METRICAL VERSION OF TOMÁS
RUAD'S LETTER.

[From the Gaodhal of Brooklyn.]

When Tomás Ruadh had written his letter
to the Paorach, G.J., No. 30, p. 87, he made
the following metrical version of it. This
version our tyros had better get by heart,
for the sake of the words and idioms in it,
as well as for its correct description of the
state of the country.

Ní bh-fuaras féin a leithéid de chúntus,
Riamh am shaoghal ó ghaol ná comhgus,
A's atá léighthe 'san leitir so chúgham-sa,
Do tháinig anall ó Shaghsana Nuadh uait.

Do chuir sé nise seacht m-bliadh'na in óige
An sgeul do chuir tú anall tar mór-mhuir;
Go bh-fuil tu go sámh 'sad'shláinte fós ann
Míle buidheachus le Righ na Glóire.

Tá Éire go bocht agus go brónach,
Na daoine dá g-caitheamh amach air na
bóithre
Gan truaighe ar domhan dóibh, fosgadh na
fóirighin
'Siad ag imtheacht anonn thar muir'na
slóighte.

Mar ní'l toradh maith ná fóghanta
A g-coirce, a g-cruithneacht ná 'n-eórna;
A's tá na prátaidhe suarach go leór ann
A's le sraoileacht na h-aimsire na bar-
raídhe, dreóghadh orrainn.

Sinn stuite, stracaighthe, briste, brúighte,
Cráidhte, ceusda, sniugaighthe crúighte,
Gan allus air domhan ortha ná náire,
Beith ná'r g-caitheamh agus ná'r g-cáine.

Gan a luach féin air chaoire ná bó 'guinn
'S cíosana troma 's srathana mór-chuid
Ag teacht gach tráth orrainn le fórsa,
Go bh-fóirigh Dia orruinn más buan an sórt
so.

Is deacair duine dh'fhágail chum obair ná
gnótha,
Cailínídhe a's buachaillídhe tagartha go leór
ann,
Agus iad go neamh-mathach agus go droch-
mhúinte
Mar a bh-faghaid pádh mór & biadh fóghan-
ta.

Ní bhíon leach ná trian an pharóisde,
Air maidin Dia Dómhnaigh age 'n aifrionn
glórmhar,
Mar is beag annso aosda ná óg díobh,
Acht iad ann imigéin nó fé 'n bh-fód ann.

Ní'l buachaill bríoghmhar, lúbach, láidir,
Tháll ná bhus air fuaid na h-áite,
Mar bíoch fad' ó 'guinn le fághail ann
Acht iad go léir imthighthe anann thar sáile.

Dá m-beach trius anois nó cosóig uait,
A's gleitheireán ort a's deitheanas leótha
Do bheidhinse suas lem' gheallamhaint duit
Mar is beag le deunadh aige táiliúirídhe.

Tá ceárdaighthe dealbh go leór ann,
Ní dhéanfadh gréasaidhe breug níos mó leat;
An uair do gheallfadh sé dhuit péire bróga
Do bheidís déanta aige an-am gan ghó dhuit.

Tá 'n Ghaedhilge a meath & a feógh' orruinn
Ro-mhór na ndaoineadh 'nois ag Béar-
lóireacht;
Nach bocht an cás na h-aos óga
Bheith labhairt Béarla leis an dream do
thóig iad.

Ní'l an teagusg Críosduidhe anois d'a
mhúnadh
Ní bíon sgeul ná eachtara 'guinn air tho-
ramh,
Ná súgra air domhan mar bhí fad ó 'guinn,
Agus is anamh a bhíonn braon le n-ól ann.

Suas air na cnoic a's amach air na sléibhte,
Síos annsna gleannta 's air fuaid na
réighte,
An Béarla d'a labhairt a's meath air a'
ngaedheilge
An teanga úd do labhair Pádraig naomh-
tha.

An teang' úd do labair gaisgigh na Féinne;
An teang' úd do thug an creideamh go h-
Éire;
An teang' úd is dual dúinn go léireach;
An teang' úd do labh'rag gach am ann
Éilge.

Dá g-cuirfeach na sagairt le na chéile,
An dream do choimeád an creideamh in
Éire,
Agus na daoine chuir leó an einfheacht,
Dh'aithbheodhfuidhe gan mhoill an teanga Ghae-
dhilge.

Sé ghoillean orm, ma dhíth, go doithte,
Nuair chídhim an dream ar dhual 'sar chóir
dóibh,
Ar d-teanga labhairt go blasda gleóighte.
Gan focal Gaedhilge aco acht ag Béar-
lóireacht.

Ag tabairt teagasg Dia Dómhnaidh ó'n
altóir dúinn.
Ag dul ag cuir olla 's ag feachaint na
g-cómharsan,
'S ag éisteacht daoine bíos aosda 's breó-
ighte.

VOCABULARY, REMARKS, &c.

Comhgus for comh-fhogus, kinship; saghsana is the
Munster pronunciation of sagsana, England. Saghsana
Nuadh, America; 'sad' = a's ad' = a's in do, and in your.
Fóirighin, relief; 'na slóighte = sluaighte, in [their]
multitudes; fdhghanta, same as maith; cruithneacht, wheat;
sraoileachd, in a person slovenliness; in the weather,
roads, &c., that degree of wetness that makes a person
sraoileach, soiled and slovenly; bárr, the top, is in
Munster, barra; both words also signify crop of corn,
&c.; the plur. of barra is barraidhe, crops, tops of trees,
&c.; dreóghadh, rotting.

Stuithte, plucked out of the roots; cráidhte, tormented;
sniugaighthe, sniugadh is to take the last few drops of milk
from the cow that has just been crúidhte, milked; allus,
sweat; here it is=náire, shame; ná'r, better, d'ár, to
our. D'ár g-cáineadh, finding fault with us; srathanna,
taxes; tagarta, given to dispute; neamh-matach (pro-
nounced neamathach), very peevish, snappish; droch-
mhuinte, unmannerly.

Imigéin, far away; lúbach, athletic, supple; gleithei-
reán, a bustling hurry. Tailors were liberal in promising
in the old times; now they are true to their promise, as
they have not much to do; aige is the Munster form of
aig; two or three lines lower aige is with or by him;
leótha, a Munster form of leó.

Gréasaidhe, a shoemaker, plur., aidhthe: they were, in
theory at least, more lying than even the tailors; ceathrar
gréasaidhte gan a bheith breugach, were not to be found.
Now the Irish shoemaker is truthful. Péire bróga,
recte bróg, a pair of shoes.

A feogh' = ag feochadh, withering; ag béarbeoireacht,
chattering in English; reidhte, pl. of réid, a heathery
plain; gaisgíg= gaisgidhigh, pl. of gaisgidheach, a hero;
go Léireach, a Munster form of go léir, all, entirely;
labhrag, = labhradh, was spoken.

G-cuirfeach (g-cuirfeadh) … le n-a chéile, join unani-
mously; na daoine chuir (chur) leó, the people to join
them.

Ghoilleann orm, afflicts me.
Ag cur ola, administering extreme unction; ag éis-
deacht daoineadh, hearing persons' confessions; breoighte,
sick.