collection of poetry called Orain nuadh Ghaedhlach, le Iain Mac Illeain, ann an Eilean Tirreadh . . . (New Gaelic songs by John MacLean in the island of Tiree). Dedicated to Alexander MacLean, Laird of Coll, this book contains 22 poems by John MacLean and 34 by other major Gaelic poets. Included are songs by Alexander Mackinnon and Mary Macleod that cannot be found elsewhere. Not long after the appearance of this volume, MacLean decided to emigrate to Nova Scotia. His motives are uncertain. He was not a victim of the Highland clearances and he undoubtedly enjoyed the prosperity and social honours that would have accrued to the Laird of Coll’s bard. Yet a hint is given in one of his poems that he had offended his own chief by praising another too highly, and a reprimand could have sparked a desire for artistic independence. He may also have been attracted by the offers and promises of emigration agents, who travelled through the Highlands describing British North America as a land of opportunity. Having made up his mind to emigrate, against considerable opposition from his friends, MacLean financed the passage for himself and his family by using his newly printed book as security. The MacLean family sailed from Tobermory in August 1819 on the ship Economy, arriving in Pictou, N.S., about 1 October. They stayed in Pictou for a week or so and then went by boat to Merigomish. The next spring MacLean cleared some of the trees from the lot he had acquired and planted potatoes. In the summer he built a small log house which he called Baile-Chnoic (Hill Farm); it was while living in this house that he composed his famous song Oran do America (Song to America), better known as A’ choille ghruamach (The gloomy forest). In 1829 the poet and his son cleared land near James River and built a home there. Two years later the family moved to what is now known as Glen Bard, in Antigonish County. Apart from his spiritual songs, MacLean’s poetry may be divided into two categories: those poems which were composed in the style of the 18th-century panegyric poets, consisting for the most part of eulogy and elegy, and those which are in the style of “village verse.” Most of his poems of Scottish provenance are of the former type; his Nova Scotia poems, inspired by local events such as an election, a wedding, a Highland ball, or even a watch raffle, are of the latter. A’ choille ghruamach strikes a chord that will later resonate in the poetry of another Gaelic bard in Nova Scotia, John MacDonald [Iain MacDhòmhnaill ’Ic Iain*]. In it MacLean complains bitterly of life in the New World, particularly of the loneliness and back-breaking toil, extremes of heat and cold, plagues of insects, and wild animals. Much of his invective is directed against those agents who lured so many Scots to North America with their fabulous stories of wealth and freedom. The poem was sent to Tiree, where it caused his friends much distress; the Laird of Coll offered him free land for life if he returned, but he refused. MacLean’s graphic description of pioneer life in the New World is said to have kept many people from emigrating. In his own case, however, initial discontent with his situation evaporated as his circumstances improved in the course of the 1820s. Apparently well liked by his neighbours, MacLean was a good friend of the Reverend Colin P. Grant, the Roman Catholic priest at Arisaig. He also was a fervent admirer of the Reverend James Drummond MacGregor of Pictou. After the disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843, MacLean joined Nova Scotia’s Free Church. Gaelic scholar Alexander Maclean Sinclair, a grandson, described MacLean this way: “Nature gave the poet a mind of great capacity; but evidently it did not intend that he should become a wealthy man. He never attended regularly to his work; his mind was not upon it. Poetry occupied his thoughts when pegging sole-leather in Scotland, and cutting down trees in America; it took complete possession of him . . . He was clannish, and took pleasure in visiting his friends and acquaintances.” Another writer, dubbing MacLean an “enthusiastic Highlander,” said that he was “about five feet and nine inches in height, stout and well-built. He had dark hair and grey eyes, and a broad and massive forehead. His voice was soft and musical, and he was a good singer.” . |
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18 Dec 20 - 06:21 AM (#4083978) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: An Gaidheal am Measg nan Gall From: GUEST,Rory An Gaidheal Am Measg Nan Gaidheal (The Gael Among The Gaels) Artist: Mary Jane Lamond Album: Stòras (2005) Seist: O a ruin, gur a tu th' m'aire O a ruin, gur a tu th' m'aire Tu-fhein a ruin, gura tu th'air m'aire Gur e do shugragh tha tighinn fainear dhomh Cha togar fonn leam ach trom th'air m'aineol Cha dean mi òran 's an doigh bu mhath leam Gur mi bha gorach, nuair thug mi gealladh Dh'an nigheag oig a th'an comhnuidh 'n Canna Gur mi bha stàiteal nuair dh'fhàg mi Ailean A'togail gàradh, 'sa càradh beulach Gum b'fheàrr bhith ann airneo 's meallt mo bharail Na bhith 'san àm seo 'san taing nan Gallaibh Nuair nì sinn gluasad Dìluain dh'an bhaile Bha bodaich Gallt ann a gheall ar meallachd Cha tuig mi nàduir le cànan Gallaich Tha mise dall gun an càinnt am theangaidh Thoir soiridh bhuamsa thar cuan dh'a m' leannan Is innsaibh fhein dhi gu bheil mi fallain Gu bheil mi'n drast ann an Cader Parish 'S gu deachaidh Gàidhlig an àite seallaidh 'S tu Chatriona, tha tighinn air m'aire Gur e do stòras a rinn mo mhealladh 'S tu bhith bòidheach, gun bhosd, gun bharrachd Dh'en fhine mhòr 'o MhacLeoid na Hearradh Chorus (after each verse): Oh love, you are on my mind Oh love, you are on my mind It is you, oh love, who is on my mind It is your playfulness that I think of A song doesn't lift me, but I am heavy of heart I will not make a song the way I used to I was foolish when I made a promise To the young girl from Canna I was stately before I left Allen Building walls and fixing fences I would prefer to be there than Than to be here obliged to the Galls When we left Monday to go to the town There were English old men there who made us promises I didn't understand the English language I am blind without my language Send my greetings over the sea to my sweetheart And tell her that I'm healthy And I am yet in Cader parish And that Gaelic has gone from my view And you Catriona, you are on my mind It is your treasures which have enticed me And you are beautiful, without boasting, without superiority From the great line of the MacLeods of Harris . |
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18 Dec 20 - 05:33 PM (#4084074) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: An Gaidheal am Measg nan Gall From: GUEST,Philippa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II1QRWxJu8s Mary Jane Lamond, Celtic Colours, properly titled here as "An Gàidheal Am Measg Nan Gall" |
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19 Dec 20 - 04:54 PM (#4084182) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: An Gaidheal am Mesag nan Gall From: RunrigFan Nice and informative |