Fabhaill.

An Mac Tíre agus an tUan.

Bhí mac tíre agus uan la breágh
samhraidh ar bhruach abhann ag
ól. Nuair bhí a dheoch ólta ag
an mac tíre, thóg sé a cheann,
agus d'fhéach sé ar an uan.

“Cad chuige dhuit bheith ag sailiughadh an
uisge orm?” ar seisean.

“Is-dó,” ars' an t-uan, “má tá aon-ne'
againn ag sailiughadh an uisge ar an duine
eile, ní fuláir gur tusa atá d'á shailiughadh
orm-sa, mar is tú atá las-tuas, agus is uait
anuas im' threó-sa atá an abha ag gabhail.”

“Ní hé sin ar fad atá orm,” ars' an
mac tíre, acht cad chuige dhuit an ainm
tharcaisneach úd do thabhairt orm, tá leath-
bhliadhain ó shoin ann?”

“Ní mise thug an ainm úd ort,” ars' an
t-uan, “má tugadh ort í, mar ní'l leath-
bhliadhain fós ó rugadh mé.”

“An é an t-éitheach do mheasfá a thabhairt
dom, a chuirpthigh!” ars' an mac tíre, “fá
mar thug do mháthair a mallachd dom, nuair
rugas uaithi dho dearbhráthair an leath-
chúpla?”

“'Sdo féach,” ars' an t-uan, “ní raibh
dearbhráthair ná deirbhshiúr riamh agam, agus ní
leath-chúpla mé.”

“Féach!” ars' an mac tíre, “an t-éitheach
aige d'á thabhairt dom, suas lem' béal!”

Le n-a linn sin, rug sé ar chúl chinn
ar an uan, agus is air ba ró-ghearr an mhoill
é mharbhadh agus é ithe.

Brígh an Sgéil.

An té cheapas an éagcóir do dhéanamh,
ní baoghal ná go bhfaighidh sé a dhaothain de
leithsgéal chuige.

NOTES.

Mac Tíre, lit. lad of the country, oLder form, mac
tíreach. Madradh (or madadh) allaidh is also used for
"wolf," and faol or faol-chú is another old name for the
same.

Cad chuige dhuit bheith agus c. Note the use of dhuit. Cad
chuige = why. Orm, on me: this usage is not good
English, in fact English people are often mystified by
such phrases as "He stole my coat on me," i.e., to my
loss or disadvantage.

Is dó' or sdó' (short for is dóigh) has a force of protest.

Las-tuas = taobh thuas (C.U.). Las-tuas and similar
forms seem to have been excluded from modern literature.

though of very ancient origin and the ordinary usage in
Munster. The first s seems to be inserted by analogy
with la-stigh: old forms, alla astig (gloss on intus);
alla amuig (gl. foris), now las-muich; alla thoir, now
las-toir; alla thiar now las-tiar. Abha, genitive
abhann, dative abhainn; the dative is very often used as
nominative, and the genitive is sometimes made aibhne;
plural aibhne and aibhneacha.

An ainm, feminine in Munster usage; elsewhere an
t-ainm. Ní'l leath-bhliadhain, it is (lit. there is) not a
year. cf. French, il y a un an.

Cúpla, a pair of twins, leath-chúpla, a twin.

Suas lem' béal (N.B. not lem' aghaidh), in Munster, b
is often not aspirated when m precedes - na bí 'om
bodhrughadh.

Ná go bhfaighidh (wei) M. = nach bhfuighidh (wee, some-
times wei) C.U. Daothain, a form of dóthain leithsgéal,
pr. leath-sgéal in M.

Students should note how is is used to take out the
emphatic word and bring it to the front in a sentence: An
é an t-éitheach do mheasfá do thabhairt dom;? "Is it the
lie you would think to give me?"