MÁIRE NÍ DHONOGÁIN.

A dhearbhráthair ó mo mhíle díth thú,
'S mé rin' an aisling do chealg an croidhe
'gam,
An oidhche roimh shollamuin oirdhearc Íosa,
Go bh-feacas leóghan do'n chrodh-fhuil dob'
aoirde,
Dul d'á phósadh a róbaidhibh síoda,
A m-bratacha bána 'sa m-bábhair chíor-dubh'
'S a' dá leór de dhaoinibh óga 'n-a thimchioll.

Rígh na ngrás a's gárda naoimh ort
'S gur a n-Dún na m-Bád ar lár do bhí tú.
Do ghluaisigheas, gídh buartha bhí m' inntinn,
Go h-uaigneach gan shluaíghtibh dem' mhuinn-
tir;
Teacht faoi d' thuairim ón d-tuaith liom ad'
chaoineadh:
Mar bhain fán fairge, a's mearbhal slíghe
dhóibh;
Mar is marbh faoi leachaibh do bhíodar;
An t-am 'nar ráinig Máire shios tú,
Ní raibh aon dod' phréimh chirt taoibh leat,
Acht Brighid a's Uilliam gan chiall gan
chuimhne.
Do shuidhios ad' aice as ní fheadar cread
déarfainn;
Mar do bhí m'aigne a n-anfa traochda;
Chuir tasg do mhairbh ar mearbhal m' éirim;
Acht amháin gur smaoineas dá maoidhfinn an
méid sin,
(Agus a shuidheacant le firinne go m' fheidir;)
Gur tú an fear nár fhan le h-aos ceart,
Gur tú an fear fuair searc na cléire,
Gur tú an fear 'na raibh gean Mhic De ort:
Gur lamhais triomsa saighioda geura
'S go raibh mo shearc no a leath ann Seamus,
A dhearbhrathair, ó mo mhíle leun tú!
A's do réir mar mheasaim níor chaithis do
theurma,
A b-péin, a b-peanaid, no ann anfa an
t-saoghail so:
Nuair do-chonnairc Iosa an t-slíghe bheith
réidh dhuit,
Chuir sé a bharántus bán faoi sheula,
Ó Fhlaithis na ngrás as gárda naomh leis,
Ag ionnsuighe an leómhain chródha, Séamus,
Faoi bhratacha grása Mháire an réaltan.
A Righ na n-Dúl tre n-ar g-cúis a ceasag,
Tá mo shúil-se go dhlúth led' dhaonacht,
Gurab ar an uair úd do fuarais do shaor-
bhreáth.

A dheárbhrathair, ó mo míle díth tú.
Do bheidhinn a g-cúmha 'sa b-péin tríod choidhche,
Muna m-beidheadh go bh-fuil mo shúil go dluth
le h-Iosa,
Nár bh'é do ghnódh-sa an foghmhar saoighealta;
Meisge nó póit ól no díomas;
Brise talmhan, no aistriughadh daoine.
A m-ba no a g-capaill níor chuiris-se suim
ann,
A n-ór ná a n-airgiod, ná a n-earra dá
dhaoire;
Chuiris do stór a g-coimheud go dílis,
A n-áit nár bhaoghal do gaoth ná síontha,
Meirg dá dhreoigh, nó leomhain da chiorrbhadh
Is beidh se romhat-sa fos no díol ann.
A dhearbhrathair ó, mo mhíle leun tú!
S budh bhreagha an sgaothán liom clár geal
t-éadain;
Do mhalaidhe cearta bhi teacht le n-a céile;
'Rosg ríghin mall nár bh'fallsa feuchain;
Sron dheas leabhair gan cham gan staona.
Is ann do leacaibh bhí an lasa na tréigeadh;
Budh í do theanga an teanga nár bhreugach;
Agus do bhrághaid nár ghradhuigh a bheith crao-
sach;
Do dhóid mar chailc gan snas ar aon chor;
'S do chroidhe bhí líonta de'n daonacht;
Clár geal d' uchta bhí coigilte a bh-féile:
Budh shliasad gheal tú ar each na tréine,
'S le siúbhal do chos níor loitis aonne.

A dhearbhráthair ó mo mhíle milleadh!
Dá m-beidhinn suidhte, mar budh chuibhe dham
a bh-foirm,

Do chuirfinn síos do ghniomhartha [as] tuill-
eadh;
Go rabhais ad' phártaidhe ag Dáibhidh Rígh mar
thuigim,
Déanadh aithridhe 'na n-deárnaighis de chor-
thaibh;
Mar phíosa thar lion tú d'imthig,
Nó caora ó'n stíobhard do goideadh;
Ní mar aon bhean do ghéilis do Mhuire;
Glór duanach ó'd bheul tana tuigeadh;
An lón deigheanach fá'n g-cré leat gur
thugais
An Corp Naomhta, agus glaodhach air go
minic.
A leómhain ghroidhe, de phór-bhuidhin mo chinidh.
Mo brón sgís do lóistin 'san roilig!

A dhearbhráthair, ó mo mhíle gleódh tú!
A's dá m-budh agam-sa bheidheadh roinn na
glóire,
Is ró mhaith an chuideachta léigfinn 'san ród
leat,
An dá abstol deug 'san Tighearna tró-
caireach;
Peadar a's eochracha ag osguilt na n-dóir-
seadh:
Is shuas a b-Parrthas bheidheadh do leaba 'gam
tógtha,
Mar a m-bíd sean-daoine 'na n-daoinibh
óga.

A dhearbhráthair, ó! mo mhíle treighid thu!
Dá m-beidheadh maitheas dann m'eachtra
d'innsin,
Cia rachfas liom tar abhainn am' choinleacht?
Cia thógfas suas an ghruaim dom' inntinn?
Cia chorreóchas suas o'n tuamba m'aghaidh-si?
Beannacht Mhuire geal mhilis na foighide;
Beannacht na n-ógh agus fós na maighdean;
Beannacht na n-aingeal ag lasadh go soill-
seach;
Beannacht na mairtíreach le deigh-inntinn;
Beannacht Mhic Dé go d-teidh sí a bh-feidhim
duit;
'S mo bheannacht féin, gan pléidh gan aighneas,
Dá iarraidh ar an Leanbh fuair peannaid ó
Philate.
A righeacht na bh-flaitheas do ghlacadh mar
oidhre.

VOCABULARY NOTES, &C.

Dearbhráthair, a brother, gen., -thar; voc. as nom.,
except that initial is aspirated, a dhearbhra-
thair, pronounced a dhriháir, O brother; mo
mhile dít thú, my thousand losses you are. Ais-
ling, a dream; is mé rin' an aisling, it is I
made(had)the dream; rin is the Munster pronuncia-
tion for rinne or righne, past tense of déanaim, I
do; do chealg an croidhe agam, that stung
(wounded my heart); an croidhe, the heart with
(within) me is more emphatic than mo chroidhe.
Sollamhuin, gen., -lamhna, a feast; óirdhearc, chief,
illustrious, s. o. Iosa, the chief feast of Jesus,
Christmas. Go bh-feacas, that I saw; leóghan, a
lion; do'n (de'n), of the chródh-fhuil, blood.
Dob'aoirde, the highest; crodh = crú, blood; aoirde
= áirde; róba, nom. pl., -baidhe, a robe; róbaidhibh,
pron. like nom. pl.; bratacha, pl. of bratach, a
standard, used here for brata, pl. of brat, a gar-
ment, a cloak; lower in the poem it signifies
banner. m-bábhair, hats made of fur, poetically for
beavers, the name applied to such hats; “shocrui-
gheas féin mo beaver hata orm,” old song;
Chíor-dubh', coal-black. 'Sa' dá leór (agus an dá
leór), a very great number. Dún na m-Bád,
Dungarvan, in the County of Waterford, where the
brother was dead, about seven Irish miles from
Sliab g-Cua, where the Donegan family lived.

Gluaisígheas (ghluaiseas), I set out; gidh buartha bhí
m'inntinn, though troubled my mind was; go h-
uaigneach, lonely; gan sluaightibh, without crowds;
faoi d'thuairim, to you; towards you; tuaith, gen.,
the, pl. — tha, land, a tract of land; in Waterford,
now, it signifies the country as distinguished from
the town; and every case is pronounced as the gen.;
mar bhain f. f. a's m. s. dh., as wandering at sea,
and losing the way happened to them — figuratively
that they were down in the world, and many of
them dead; mearbhal, pron., mearathal, weak-
ness and wandering of mind, such as people suffer
from when near death. Máire, the keener her-
self; ráinig-tú, reached you; dod' (ded') phreimh
chirt t. l., of your real lineage beside you. Bríghid
as U.-G.-Ch.-G-chuimhne, Bride and Bill (brother and
sister) without sense or memory (whether from sor-
row or otherwise) I do not know.

Do s. ad'a, I sat beside you; a's ni fh. c. d., and I
knew not what to say; a n-a. t. in a tempest over-
come; anfa, pron. as anatha, chuir t. d. mh-air m-
m'éirim, the account of your death put my sense
astray. Acht a. g. s., but only that I reflected, dá
m-an m-sin, if I should take credit for so much.
Suidheachant, to argue it, to prove it; nár fh. Le h-a.
c., that did not wait for the right (full) age. Fuair
s. na c., that got the love of the clergy.

'N-a raibh g. m. d. ort. the 'n here not required; the
-a, governed by ort (See G. J., No. 29, p. 67);
on whom was the love of the Son of God. Gur
l. t. s. g., that you shot through me sharp arrows.
Lámhais is the pronunciation everywhere, so far as
I know, and yet it is irregular. 'Sgo r. mo sh. no
a l. am' sh., and that [all] my affection, or a moiety
of it [at last] was in my James.

Mo mh. L. thu, my thousand woes you. An t-s. bh. r, dh.,
that the way was clear for you. Barántas, a war-
rant; ag ionnsuidhe, to approach, to attack.
Realtan, a star. Rígh na n-dúl, king of the ele-
ments, or of creatures; dúil is the nom., dúl the
gen. pl.; it is shortened like bliadhan, gen. plur.
of bliadhain, a year. Ceusag, the Munster pro-
nunciation of ceusadh, was crucified. Súil, hope;
daonacht, humanity. Do saor-bhreath, thy sen-
tence of freedom or acquittal, i.e. salvation.

Do beidhinn, I would be; muna m-beidheadh, were it
not. Nár bh'e (nar bhudh h-e) that it was not; do
ghnó-sa, your business. An f. s., the harvest of
this world; póit, tippling; díomas, pride; ais-
triughadh daoine, evicting the people. Níor cui-
ris-se suim, you did not put (give) heed to. Ann
is superfluous. Earra, goods; da dhaoire, how
dear soever.

Sgaothán or sgáthán, a looking glass; clar t-éadain;
éadan, the forehead; ucht, the breast, are gener-
ally expressed in Irish by clar éadain, clar uchta;
a dubhairt mo mhaithrín liom gan feuchain ort a
leith do chúil, ná a n-aghaidh chLáir t-éadain. Old
song; agus clár GLan uchta mar Philib O Laogh-
aire; Midnight Court. Leabhair, long and slender.
Mala, pl. — Laide, eyebrow. Fallsa, false.
Leaca, cheek; lasadh, a blush; ná tréigeadh (nach
d-treigeadh), that used not to fade; this is said
of colours; treigion, literally is to forsake.
Braghaid, neck, throat. Nár ghrádhuigh bheith crao-
sach, that did not love to be gluttonous. Gan snas,
without blemish. air aon chor, in any manner;
at all. Coigilte a bh-féile, covered with genero-
sity, as a turf fire with ashes. Sliasad, thigh,
each na tréine, steed of power.

Da m-beidhinn, &c. I am not sure that I rightly un-
derstand this; I wish to hear my correspondents.
Mar phiosa, &c., the piece of money in the parable
that was lost and searched for. Glór-duanach,
singing a hymn or psalm, I think. Do lóistín
'san roilig, thy lodging in the grave-yard.

Coimhdeachd, protection, attendance, in Waterford is
pronounced coinnleachd (the oi like i in fine);
guardian angel is Aingeal coinnleáta; gruaim,
gloom; na foighide, of patience, i.e., patient; go
d-téidh sí a bh-feidhm duit, may it be of service to
you.

In this last stanza the rhyme will be destroyed unless
the words terminating the lines are pronounced as in
Munster. O'Donovan's Gr. being now out of print, and
in the hands of very few, it may be better to quote his
remarks on the sounds of ádh, agh, ai, ei, oi:

Adh and agh, followed by a broad vowel, or by
l, m, n, r.
Ai, followed by ll, m, nn, dh, gh.
Ei in monosyllables ending in dhg, ll, m, dhm,
nn, dh, gh, and in dissyllables when followed
by dh, gh, mh.
Oi, followed by ll, m, nn, dh, gh.
are sounded as
i in mine.

In Waterford i has the same sound before ll, m, ng,
n, in monosyllables, as cill, tinn, im, ling.