1190: Weem (2)
Litir sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is mìneachadh. A weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and explanation.
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Weem (2)
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Weem – no Uaimh – ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Tha e air taobh thall Uisge Tatha o Obar Pheallaidh. Chaidh mi a choimhead air an uaimh a tha a’ toirt ainm don àite. Tha i gu h-àrd air Creag an t-Seipeil. Chan eil i ach beag. Cha dèanadh i dachaigh chofhurtail do dhuine sam bith.
Ach tha tobar ri a taobh, agus uisge a’ ruith às fad na h-ùine. Leig sin le Naomh Cùithbeart fuireach innte anns an t-seachdamh linn. Tha sin a rèir beul-aithris na sgìre. Tha an t-Àrd-oll. MacBhàtair ag innse dhuinn gu bheil cunntas sgrìobhte de bheatha Chùithbeirt ag ràdh gun tàinig e gu baile air an robh Dul. Bha e na aonaran air beinn chas ann an coille, dìreach mìle air falbh. B’ e Doilweme an t-ainm a bh’ air an àite. Bha MacBhàtair dhen bheachd gum b’ e sin Dul faisg air Weem.
Tha cuideigin air crois a shnaigheadh ann an clach ri taobh na h-uamha. Chanainn nach eil a’ chrois idir cho sean ri Cùithbeart. Agus, gu h-iongantach, math dh’fhaodte, chan e Tobar Chùithbeirt no Uamh Chùithbeirt a th’ air na h-àiteachan sin. Canaidh daoine St David’s Well ris an tobar. Tha mi an dùil gur e sin Tobar Dhaibhidh ann an Gàidhlig, ged nach d’ fhuair mi dearbhadh air sin.
Thathar a’ smaoineachadh nach e naomh a bh’ ann an Daibhidh a dh’aindeoin ainm an tobair. B’ e Daibhidh Sir Daibhidh Mèinnearach (Sir David Menzies) a bha a’ fuireach faisg air làimh ann an Caisteal Uaimh anns a’ cheathramh agus còigeamh linn deug. Leig e seachad beartas agus rudan saoghalta, agus chaidh e a dh’fhuireach anns an uaimh.
Chruthaich esan an seipeal a thug ainm don chreig. A rèir aithris, bha crois mhòr na laighe air an talamh an sin. Bhiodh taistealaich a’ dol air an glùinean air a’ chrois agus dhèanadh iad ùrnaigh ann. Tha pìosan beaga dhen chrois seo ann an Eaglais Uaimh a tha faisg air làimh aig bonn na creige.
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh anns an Litir mu dheireadh gun robh clann-nighean co-cheangailte ris an uaimh. Uill, chan e sin an sgeul air fad. Tha an t-Urramach Teàrlach MacDhonnchaidh ag innse dhuinn gu bheil dà uaimh air Creag Uaimh. Aig bonn na creige, tha an dàrna uamh, agus ʼs e an t-ainm a th’ oirre Toll nan Trì Nigheanan. The hole of the three girls. Toll nan Trì Nigheanan.
Tha sgeulachd co-cheangailte ris an uaimh seo. Tha i a’ dol rudeigin mar seo. Chuir Baintighearna Uaimh a dithis nighean agus a nighean-dalta don Chreig airson laogh a bha air chall a lorg. Thug i Bìoball gu tè de a nigheanan airson dìon a thoirt dhaibh an aghaidh buidseachd no droch thachartas sam bith.
Chaidh a’ chlann-nighean don uaimh. Math dh’fhaodte gun cuala iad fuaim a bha coltach ri fuaim laoigh. Bha an nighean aig an robh am Bìoball air an leabhar a thoirt don nighinn-dalta. Chuir sin stad oirre bho bhith a’ dol a-steach far an robh olc. Thachair rudeigin anns an uaimh. Bha an nighean-dalta air a sàbhaladh. Bha pìosan de chuirp na dithis eile air an lorg gu h-àrd ann an Loch Glasaigh – àite a bha ainmeil airson a bhith na dhachaigh aig each-uisge.
Faclan na Litreach: Siorrachd Pheairt: Perthshire; Creag an t-Seipeil: the crag of the chapel; Naomh Cùithbeart: Saint Cuthbert; an t-Àrd-oll. MacBhàtair: Prof. Watson; aonaran: hermit; math dh’fhaodte: perhaps; an t-Urramach Teàrlach MacDhonnchaidh: the Rev. Charles Robertson; each-uisge: water-horse (kelpie).
Abairtean na Litreach: air taobh thall Uisge Tatha o Obar Pheallaidh: on the other side of the River Tay from Aberfeldy; gu baile air an robh Dul: to a settlement called Dull; tha cuideigin air crois a shnaigheadh ann an clach ri taobh na h-uamha: somebody has carved a cross in a stone next to the cave; chanainn nach eil a’ chrois idir cho sean ri: I would say that the cross is not at all as old as; a dh’aindeoin ainm an tobair: despite the well’s name; leig e seachad beartas agus rudan saoghalta: he cast aside wealth and worldly things; bhiodh taistealaich a’ dol air an glùinean air a’ chrois: pilgrims would go on their knees on the cross; dhèanadh iad ùrnaigh ann: they would pray there; Eaglais Uaimh a tha faisg air làimh aig bonn na creige: Weem Church which is nearby at the base of the rock; chuir Baintighearna Uaimh a dithis nighean agus a nighean-dalta don Chreig: the Lady of Weem put her two daughters and her stepdaughter to the Rock; thug i Bìoball gu tè de a nigheanan airson dìon a thoirt dhaibh an aghaidh buidseachd: she gave one of the girls a Bible to protect them against witchcraft; gun cuala iad fuaim a bha coltach ri fuaim laoigh: that they heard a noise that was like a calf’s noise; chuir sin stad oirre bho bhith a’ dol a-steach far an robh olc: that stopped her from going in where there was evil; pìosan de chuirp na dithis eile: bits of the bodies of the two others.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: chaidh e a dh’fhuireach anns an uaimh: he went to live in the cave. ‘Living’ is a’ fuireach but after a verb of motion the verbal noun is lenited e.g. chaidh e a chadal san leabaidh, chaidh sinn a ghlanadh nam bòrd. However as ‘fh’ is silent and is preceded by the particle ‘a’ we stick in a dh’ simply so that two vowels are separated by a consonant sound. Thus tha mi a’ dol a dh’fhuireach ann ‘I’m going to stay there’; thèid iad a dh’fhighe an aodaich ‘they’ll go to knit the clothing’; chaidh sinn a dh’fhuireach ann an Glaschu ‘we went to live in Glasgow’.
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: gun robh clann-nighean co-cheangailte ris an uaimh: that girls were associated with the cave. Remember clann-nighean (singular) as an alternative to nigheanan or caileagan.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 886
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