1301: An Clò Mòr (3)
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
Tha an litir ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
An Clò Mòr (3)
Bha sinn a’ toirt sùil air seann chunntas mun chlò mhòr. Chaidh a sgrìobhadh le Ruairidh Caimbeul à Mionaird air cladach Loch Fìne o chionn faisg air ceud bliadhna. An t-seachdain sa chaidh thug sinn sùil air mar a bhiodh na seann Ghàidheil a’ dathadh na clòimhe dubh agus gorm. An-diugh, tha mi a’ dol a thoirt sùil air na dathan eile.
Airson donn, bha na daoine a’ cleachdadh crotal, duileasg agus duilleag-bhàite. Crotal – ’s e sin seòrsa de lichen a tha a’ fàs air creagan. Duileasg – ’s e sin feamainn – dulse ann am Beurla. Bidh daoine ga ithe cuideachd. Agus duilleag-bhàite – ’s e sin water-lily.
Ged a bhathar a’ faighinn donn bho sheòrsaichean de chrotal, bha gnèithean eile de chrotal a’ dathadh clòimh crò-dhearg no crimson. B’ iad sin an crotal-geal no crab’s eye lichen agus corcar no cudbear lichen. Tha iad sin le chèile geal. Tha Faclair Dwelly ag ràdh seo mun chorcar: mossy white scurf adhering to large stones, from which the Gael make a pleasing crimson dye. Tha e a’ mìneachadh gun robh an corcar air a thiormachadh ann an solas na grèine. Bha e an uair sin air a phronnadh agus air a bhogadh ann am maistir ann an soitheach nach leigeadh èadhar a-steach. Dè th’ ann am maistir? Dè ach stale urine! An dèidh trì seachdainean, bha e deiseil airson a bhith air a ghoil leis a’ chlòimh.
Airson dathadh uaine, a rèir Ruairidh Chaimbeul, bhathar a’ cleachdadh conas no conasg ‘whin’, ràmh-dhroigheann no European buckthorn, fraoch ‘heather’ agus bealaidh ‘broom’. Airson purpaidh, bhathar a’ cleachdadh feòras ‘spindle’, lus na feàrnaich ‘round-leaved sundew’ agus crotal-còinnich ‘cup lichen’.
Bhathar a’ faighinn dearg bho chrotal eile air an robh crotal-nan-creag, bho rù ‘Lady’s bedstraw’ agus bho leanartach no cairt-làir (tormentil ann am Beurla). Tha an t-ùghdar ag innse dhuinn gun robh e mì-laghail freumhaichean an rù a bhuain. Bha daoine air cus dhen lus seo a bhuain far an robh e pailt roimhe, leithid air machair Bheinn a’ Bhaoghla. Bha na freumhaichean a’ cumail gainmheach na machrach na h-àite. Às an aonais, bhiodh a’ ghaoth ga sguabadh air falbh.
Bha na seann daoine a’ faighinn buidhe bho thrì craobhan – a’ chraobh-ubhail ‘apple tree’, a’ chraobh-uinnsinn ‘ash tree’ agus a’ chraobh-leamhain ‘elm’. Bhiodh buidhe a’ tighinn cuideachd bho roid ‘bog myrtle’, raineach ‘bracken’ agus achlasan Chaluim Cille ‘slender St John’s wort’.
Airson orains, bha iad a’ cur feum air trì lusan dùthchasach – beàrnan-Brìde no dandelion, buaghallan-buidhe no ragwort agus preas nan smeur no bramble bush. Ach tha e inntinneach nach e am facal ‘orains’ a tha Ruairidh a’ cleachdadh. An àite sin, tha e a’ cleachdadh seann fhacal airson orainsear – òr-ubhal. Gu litreachail, tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘golden apple’. Òr-ubhal.
Chaidh mi don fhaclair as sine a th’ agam a-staigh airson faighinn a-mach dè th’ ann airson orange. ’S e sin am faclair le Armstrong a chaidh a dhèanamh ann an ochd ceud deug is còig air fhichead (1825). Tha trì faclan aig Armstrong airson orainsear – ’s e sin òraisd, òr-ubhal agus òr-mheas. Saoilidh mi gu bheil e duilich gun do leig sinn seachad na h-ainmean sin.
Faclan na Litreach: a’ mìneachadh: explaining; machair Bheinn a’ Bhaoghla: the Benbecula machair; gu litreachail: literally; Òr-ubhal: golden apple – an old name for an orange.
Abairtean na Litreach: a’ toirt sùil air seann chunntas mun chlò mhòr: looking at an old account of traditional tweed; mar a bhiodh na seann Ghàidheil a’ dathadh na clòimhe dubh agus gorm le lusan dùthchasach: how the old Gaels would dye the wool black and blue with native plants; bidh daoine ga ithe cuideachd: people also eat it; ged a bhathar a’ faighinn donn bho sheòrsaichean de chrotal: although brown was obtained from types of lichen; bha gnèithean eile de chrotal a’ dathadh clòimh crò-dhearg: other species of lichen were dyeing wool crimson; gun robh an corcar air a thiormachadh ann an solas na grèine: the cudbear lichen was dried in sunlight; bha e an uair sin air a phronnadh: it was then pulverised; air a bhogadh ann am maistir ann an soitheach nach leigeadh èadhar a-steach: immersed in stale urine in an airtight vessel; airson a bhith air a ghoil leis a’ chlòimh: to be boiled with the wool; tha an t-ùghdar ag innse dhuinn gun robh e mì-laghail freumhaichean an rù a bhuain: the author tells us that it was illegal to dig up the roots of Lady’s bedstraw; às an aonais, bhiodh a’ ghaoth ga sguabadh air falbh: without them, the wind would be sweeping it away; tha e a’ cleachdadh seann fhacal airson orainsear: he uses an old word for an orange; tha ‘òr’ anns a h-uile fear aca: there is ‘gold’ in every one of them; saoilidh mi gu bheil e duilich gun do leig sinn seachad na h-ainmean sin: I reckon it is a pity that we [have] abandoned those names.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: Bha na freumhaichean a’ cumail gainmheach na machrach na h-àite: the roots were keeping the sand of the machair in its place. Gainmheach ‘sand’ is a feminine noun (and singular) and thus we have the feminine construction na h-àite ‘in her place’. If gainmheach were masculine I would have said na àite ‘in his place’.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Tha iad sin le chèile geal: they are both white.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 997
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