1019: A’ Ghàidhlig airson ‘twilight’

Am faca sibh riamh dol-fodha na grèine ann an àite tropaigeach? Bidh a’ ghrian a’ dol fodha gu luath. Agus cha mhair solas an latha fada an dèidh dol-fodha na grèine.

Ach smaoinichibh air Alba as t-samhradh. Bidh a’ ghrian a’ dol fodha gu mall. Mairidh solas anns an iarmailt airson ùine mhòr mus tig dorchadas ceart.

Cha bu chòir dha a bhith na iongnadh, ma-thà, gu bheil tòrr fhaclan is abairtean ann an Gàidhlig co-cheangailte ri lughdachadh an t-solais anns an adhar aig àm dol-fodha na grèine.

An toiseach – ciaradh. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘a’ fàs ciar’ – growing dusky. Bidh sinn a’ bruidhinn air ciaradh an fheasgair. Bidh sinn ag ràdh, tha am feasgar a’ ciaradh. Cuideachd tha ciaradh na h-oidhche ann agus ciaradh an anmoich.

Saoilidh mi gur e seann fhacal Ceilteach a th’ ann an ciar. Ach tha facal eile againn airson ciaradh an fheasgair a tha a’ tighinn bhon Bheurla Ghallta. ʼS e sin glòmadh. Thàinig e à gloamin – no gloaming ma thogras sibh. Ged a bhios sinn a’ smaoineachadh air an fheasgar nuair a chluinneas sinn am facal glòmadh, faodaidh e a bhith a’ ciallachadh solas na maidne cuideachd. Glòmadh an latha – morning twilight. Glòmadh na h-oidhche – evening twilight.

Bidh camhanach – no camhanaich – a’ seasamh airson twilight – anns a’ mhadainn no feasgar. Canaidh sinn camhanach an latha no camhanach na maidne airson morning twilight, agus camhanach na h-oidhche airson evening twilight. Leis fhèin, bidh a’ chamhanach no a’ chamhanaich mar as trice a’ ciallachadh ‘dawn’.

Ann am faclair Dwelly, tha an gnìomhair ann – breac-shoillsich ‘glimmer as the twilight’. Breac-shoillsich. Tha eadar-shoillsich aig Dwelly cuideachd airson ‘glimmer, as in twilight or dawn’. Eadar-shoillsich.

Tha am facal iomall-soillse ann cuideachd – iomall-soillse. Agus an fhionnairidh. Tha seanfhacal againn: Bheir fear na mocheirigh buaidh air fear na fionnairidh ‘the early riser beats the evening watcher’ . Bheir fear na mocheirigh buaidh air fear na fionnairidh.

Tha sgarthanaich ann cuideachd airson ‘dawn’ no ‘twilight’. Bha e an seo san sgarthanaich ‘he was here at dawn’. Agus – an àite ciaradh na h-oidhche, tha abairt eile againn as toigh leam – fiaradh na h-oidhche. Dhòmhsa, tha e a’ riochdachadh deireadh an latha, agus an solas a’ fiaradh mar a tha an Talamh a’ tionndadh air a h-aiseal.

Tha dealachadh nan tràth ann cuideachd. The separation of major times of day – the morning and evening twilight . Tha dubh-thràth againn cuideachd airson twilight.

Airson evening twilight a-mhàin, tha dà abairt eile ann. Liath-fheasgar – tha sin ciallach gu leòr, nach eil? Nuair a tha am feasgar a’ liathachadh. Agus iargal. Nise, ʼs e facal inntinneach a th’ ann an iargal. Tha e stèidhichte air iar – the west – far am bi a’ ghrian a’ dol fodha. Bha iar uaireigin a’ ciallachadh ‘behind’. Bha iargal o thùs a’ ciallachadh ‘remote district’ – à iar aguscùl – the behind place. Às a sin, tha sinn a’ faighinn an fhacail iargalta – inhospitable, churlish, surly. Cò shaoileadh gu bheil facal grànda mar iargalta co-cheangailte ri dol-fodha na grèine a tha uaireannan cho brèagha?

Faclan na Litreach: gnìomhair: verb; an fhionnairidh:gloaming (also time or act of watching); ciaradh an fheasgair: dusk; glòmadh: twilight; camhanach: twilight; sgarthanaich: dawn, twilight; fiaradh na h-oidhche: evening twilight; dealachadh nan tràth: morning and evening twilight; dubh-thràth: twilight; liath-fheasgar: evening twilight; iargal: evening twilight; o thùs: originally.

Abairtean na Litreach: Am faca sibh riamh dol-fodha na grèine ann an àite tropaigeach?: have you ever seen the sunset in a tropical place?; cha mhair solas an latha fada: the daylight will [does] not last long; bidh a’ ghrian a’ dol fodha gu mall: the sun sets slowly; lughdachadh an t-solais anns an adhar:the lessening of [the] light in the sky; ciaradh an fheasgair:dusk; faodaidh e a bhith a’ ciallachadh solas na maidne cuideachd: it can also mean the light of the morning; tha àm eadar-sholasach a’ tighinn eadar solas slàn an latha agus dorchadas na h-oidhche: there is a time of glimmering light between the full light of day and the darkness of [the] night; èirichibh tràth, a chàirdean: get up early, friends; fiaradh na h-oidhche: twilight; nuair a tha am feasgar a’ liathachadh: when the evening is growing grey; cò shaoileadh gu bheil facal grànda mar iargalta co-cheangailte ri dol-fodha na grèine a tha uaireannan cho brèagha?: who would think that an ugly word like iargalta would be connected to the sunset that is sometimes so beautiful?.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: Thàinig e à gloamin – no gloaming ma thogras sibh: it came from gloamin – or gloaming if you like [prefer]. We don’t yet have a historical dictionary of Gaelic so it is not clear if the Gaelic glòmadh came from middle or later Scots gloamin, or from the Old English gl ōm ‘twilight’ (related to ‘gloom’) or gl ōmung (modern Eng. gloaming) but it is undoubtedly a loan from a Germanic source. But it is only one of a very large number of Gaelic equivalents to the English ‘gloaming’.

Seanfhacal na Litreach: Bheir fear na mocheirigh buaidh air fear na fionnairidh: the early riser beats the evening watcher. An adage regarding lifestyle!

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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh

This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 715

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