AN BUINNEÁN BUÍ (THE YELLOW BITTERN):
A song about drink, about life and about death composed by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna (c1680-cl756), a Co. Fermanagh pedlar and poet with a reputation for being a rake. One of Ireland's best known songs it is now known, played and sung far and wide.
Amhrán faoin ól, faoin bheatha agus faoin bhás a chum Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna (c1680-c1756), mangaire agus file as Co. Fhear Manach a raibh cáil réice air. Ar na hamhráin is cáiliúla as Éirinn tá sé aitheanta, seinnte agus canta i gcéin agus i gcóngar.
Is, a bhuinneáin bhuí bhoicht, is é mo léan 'do luí thú
Is do chnámha sínte faoi bhun na dtom;
Do ghob is do scornach a bhí ar dhath an óir bhuí
Is do bhéilín ró-dheas faoi leaca lom.
Dhá gcuirteá scéala faoi rno dhéinse
Go raibh tú i ngéibhinn leis an tart ar ball,
Óro bhainfinnse géimneach as leac Loch Éirne
D'fhliuchfadh do bhéal agus do chroí in do lár.
Is ní ba ná caoire atá mé á gcaoineadh,
An lon, an chéirseach, nó an t-éinín glas,
Ach rno bhuinneán buí bocht a bhí lán den chroí
Is gur cosúil liom péin a nós is a dhath.
Bhíodh sé go síoraí ag ó1 na dí,
Is deir siad go rnbímse arnhlaidh seal,
Ach dheamhan deoir da bhfaigheadsa nach scaoilfead siar é
Ar eagla is go bhfaighinnse bás le tart.
Agus dúirt rno bhean liom ligean den ó1
Mar nach rnbeinnse beo ach seal beag gearr;
Is éard a dúirt mé léi go dtug sí a héitheach
Mar go mba fhaide ar mo shaolsa an deoch úd a fhái.
Is nach bhfeiceann sibh ean an phíobáin réidh
A chuaigh in éag leis an tart ar ball?
Agus, a chomharsain chléibhe, fliuchaigí bhur mbéil,
Mar deoirín ní bhfaighfidh sibh i ndiaidh bhur mbáis.
THE YELLOW BITTERN
And, poor yellow bittern, it's my sorrow that you are lying there with your bones stretched at the bottom of the bushes, that your beak and your throat that were the colour of the yellow gold, and your fine little mouth, are bare under the stones. If you had sent word to me that you were lately trapped by the thirst, óro I'd have knocked a roar out of the frozen surface of Lough Erne that would have wet your mouth and the heart in your centre.
It's not cattle or sheep that I'm lamenting, the blackbird, the thrush or the little green bird, but my poor yellow bittern who was full of heart and who was like myself in habit and colouring. He used be continually drinking, and they say that I'm sometimes the same, but devil the drop I get that I wouldn't drink back for fear that I'd die of the thirst.
And my wife told me to lay off the drink or that otherwise I wouldn't live but for a short time. What I said to her was that she was in error because my life would be the longer for getting that same drink. And don't you see the bird of the smooth gullet that lately died from the thirst? And so, my dear neighbours, wet your mouths, because you won't get the least little drop after you die.
(Recording, text, translation and notes: included with the Gael Linn CD: 'Seoltaí Séidte' / 'Setting Sail', Dublin, 2004 (www.gaellinn.com)
********************
Seán 'ac Dhonncha (1919-96), amhránaí / singer
As an Aird Thiar, Carna, Conamara, Co. na Gaillimhe, mar ar fhoghlaim sé amhráin óna athair agus óna chomharsana. Cáilíodh é mar mhúinteoir bunscoile i 1940. Bhí sé cairdiúil le Seosamh Ó hÉanaí agus Séamus Ennis, agus tháinig sé go mór faoi thionchar Ennis. Bhíodh sé ag canadh ar an raidió, ar Radio Éireann agus ar an mBBC, agus taiféadadh é don dá stáisiún ó 1947 amach. Ghnóthaigh sé bonn óir in Oireachtas 1953. Bhí sé ag obair i gCluain Fhada, lámh le Áth Luain, nuair a tháinig na chéad cheirníní seo amach, ach chaith sé an chuid is mó dá shaol múinteoireachta ina dhiaidh sin ina phríomhoide in Áth Eascrach, Co. na Gaillimhe. Rinne sé roinnt eile ceirníní tráchtála i ndiaidh sin.
From Aird Thiar, Carna, Co. Galway, Seán 'ac Dhonncha learnt songs from his father and neighbours. He qualified as a primary teacher in 1940. Friendly with Joe Heaney and Séamus Ennis, he was greatly influenced by Ennis. Often heard on Radio Éireann and BBC Radio, he was recorded for both from 1947, and won a gold medal at the 1953 Oireachtas. When these first records appeared, he was teaching at Cloonfad, near Athlone, Co. Westmeath, but he spent most of his later teaching life as principal at Ahascragh, Co. Galway. He made several other commercial recordings afterwards.
********************
From the double CD collection, 'Seoltaí Séidte (Setting Sail), Ceolta Éireann 1957 - 1961', published in 2004 by Gael Linn, Dublin.
Информация по комментариям в разработке