Little by Little Beag air Bheag
’Illean bitheabh sunndach - the second verse
The second verse explains that the author is leaving Crinan, near Lochgilphead, to make a new life overseas. Again, vocabulary first:
wild
mournful
livelihood
Crinan, the place where the song originates from
The first two lines of the first verse express the singer’s sadness:
Gur mise tha gu cianail,
A' fàgail a' Chrianain
I am homesick,
Leaving the Crinan
The second verse continues with the author expressing his reason for leaving his land. It also hints at his hope of a better life in the new, though wild, land:
A' dol don dùthaich fhiadhaich,
A dh'iarraidh ar lòin as
Going to the wild country,
To make a living (from the country)
Now we are confident with the four lines, let’s put them all together:
Gur mise tha gu cianail,
A' fàgail a' Chrianain,
A' dol don dùthaich fhiadhaich,
A dh'iarraidh ar lòin as
I am homesick,
Leaving the Crinan,
Going to the wild country,
To make a living