CÓMHAGAL IDIR AN BÁS AGUS AN
T-ÓTHAR, EADON, TOMÁS DE
RÓISTE.

Cia sin thall aig teacht go d-tí mé,
Mar do bheidheadh gaduidhe ag srathui-
gheacht oidhche;
A tuagh 'na láimh dheis is í liomhtha,
Is gloine na n-uar 'san láimh chlí aige?

5. Mise an bás is ná glac biodhga;
Do chaith tú t-aimsir air an saoghal so;
Do gheabhair marcuigheacht air chrannaoil
aoibhinn,
Ag dul do'n teampoll a g-ceann do
dhaoineadh.
Och a bháis a láimh air síneadh.

10. Creud dob' áil leat 'san áit so a m-
bídhim-se?
Is tusa an t-athach cnámhach, cíocrach,
'S is mó do mhála, 'ná do dhioghluim.
Do chreach tú an domhan le'r mharbh tú
dhaoine.
Congbhaigh uaim do thuagh tá líomhtha.

15. Tabhair uain air uair chum sgíth, dham
Go g-cuirfead ceist ort cia ar díobh tu?
Cá bh-fuil t'árus nó cá m-bíonn tú?
Nó an bh-fuil fághail air spás ag aon
uait?
An nglacfá uaim-se duais ná nidh air
bith,

20. Air mo sheachnadh, is gabháil seacha an
t-slige uaim?
Mise an t-éag do raob do dhaoine
Thug bás d'Adhamh is d'Iobha,
Dá d-táinig ó rae na dílionn,
Dá bh-fuil béo agus dá m-beidh coidhche.

25. Go d-tiocfaid uile air shliabh Shíon
Mar a m-beidh tiomairce go cinnte.
Go d-tabharfar air gach neach go díreach
An bhreath cheart is dleacht dá ghniomhar-
thaibh.
Bídhim-se abhus, is thall air maoilinn,

30. Bídhim-se siúbhlach fuadrach, síleach.
Is luaithe mé 'ná fuadach gaoithe
Le n-a d-tógthar ó'n loch an faoilionn
Ís luaithe mó chos 'ná poc air mhaoil-
chnoc
Is luaithe mé 'ná ruathar taoide.

35. Is luaithe mé 'ná long air mín-mhuir
Dá fheabhus a seolta sa cóir gaoithe
Is luaithe mé 'ná éin i g-craoibhibh
Is luaithe mé 'ná éisg i linntibh,
Is luaithe mé 'ná spéir 'ná sionta.

40. Is 'ná an rae 'san aer astoidhche
Is luaithe mé 'na fiolar is 'ná faoilionn
Is luaithe mé 'ná teacht trom dílionn;
'Sná míolmuighe ag tabhairt a sgríbe
In am na g-con do bheith dá sgaoileadh.

45. Teidhim suas air ghuaillibh rightheadh,
Bídhim 'na gcómhair air bórd dá n-íos-
fainn,
Bídhim 'na n-aice 'san leaba astoidhche
Bídhim ag aisdior 's ag taisdiol 'na
slighe leo.
Is teachtaire maith mé is tá mé dílios.

50. Bheirim sgeul ó thaoibh na g-críoch liom,
Ní bh-fuil spéis i bh-fear 'na i mnaoi
agam,
In óg ná in ársa, in árd ná in ísiol.
Do bheirim an bhunúc ó ól na g-cíoch
liom,
'Sa fear cródha ó n-a mhnaoi liom.

55. Do bheirim o'n m-banartlain an naoidhin
liom,
Do bheirim an té do phós araoir liom,
Do bheirim an t-athair ó leanbh an mhí
liom,
Do bheirim an mac o'n m-baintreabhaigh
críona,
Do bheirim an créice tréith Iag tím liom.

60. Is do bheirim an laoch is tréine gníomh
liom,
Do bheirim an marcach liom de'n chaoin-
each,
Do bheirim an teachtaire thaisdiolas slighe
liom,
Do bheirim an tigheasach ó n-a mhaoin liom,
Do bheirim an bocht liom bhidheas ag
díoghluim.

65. Do bheirim an maighdion bhraighid geal
mhíonnla
Re bhean aosda chreachtach chríonna
An t-ógánach ornáideach, íogair,
Ó fhiadhach, ó stró, ó chéol, 's ó ringce.

NOTE.

Line 16. Cia ar díobh tu? Any person speaking
Irish can understand this and similar expressions, and at
the same time nothing in Irish is more difficult to unravel
than they. A man whose name was Tadhg is expressed
thus in Irish (1) fear d'ár bh'ainm Tadhg, or more fully,
fear do a ro budh ainm Tadhg, a man to whom was name
Tadhg (D'ár = do, to; a, whom; r for ro, the sign of the
past tense; and bh' = budh, was). Before proceeding farther
I would recommend the learner to make himself master of
the last paragraph of Dr. Joyce's Gr., p. 130, idiom 34,
and also of pars. 5, 6, 8, pp. 71, 72. Now: to come back:

A man whose name is Tadhg, is in Irish (2) fear d'ár
b'ainm Tadhg; and the full construction is: fear do a
r-ab ainm Tadhg, a man to whom is name Tadhg (do,
to; a, whom; b = ab, is).

Note that after gur, d'ár, Lér, is (is), becomes ab;
observe, too, that the r in this last construction (2) is not
for ró; it is merely euphonic, like any eclipsing letter, and
its place might be supplied by n, as fear d'á n-ab ainm
Tadhg.

Let us substitute other words for budh, ab; fear dá'r
thug mé airgiod (do, a ró thug), a man to whom I gave
money; here the r is for ró, and it aspirates as in bh' (1).
But in the phrase, fear d'á d-tugaim airgiod, a man to
whom I give money, the t is eclipsed by the euphonic
letter d, as ab was by r or n.

Again, Fear d'ár thug mé airgiod, may be written,
fear ar thug mé airgiod dó (to him) the d' (do) govern-
ing a, whom, after it in the first clause; and in the second,
the a, whom, is governed by the prep. do, in do, to him.
Na daoine d'ár bhain se na cluasa (de, off; a, whom;
r for ro), the people off whom he took the ears, may be
written, na daoine ar bhain sé na cluasa dhíobh (dhiobh =
de, off; ibh, them); this last de also governs a, whom,
before it as well as ibh after it.

In the glossary to the Todd Lectures, Dr. Atkinson
says: “cia, interrog. pron. [never an adj.]; ‘who, what,’
always forming a principal clause involving the verb ‘to
be,’ the subseq. verb being subordinate.” Cia h-é
t-athair, cia h-í do mhathair, who [is] he, thy father?
who [is]she, thy mother? cia ar díobh muintir do mháthar,
who [are] they, thy mother's people?”

Cia ar diobh tu = cia h-iad a r-ab diobh (de ibh) tu:
Here the de in díob governs a, whom, and ibh, them.
Who [are] they of whom thou art of them? A tangled
web, for any easy unravelling of which I would feel most
thankful. And I earnestly invite all our correspondents
to clear up all such expressions they know in the next
issue; for instance, cia leis an teach sin? Joyce's Gr.,
p. 131; and n-ar ab milis ó d'bheul gach laoi, in No. 28
of the Journal.

VOCABULARY TO THE DIALOGUE.

Comhagal, s. m., a dialogue.
Othar, s. m., a patient. An sean-othar is found in the
“Imitation,” where one is exhorted to cast off the
old man, sean-othar.
Srathuigheacht (ag), strolling.
Tuagh, gen.; -ighe; pl. -agha; s. f. an axe.
Líomhtha, p.p., furbished.
Biodhga, start; s.m. gen. and pl. id.
Do chait &c, you have passed the allotted time.
Marcuigheacht, a ride.
Crannaoil, a bier. It means also strains of music. Pipers
used to accompany funerals heretofore. Hence the
connection in meaning. This may also explain the
use of the word aoibhinn in the text.
Aitheach, -thigh, pl. -ghe, s.m., a giant.
A g-cionn, to, towards, c.p. prep.
Air síneadh, stretching out. The expression, a bhaill
air luasgadh, his limbs a rocking, occurs in the poem
Cúairt an Mheádhon oidhche.
Cnámhach, bony, cadaverous.
Cíocrach, hungry.
Dioghluim, s.m. gen., -loma, what is gathered into the
wallet; a gleaning.
Le'r mharbh &c, by what you have slain of people (le a ró
mharbh tú de dhaoinibh).
Creach, v.a., destroy; inf., id. and creachadh.
Fághail air spás. Literally, “Is there getting a respite
to one from you? Are you inclined to spare one?”
Duais, gen., se; s.f. a reward, a bribe.
Gabháil seacha, to go by from me on your way. Verbs of
motion like gabháil, take after them a kindred noun.
Do gabh sé an bóthar, do shiubhal sé an baile. See
taisdiollas, below.
Raob, raobaim, v.a., to tear. Coney's Dict. has reub.
Ré, time; s.f. gen. id, pl. rée and réthe
Tiomairce, a gathering of the entire human race.
Dleachd, one's due; s.f. gen., -da.
Maoilionn, gen. -linn; s.f., summit of a hill.
Síleach, transient.
Fuadrach, active.
Guasach, adventurous.
Sgaoilteach, unshackled.
Fuadach, gen. uigh; s.m. pl. -ghe, the rushing of the wind
that lifts the sea-gull off the waters of the lake.

Faoileann, s.m., sea-gull.
Ruathar, gen. -thair, s.m., rush of the tide.
Mín-mhuir, smooth sea.
'Sa cóir, agus a cóir; the meaning is:— however good
her sails and fair the wind; literally, the supply of
wind.
Astoidhche, by night.
Fiolar, s.m. gen., -air, an eagle.
Teacht trom dilionn, the rush of the impetuous torrent.
Sgribe (tabhairt), making tracks.
Aisdior, travelling, s.m. gen. -ir.
Taisdiol, s.m. gen. -il journey.
Spéis, respect, s.f. gen. -se.
Cíoch, s.f., gen. cíche, pl. cíocha, breast, suck.
'Sa for agus an.
Creice, a coward, a weakling.
Treith, Lag, adj. weak, synonymous terms.
Tim, s.f. gen. time, estimation, i.e. the weakling who is
poor in fame. For explanation of this and like ex-
pression in next line — is tréine gnoimh — see Joyce's
Gr., p. 132, Idiom 40.
Caoin, stately.
Tigheasach, householder, the man of many mansions.
Dioghluim, v. a gleaning.
Braighid, a neck, gen. -ghde s.f.
Mionnla, fair.
Iogair, this term not in dicts. It was conjectured some-
where in Journal to mean spiritual as applied to
Aoibheal in the Luckless Wight, and to the clergy in
the Midnight Court; but that meaning would not do
here. Powerful or strong would answer as a mean-
ing in this place, and in the other passages referred
to.
Fiadhach, gen. -dhuigh, s.m., hunting.
Stró, extravagance. It is applied, I think, to something
said or done by one person to draw the attention of
another. In the Beinnse Luachra. A dhuine Uasail
ná cuir orm stró, is said. “Let me alone.” I
don't know any word in English that expresses the
meaning of this term.