Chapter XLV: Gaelic Literature, Language, and Music (2)

The medical manuscripts existing are chiefly the productions of the famous Macbeths or Beatons, the hereditary physicians of the Lords of the Isles for a long series of years. The charter of lands in Islay, already referred to, drawn out by Fergus Beaton, is of a date as early as 1408, and three hundred years after, men of the same race are found occupying the same position. Hereditary physicians might seem to offer but poor prospects to their patients, and that especially at a time when schools of medicine were almost if not altogether unknown in the country; but the fact is, that this was the only mode in which medical knowledge could be maintained at all. If such knowledge were not transmitted from father to son, the probability was that it would perish, just as was the case with the genealogical knowledge of the _seanachies_. This transmission, however, was provided for in the Celtic system, and while there was no doubt a considerable difference between individuals in the succession in point of mental endowments, they would all possess a certain measure of skill and acquirement as the result of family experience. These men were students of their science as it existed at the time. The Moors were then the chief writers on medicine. Averroes and Avicenna were men whose names were distinguished, and whose works, although little known now, extended to folios. Along with their real and substantial scientific acquirements, they dived deep into the secrets of Astrology, and our Celtic students, while ready disciples of them in the former study, followed them most faithfully and zealously in the latter likewise. There are numerous medical and astrological treatises still existing written in the Gaelic language, and taken chiefly from the works of Moorish and Arabian writers. How these works reached the Scottish Highlands it is hard to say, nor is it easier to understand how the ingredients of the medical prescriptions of these practitioners could be obtained in a region so inaccessible at the time. The following specimen of the written Gaelic of medical manuscripts, is taken from Dr O’Donovan’s grammar:--[102]

“Labhrum anois do leighes na h-eslainti so oir is eígin nethi imda
d’fhaghbhail d’a leighes; ocus is é céd leighes is ferr do dhénamh
dhi. 1. na lenna truaillighthi do glanad maille caterfusia; óir
a deir Avicenna ’s an 4 Cān. co n-déin in folmhughadh na leanna
loisgi d’inarbad. An 2.ní oilemhain bidh ocus dighi d’ordughadh
dóibh; an tres ní, an t-adhbhar do dhileaghadh; an 4.ní a
n-innarbadh go h-imlán; an 5.ní, fothraiethi do dhénum dóibh; an
6.ní, is eígin lictuber comhfhurtachta do thobhairt dóib. An 7.ní,
is eígin neithi noch aentuighius riu do thobhairt dóib muna roib an
corp línta do droch-leannaíbh.”

_English Translation._

“Let me now speak of the cure of this disease (scurvy), for many
things must be got for its cure; the first cure which is best to be
made is to clean the corrupt humours with caterfusia; for Avicenna
says in the fourth Canon that evacuation causes an expulsion of the
burnt humours. The second thing, to order the patients a proper
regimen of meat and drink; the third thing, to digest the matter;
the fourth thing, to expel them completely; the fifth thing, to
prepare a bath for them; the sixth, it is necessary to give them
strengthening lictub. The seventh, it is necessary to give them such
things as agree with them, unless the body be full of bad humours.”

This extract is taken from an Irish manuscript, but the language is identical with that in use in the writings of the Beatons. Celtic Scotland and Celtic Ireland followed the same system in medicine as in theology and poetry.

The metaphysical discussions, if they may be so called, are very curious, being characterised by the features which distinguished the science of metaphysics at the time. The most remarkable thing is that there are Gaelic terms to express the most abstract ideas in metaphysics;--terms which are now obsolete, and would not be understood by any ordinary Gaelic speaker. A perusal of these ancient writings shows how much the language has declined, and to what an extent it was cultivated at an early period. So with astrology, its terms are translated and the science is fully set forth. Tables are furnished of the position of the stars by means of which to foretell the character of future events. Whatever literature existed in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries, extended its influence to the Scottish Highlands. The nation was by no means in such a state of barbarism as some writers would lead us to expect. They had legal forms, for we have a formal legal charter of lands written in Gaelic; they had medical men of skill and acquirement; they had writers on law and theology, and they had men skilled in architecture and sculpture.

THE DEAN OF LISMORE’S BOOK.

When the Highland Society of Scotland were engaged in preparing their report on the poems of Ossian, they thought it important to search with all possible diligence after such sources of ancient Gaelic poetry as might have been open to Macpherson, and especially for such written remains as might still be found in the country. Among others they applied to the Highland Society of London, whose secretary at the time, Mr John Mackenzie, was an enthusiastic Highlander, and an excellent Gaelic scholar. The Society furnished several interesting manuscripts which they had succeeded in collecting, and among these an ancient paper book which has since been called the “Book of the Dean of Lismore.” This book, which now lies in the library of the Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh, is a small quarto very much defaced, of about seven inches square, and one inch and a quarter in thickness. It is bound in a piece of coarse sheepskin, and seems to have been much tossed about. The manuscript is written in what may be called phonetic Gaelic, the words being spelled on the same principle as the Welsh and Manx, although the application of the principle is very different. “Athair,” _father_, is “Ayr;” “Saor,” _free_, is “Seyr;” “Fhuair,” _found_, is “Hoar;” “Leodhas,” _Lewis_, is “Looyss;” “iuchair,” _a key_, is “ewthir;” “ghràdh,” _love_, is “Zrau.” This principle of phonetic spelling, with a partial admission of the Irish eclipsis and the Irish dot in aspiration, distinguishes the whole manuscript, and has made it very difficult to interpret. The letter used is the English letter of the 15th and 16th centuries, and the MS. was transcribed by the late Mr Ewen M’Lachlan of Aberdeen, an admirable Gaelic scholar. But no attempt was made to transfer its contents into modern Gaelic, or to interpret them, save in the case of a few fragments which were transferred and interpreted by Dr Smith for the Highland Society. Recently, however, the whole manuscript, with few exceptions, has been transcribed, presented in a modern Gaelic dress, translated and annotated, by the writer; and a historical introduction and additional notes have been furnished by Dr W. F. Skene.

The volume is full of interest, as presenting a view of the native literature of the Highlands in the 15th and 16th centuries, while it contains productions of a much earlier age. The fragments which it contains are both Scottish and Irish, showing how familiar the bardic schools were with the productions of both countries. Much of the contents consists of fragments of what is usually called Ossianic poetry--compositions by Ossian, by Fergus filidh his brother, by Conall MacEdirsceoil, by Caoilte M’Ronan, and by poets of a later age, who imitated these ancient bards, such as Allan MacRorie, Gilliecallum Mac an Olla, and others. The collection bears on one of its pages the name “Jacobus M’Gregor decanus Lismorensis,” _James M’Gregor, Dean of Lismore_, and it has been conjectured from this fact and the resemblance of the writing in the signature to that of the body of the manuscript, that this was the compiler of the work. That the manuscript was the work of a M’Gregor is pretty evident. It contains a series of obits of important men, most of them chiefs and other men of note of the clan Gregor, and there are among the poetical pieces of a date later than the Ossianic, numerous songs in praise of that clan. It seems, however, that M’Gregor had a brother called Dougal, who designates himself _daoroglach_, or “apprentice,” who had some share in making the compilation. These M’Gregors belonged to Fortingall in Perthshire, although James held office in the diocese of Argyll. He was vicar of the parish of Fortingall, and it is presumed usually resided there.

In giving specimens from M’Gregor’s collection, it may be desirable to treat of the whole of what is called the Ossianic poetry. It is in this collection that we find the earliest written specimens of it, and although Macpherson’s Ossian did not appear for two centuries later, it seems better to group the whole together in this portion of our notice. The word “ursgeul” was applied by the Highlanders to these poetical tales. This word has been translated “a _new_ tale,” as if the _ùr_ here meant “new” in contradistinction to older tales. But the word _ùr_ meant “noble” or “great,” as well as “new,” and the word as so used must be understood as meaning a “_noble_ tale” in contradistinction to the _sgeulachd_, or other tale of less note. From what source M’Gregor derived his materials is not said, but the probability is that he was indebted both to manuscripts and to oral tradition for them. We shall here give a specimen of the Dean’s collection as it appears in the original, with a version in regular Gaelic spelling, and an English translation. It is the poem usually called “Bàs Dhiarmaid,” or _the Death of Diarmad_.

A HOUDIR SO ALLANE M’ROYREE.

Glennschee in glenn so rame heive
A binn feig agus lon
Menik redeis in nane
Ar on trath so in dey agon
A glen so fa wenn Zwlbin zwrm
Is haald tulchi fa zran
Ner wanew a roythi gi dark
In dey helga o inn na vane
Estith beg ma zalew leith
A chuddycht cheive so woym
Er wenn Zulbin is er inn fail
Is er M’ezoynn skayl troyg
Gur lai finn fa troyg in shelga
Er V’ezwn is derk lei
Zwll di wenn Zwlbin di helga
In turkgi nach fadin erm zei
Lai M’ezwnn narm ay
Da bay gin dorchirre in tork
Gillir royth ba zoill finn
Is sche assne rin do locht
Er fa harlow a zail
M’ozunn graw nin sgoll
Ach so in skayll fa tursych mnaan
Gavr less di layve an tork
Zingywal di lach ni wane
Da gurri ea assi gnok
In schenn tork schee bi garv
Di vag ballerych na helve mok
Soeyth finn is derk dreach
Fa wenn zwlbin zlass in telga
Di fre dinnit less in tork
Mor in tolga a rin a shelga
Di clastich cozar ni wane
Nor si narm teach fa a cann
Ersi in a vest o swoyn
Is glossis woyth er a glenn
Curris ri faggin nin leich
In shen tork schee er freich borb
Bi geyr no ganyth sleygh
Bi traneiseygh na gath bolga
M’ozwnn ni narm geyr
Frager less in na vest olk
Wa teive reyll trom navynyth gay
Currir sleygh in dayl in turk
Brissir in cran less fa thre
Si chran fa reir er in mwk
In sleygh o wasi waryerka vlaye
Rait less nochchar hay na corp
Targir in tan lann o troyle
Di chossin mor loye in narm
Marviss M’ozunn fest
Di hanyth feyn de hess slane
Tuttis sprocht er Inn ne wane
Is soyis sea si gnok
Makozunn nar dult dayve
Olk less a hecht slane o tork
Er weith zoyth faddi no host
A durt gar wolga ri ray
Tothiss a zermit o hocht
Ga maid try sin tork so id taa
Char zult ay a chonyth finn
Olk leinn gin a heacht da hygh
Toissi tork er a zrum
M’ozunn nach trome trygh
Toiss na ye reiss
A zermit gi meine a torc
Fa lattis troygh ya chinn
A zil nin narm rim gort
Ymbeis bi hurrus goye
Agus toissi zayve in tork
Gunne i freich neive garve
Boonn in leich bi zarg in drod
Tuttis in sin er in rein
M’ O’Zwne nar eyve fealle
Na la di heive in turk
Ach sen ayd zut gi dorve
A la schai in swn fa creay
M’ O’Zwne keawe in gleacht
Invakane fullich ni wane
Sin tulli so chayme fa art
Saywic swlzorme essroye
Far la berrit boye gi ayr
In dey a horchirt la tork
Fa hulchin a chnokso a taa
Dermit M’ O’Zwne oyill
Huttom tra ead nin noor
Bi gil a wrai no grane
Bu derk a wail no blai k ...
Fa boe innis a alt
Fadda rosk barglan fa lesga
Gurme agus glassi na hwle
Maissi is cassi gowl ni gleacht
Binnis is grinnis na zloyr
Gil no zoid varzerk vlaa
Mayd agis evycht sin leich
Seng is ser no kness bayn
Coythtyc is maaltor ban
M’ O’Zwne bi vor boye
In turri char hog swle
O chorreich wr er a zroy
Immin deit eyde is each
Fer in neygin creach nar charre
Gilli a bar gasga is seith
Ach troyg mir a teich so glenn
Glennschee.

_Modern Gaelic._

A H ÙGHDAIR SO AILEAN M’RUADHRAIDH.

Gleannsìth an gleann so ri’m thaobh,
’S am binn feidh agus loin,
Is minig a rachas an Fheinn
Air an t-srath so an deigh an con.
An gleann so fa Bheinn Ghulbainn ghuirm.
Is aillidh tulcha fo’n ghréin,
Na sruthana a ruith gu dearg,
An deigh shealg o Fhionn na Feinn.
Eisdibh beag mar dh’fhalbh laoch,
A chuideachd chaoimh so uam,
Air Bheinn Ghulbainn ’us air Fionn fial,
’Us air M’ O’Dhuinn, sgeul truagh:
Gur le Fionn fa truagh an t-sealg
Air Mhac O’Dhuinn a’s deirge lith,
Dhol do Bheinn Ghulbainn do shealg
An tuire nach faodainn airm dhith.
Le Mac O’Dhuinn an airm aigh,
Do’m b’e gu’n torchradh an torc,
Geillear roimhe, bu dh’fhoill Fhinn,
Is e esan a rinn do lochd.
Fear fa tharladh an gaol,
Mac O’Dhuinn gràdh nan sgoil,
Ach so an sgeul fa tursach mnathan,
Gabhar leis do laimh an torc.
Diongal do laoch na Feinn
Do chuireadh e as a chnoc,
An seann torc Sithe bu ghairbhe,
Do fhac ballardaich na h-alla-muic.
Suidhidh Fionn is deirge dreach,
Fa Bheinn Ghulbainn ghlais an t-seilg,
Do frith dh’ imich leis an torc,
Mòr an t-olc a rinn a shealg.
Ri clàisdeachd co-ghair na Feinn
’N uair ’s an arm a teachd fa ’ceann
Eireas a bheisd o shuain,
’Us gluaiseas uath’ air a ghleann.
Cuireas ri fàgail nan laoch,
An seann torc ’us e air friodh borb,
Bu gheire no gath nan sleagh,
Bu treine a shaigh no gath bolga.
Mac O’Dhuinn nan arm geur,
Freagras leis a’ bheisd olc,
O’ thaobh thriall trom, nimhneach, gath,
Cuirear sleagh an dail an tuirc.
Brisear a crann leis fa thri,
Is i a crann fa rèir air a’ mhuc,
An t-sleagh o bhos bhar-dhearg, bhlàth,
Raitleis noch char e’ na corp.
Tairngear an tan lann o’ truaill,
Do choisinn mòr luaidh an arm,
Marbhas Mac O’Dhuinn a’ bheisd,
Do thainig e féin as slàn.
Tuiteas sprochd air Fionn na Feinn,
’Us suidheas e ’s a chnoc,
Mac O’ Dhuinn nach do dhiult daimh
Olc leis a thighinn slàn o’n torc.
Air bhith dha fada ’n a thosd,
A dubhairt, ged a b’ olc ri ràdh,
Tomhais, a Dhiarmaid o’ shoc,
Cia meud troidh ’s an torc a ta.
Char dhiult e athchuinge Fhinn,
Olc leinn gun e theachd d’a thigh.
Tombaisidh an torc air a dhruim,
Mac O’Dhuinn nach trom troidh.
Tomhais ’n a aghaidh a rìs,
A Dhiarmaid gu mion an torc;
Fa leat is truagh dha chinn,
A ghille nan arm roinn ghoirt.
Imicheas, bu thurus goimh,
Agus tomhaisidh dhoibh an torc.
Guinidh a fhriogh nimh, garbh
Bonn an laoich bu gharbh an trod.
Tuiteas an sin air an raon,
Mac O’Dhuinn nior aoibh feall;
’N a luidhe do thaobh an tuirc,
Ach sin e dhuit gu doirbh.
A ta se an sin fa chreuchd
Mac O’Dhuinn caomh an gleachd;
Aon mhacan fulangach nam Fiann
’S an tulach so chitheam fa fheart.
Seabhag suilghorm Easruaidh,
Fear le’m beireadh buaidh gach àir,
An deigh a thorchairt le torc
Fa thulchain a chnuic so a ta.
Diarmad Mac O’Dhuinn aibheil,
A thuitcam troimh eud; mo nuar!
Bu ghile a bhràgh’d no grian,
Bu dheirge a bheul no blàth caora.
Fa buidhe innis a fhalt,
Fada rosg barghlan fa liosg,
Guirme agus glaise ’n a shùil,
Maise ’us caise cùl nan cleachd.
Binneas ’us grinneas ’n a ghlòir,
Gile ’n a dhoid bhar-dhearg bhlàth,
Meud agus éifeachd ’s an laoch
Seang ’us saor ’n a chneas bàn.
Cothaich ’us mealltair bhan,
Mac O’Dhuinn bu mhòr buaidh,
’S an t-suiridh cha thog sùil,
O chuireadh ùir air a ghruaidh.
Immirdich fhaoghaid ’us each,
Fear an éigin chreach nar char,
Gille b’fhearr gaisge ’us sitheadh,
Ach is truagh mar a theich ’s a ghleann.
Gleannsìth.

_English Translation._

THE AUTHOR OF THIS IS ALLAN M’RORIE.

Glenshee the vale that close beside me lies
Where sweetest sounds are heard of deer and elk,
And where the Feinn did oft pursue the chase
Following their hounds along the lengthening vale.
Below the great Ben Gulbin’s grassy height,
Of fairest knolls that lie beneath the sun
The valley winds. It’s streams did oft run red,
After a hunt by Finn and by the Feinn.
Listen now while I detail the loss
Of one a hero in this gentle band;
’Tis of Ben Gulbin and of generous Finn
And Mac O’Duine, in truth a piteous tale.
A mournful hunt indeed it was for Finn
When Mac O’Duine, he of the ruddiest hue,
Up to Ben Gulbin went, resolved to hunt
The boar, whom arms had never yet subdued.
Though Mac O’Duine of brightest burnished arms,
Did bravely slay the fierce, and furious boar,
Yet Finn’s deceit did him induce to yield,
And this it was that did his grievous hurt.
Who among men was so belov’d as he?
Brave Mac O’Duine, beloved of the schools;
Women all mourn this sad and piteous tale
Of him who firmly grasped the murderous spear.
Then bravely did the hero of the Feinn
Rouse from his cover in the mountain side
The great old boar, him so well known in Shee,
The greatest in the wild boar’s haunt e’er seen.
Finn sat him down, the man of ruddiest hue,
Beneath Ben Gulbin’s soft and grassy side;
For swift the boar now coursed along the heath;
Great was the ill came of that dreadful hunt.
’Twas when he heard the Feinn’s loud ringing shout,
And saw approach the glittering of their arms,
The monster wakened from his heavy sleep
And stately moved before them down the vale.
First, to distance them he makes attempt
The great old boar, his bristles stiff on end,
These bristles sharper than a pointed spear,
Their point more piercing than the quiver’s shaft.
Then Mac O’Duine, with arms well pointed too,
Answers the horrid beast with ready hand;
Away from his side then rushed the heavy spear,
Hard following on the course the boar pursued.
The javelin’s shaft fell shivered into three,
The shaft recoiling from the boar’s tough hide.
The spear hurl’d by his warm red-fingered hand,
Ne’er penetrated the body of the boar.
Then from its sheath he drew his thin-leav’d sword,
Of all the arms most crowned with victory.
Mac O’Duine did then the monster kill
While he himself escaped without a wound.
Then on Finn of the Feinn did sadness fall,
And on the mountain side he sat him down;
It grieved his soul that generous Mac O’Duine
Should have escaped unwounded by the boar.
For long he sat, and never spake a word,
Then thus he spake, although’t be sad to tell;
“Measure, Diarmad, the boar down from the snout,
And tell how many feet ’s the brute in length;”
What Finn did ask he never yet refused;
Alas! that he should never see his home.
Along the back he measures now the boar,
Light-footed Mac O’Duine of active step.
“Measure it the other way against the hair,
And measure, Diarmad, carefully the boar.”
It was indeed for thee a mournful deed,
Furth of the sharply-pointed, piercing arms,
He went, the errand grievous was and sad,
And measured for them once again the boar.
The envenomed pointed bristle sharply pierced
The soul of him the bravest in the field.
Then fell and lay upon the grassy plain
The noble Mac O’Duine, whose look spoke truth;
He fell and lay along beside the boar
And then you have my mournful saddening tale.
There does he lie now wounded to the death,
Brave Mac O’Duine so skilful in the fight,
The most enduring even among the Feinn,
Up there where I see his grave.
The blue-eyed hawk that dwelt at Essaroy
The conqueror in every sore-fought field
Slain by the poisoned bristle of the boar.
Now does he lie full-stretched upon the hill,
Brave, noble Diarmad Mac O’Duine
Slain, it is shame! victim of jealousy.
Whiter his body than the sun’s bright light,
Redder his lips than blossoms tinged with red;
Long yellow locks did rest upon his head,
His eye was clear beneath the covering brow,
Its colour mingled was of blue and gray;
Waving and graceful were his locks behind,
His speech was elegant and sweetly soft;
His hands the whitest, fingers tipped with red;
Elegance and power were in his form,
His fair soft skin covering a faultless shape,
No woman saw him but he won her love.
Mac O’Duine crowned with his countless victories,
Ne’er shall he raise his eye in courtship more;
Or warrior’s wrath give colour to his cheek;
The following of the chase, the prancing steed,
Will never move him, nor the search for spoil.
He who could bear him well in wary fight,
Has now us sadly left in that wild vale.
Glenshee.

This is, in every way, a fair specimen of the Dean’s MS., and of the story of the death of Diarmad as it existed in Scotland in the year 1512. The story is entirely a Scottish one, Glenshee being a well-known locality in the county of Perth, and Ben Gulbin a well-known hill in Glenshee. This has been called an Ossianic poem, but, according to Dean M’Gregor, it was not composed by Ossian, but by a poet obviously of more recent times;--Allan MacRorie, who was probably a composer of the 15th century. The resemblance of Diarmad to Achilles will occur at once to the classical reader, and there is no reason to doubt that there were large classes in the Highlands in the middle ages well acquainted with classical literature.

Another specimen of the Dean’s poems may be given as one which the compiler attributes to Ossian. It is Ossian’s eulogy on his father Finn, or Fingal, as he is called by M’Pherson:--

_Modern Gaelic._

AUCTOR HUJUS OISIAN MAC FHINN.

Sé la gus an dé o nach fhaca mi Fionn,
Cha-n fhaca ri’m ré se bu gheire leam;
Mac nighinn O’Théige, rìgh nam buillean tròm,
M’oide, ’us mo rath, mo chiall ’us mo chon.
Fa filidh fa flath, fa rìgh air ghéire,
Fionn flath, rìgh na Feinn, fa triath air gach tìr;
Fa miall mòr mara, fa leobhar air leirg,
Fa seabhag glan gaoithe, fa saoi air gach ceaird.
Fa h-oileanach ceart, fa marcaich nior mhearbh,
Fa h-ullamh air ghniomh, fa steith air gach seirm;
Fa fior, ceart, a bhreith, fa tamhaiche tuaith.
Fa ionnsaichte ’n a àigh, fa brathach air buaidh;
Fa h-e an teachdair ard, air chalm’us air cheòl,
Fa diùltadh nan daimh o dh’fhàg graidh na gloir.
A chneas mar an caile, a ghruaidh mar an ròs,
Bu ghlan gorm a rosg, ’fholt mar an t-òr.
Fa dùil daimh ’us daoine, fa aireach nan àgh,
Fa h-ullamh air ghniomh, fa mìn ri mnathaibh.
Fa h-e am miall mòr, mac muirne gach magh,
B’fhear loinneadh nan lann, an crann os gach fiodh.
Fa saoibhir an rìgh, a bhotul mòr glas,
D’fhion dhoirt gheur dhoibh, tairbh nochchar threa
. . . . . . . . . . . . broinn bhàin
. . . air an t-sluagh, fa bu chruaidh cheum,
Fa chosnadh an gniomh, fa Bhanbha nam beann
Gun d’thug am flath triochaid catha fa cheann,
Air sgraiteach dha, M’Cumhail nior cheil,
A deir fa ghò, ni clos gò ’n a bheul;
Ni euradh air neach, a fhuair fear o Fhionn,
Cha robh ach rìgh gréine, rìgh riamh os a chionn.
Nior dh’fhàg beist an loch, no nathair an nimh,
An Eirinn nan naomh, nar mharbh an saor seimh.
Ni h-innisinn a ghniomh, a bhithinn gu de bhràth,
Nior innisinn uam, trian a bhuaidh ’s a mhaith.
Ach is olc a taim, an deigh Fhinn na Feinn,
Do chaith leis an fhlath, gach maith bha ’na dheigh.
Gun anghnath aoin mhòir, gun eineach glan gaoithe,
Gun òr ’us mnathaibh rìgh, ’s gun bhreith nan laoch.
Is tuirseach a taim, an deigh chiun nan ceud,
Is mi an crann air chrith, is mo chiabh air n-eug
Is mi a chno chith, is mi an t-each gun sréin,
Achadan mi an uair, is mi an tuath gun treith;
Is mi Oisian MacFhinn, air trian de’m ghnioimh,
An fhad ’s bu bheò Fionn, do bu leam gach ni.
Seachd slios air a thigh, M’Cumhail gon fleadh,
Seachd fichead sgiath chlis, air gach slios diubh sin;
Caogad uidheam olaidh an timchioll mo rìgh,
Caogad laoch gun iomagain anns gach uidheam dhiubh.
Deich bleidh bàn, ’n a thalla ri òl,
Deich eascradh gorm, deich corn de’n òr.
Ach bu mhaith an treabh, a bh’aig Fionn na Feinn,
Gun doichioll, gun drùth, gun gleois, gun gléidh.
Gun tàrchuis aun, air aon fhear d’a Fheinn,
Aig dol air gach nì, do bhì càch d’a réir.
Fionn flath an t-sluaigh, sothran air a luaidh,
Rìgh nan uile àigh, roimh dhuine nior dhiùlt.
Nior dhiùlt Fionn roimh neach, ge bu bheag a loinn,
Char chuir as a theach, neach dha’r thainig ann.
Maith an duine Fionn, maith an duine e,
Noch char thiodhlaic neach, leth dhe’r thiodhlaic se.
Sé.

_English Translation._

THE AUTHOR OF THIS IS OSSIAN, THE SON OF FINN.

’Twas yesterday week I last saw Finn,
Ne’er did I feel six days so long;
Teige’s daughter’s son, a powerful king;
My teacher, my luck, my mind, and my light,
Both poet and chief, as brave as a king,
Finn, chief of the Feine, lord of all lands,
Leviathan at sea, as great on land,
Hawk of the air, foremost in arts,
Courteous, just, a rider bold,
Of vigorous deeds, the first in song,
A righteous judge, firm his rule,
Polished his mein, who knew but victory.
Who is like him in fight or song?
Resists the foe in house or field,
Marble his skin, the rose his cheek.
Blue was his eye, his hair like gold,
All men’s trust, of noble mind.
Of ready deeds, to women mild,
A giant he, the field’s delight,
Best polished spears, no wood like their shafts.
Rich was the king, his great green bottle
Full of sharp wine, of substance rich.
Excellent he, of noble form,
His people’s head, his step so firm,
Who often warred, in beauteous Banva,
There thirty battles he bravely fought.
With miser’s mind from none withheld,
Anything false his lips ne’er spoke.
He never grudged, no, never, Finn;
The sun ne’er saw king who him excelled,
The monsters in lakes, the serpent by land,
In Erin of saints, the hero slew.
Ne’er could I tell, though always I lived,
Ne’er could I tell the third of his praise.
But sad am I now, after Finn of the Feinn;
Away with the chief, my joy is all fled.
No friends ’mong the great, no courtesy;
No gold, no queen, no princes and chiefs;
Sad am I now, our head ta’en away!
I’m a shaking tree, my leaves all gone;
An empty nut, a reinless horse.
Sad, sad am I, a feeble kern,
Ossian I, the son of Finn, strengthless indeed.
When Finn did live all things were mine;
Seven sides had the house of Cumhal’s son,
Seven score shields on every side;
Fifty robes of wool around the king;
Fifty warriors filled the robes.
Ten bright cups for drink in his hall,
Ten blue flagons, ten horns of gold.
A noble house was that of Finn.
No grudge nor lust, babbling nor sham;
No man despised among the Feinn;
The first himself, all else like him.
Finn was our chief, easy’s his praise;
Noblest of kings, Finn ne’er refused
To any man, howe’er unknown;
Ne’er from his house sent those who came.
Good man was Finn, good man was he;
No gifts e’er given like his so free.
’Twas yesterday week.

This is a specimen of a peculiar kind of ancient Celtic poetry. It was usually sung to music, and has a remarkable resemblance to some of the hymns of the early Latin Church. There is another composition of the same kind in praise of Gaul, called usually “Rosg Ghuill,” or the War-Song of Gaul.

It is unnecessary to give further specimens of these remains of the ancient heroic poetry of the Highlands here, nor is it necessary to quote any of the more modern compositions with which the Dean of Lismore’s MS. abounds. It is enough to remark how great an amount of poetry was composed in the Highlands in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. That was indeed an age of bards when poetical genius was amply rewarded by great and liberal chiefs. It is of interest further to observe how ample the answer furnished by the Lismore MS. is to the ill-natured remarks of Dr Johnson, who maintained that there was not a word of written Gaelic in the Highlands more than a hundred years old. We shall now dismiss the Dean’s MS., but we shall exhaust the subject of Ossian’s poems by a cursory view of the other and later collections of those poems, and especially the collection of Macpherson.

MACPHERSON’S OSSIAN.

It is quite unnecessary here to enter on the question of the authenticity of the poems of Ossian, as edited by Macpherson.[103] The subject has been so largely treated in numerous publications, that we consider it better to give a short historical sketch of the publication, with such specimens as may serve to show the character of the work.

The first of Macpherson’s publications appeared in the year 1760. It is entitled, “Fragments of Ancient Poetry collected in the Highlands of Scotland, and translated from the Gaelic or Erse Language.” The first edition of this volume was immediately followed by a second, and the deepest interest was excited in the subject of Celtic literature among literary men. The work originally consisted of fifteen fragments, to which a sixteenth was added in the second edition. These are all in English, there not being one word of Gaelic in the book. Not that there is any reason to doubt that the fragments are genuine, and that Macpherson spoke what was perfectly consistent with truth when he said, as he does at the beginning of his preface, “The public may depend on the following fragments as genuine remains of ancient Scottish poetry.” Still it is to be regretted that the original Gaelic of these compositions was not given. It would have enabled the public, in the Highlands at least, to have judged for themselves on the question of their authenticity, and it would have afforded a guarantee for the accuracy of the translation. This, however, was not done, and there are none of the fragments contained in this little volume, the original of which can now be found anywhere.

In his preface to these “Fragments,” Macpherson gives the first intimation of the existence of the poem of “Fingal.” He says:--“It is believed that, by a careful inquiry, many more remains of ancient genius, no less valuable than those now given to the world, might be found in the same country where these have been collected. In particular, there is reason to hope that one work of considerable length, and which deserved to be styled an heroic poem, might be recovered and translated, if encouragement were given to such an undertaking. The subject is an invasion of Ireland by Swarthan, king of Lochlyn, which is the name of Denmark in the Erse language. Cuchulaid, the general or chief of the Irish tribes, upon intelligence of the invasion, assembles his forces; councils are held, and battles fought; but after several unsuccessful engagements the Irish are forced to submit. At length Fingal, king of Scotland, called in this poem ‘The Desert of the Hills,’ arrives with his ships to assist Cuchulaid. He expels the Danes from the country, and returns home victorious. This poem is held to be of greater antiquity than any of the rest that are preserved; and the author speaks of himself as present in the expedition of Fingal.” In the “Fragments” the opening of this poem is given, but whether from tradition or MS. is not said. It proceeds:--“Cuchulaid sat by the wall, by the tree of the rustling leaf. His spear leaned against the mossy rock. His shield lay by him on the grass. Whilst he thought on the mighty Carbre, whom he slew in battle, the scout of the ocean came, Moran the son of Fithil.” In 1762 there appeared a quarto volume, edited by Macpherson, containing the poem of “Fingal” and several other compositions. The poem commences, “Cuchullin sat by Tura’s walls; by the tree of the rustling leaf. His spear leaned against the mossy rock. His shield lay by him on the grass. As he thought of mighty Carbar, a hero whom he slew in war, the scout of the ocean came, Moran the son of Fithil.” It will be seen that there are several variations in the two versions, and as we proceed these will appear to be more numerous and more marked. It is somewhat remarkable that the Garve of the earlier version should become Swaran in the second. The whole comparison is interesting, and sheds some light on the progress of the poems in the hand of the editor. It may be interesting, in juxtaposition with the above extracts, to give the Gaelic, as furnished at a later period, by the executors of Macpherson. It is as follows:--

“Shuidh Cuchullin aig balla Thura,
Fo dhùbhra craoibh dhuille na fuaim;
Dh’aom a shleagh ri carraig nan còs,
A sgiath mhòr r’a thaobh air an fheur.
Bha smaointean an fhir air Cairbre,
Laoch a thuit leis an garbh-chòmhrag,
’N uair a thàinig fear-coimhid a’ chuain,
Luath mhac Fhithil nan ceum àrd.”

The English in both the versions--that of 1760 and that of 1762--is a pretty accurate rendering of this. In some cases the Gaelic expletive is awanting, as in “garbh-chòmhrag,” and the name Moran is, in the last line, substituted for the Gaelic description, “The swift son of Fithil, of bounding steps.” These, however, are allowable liberties in such a case. The variations are, however, more considerable as the several versions proceed, but that of 1760 turns out to be a mere fragment of the first book of the great epic of 1762. The other fragments have also their representatives in the larger work. Some of them appear in the poem called “Carrickthura,” and some of them in the epic of “Fingal,” but in all these cases the later compositions are great expansions of the shorter poems given in the earlier work. A comparison of these versions is full of interest, and in the hands of fair and acute criticism, is capable, as already said, of shedding much light on the whole question of Macpherson’s Ossian. One thing is beyond question, that the names of Ossian’s heroes were familiar to the Scottish Highlanders from the earliest period; that they knew more of their deeds, and spoke more of them than of those of Wallace and Bruce; that the country was teeming with poetical compositions bearing to have these deeds as their subjects; that the topography of the country was in every quarter enriched with names drawn from Fingal and his men; and that to say that the whole of this was the invention of Macpherson, is nothing but what the bitterest national prejudice could alone receive as truth.

There are many of the pieces in Macpherson’s Ossian of marvellous power. The description of Cuchullin’s chariot in the first book of Fingal is equal to any similar composition among the great classical epics. It proceeds:--

“Carbad! carbad garbh a’ chòmhraig,
’Gluasad thar ’chomhnard le bàs;
Carbad cuimir, luath, Chuchullin,
Sàr-mhac Sheuma nan cruaidh chàs.
Tha ’earr a’ lùbadh siòs mar thonn,
No ceò mu thom nan carragh geur,
Solus chlocha-buadh mu’n cuairt,
Mar chuan mu eathar ’s an oidhche.
Dh’iubhar faileusach an crann;
Suidhear ann air chnàmhaibh caoin;
’S e tuineas nan sleagh a th’ann,
Nan sgiath, nan lann, ’s nan laoch.
Ri taobh deas a’ mhòr-charbaid
Chithear an t-each meanmnach, séidear,
Mac ard-mhuingeach, cliàbh-fharsuing, dorcha,
Ard-leumach, talmhaidh, na beinne;
’S farumach, fuaimear, a chos;
Tha sgaoileadh a dhosain shuas,
Mar cheathach air àros nan os;
Bu shoilleir a dhreach, ’s bu luath
’Shiubhal, Sithfada b’e ’ainm.
Ri taobh eile a charbaid thall
Tha each fiarasach nan srann,
Caol-mhuingeach, aiginneach, brògach,
Luath-chosach, srònach, nam beann.
Dubh-sròn-gheal a b’ainm air an steud-each.
Làn mhìle dh’iallaibh tana
’Ceangal a’ charbaid gu h-àrd;
Cruaidh chabstar shoilleir nan srian
’Nan gialaibh fo chobhar bàn;
Tha clochan-boillsge le buaidh
’Cromadh sios mu mhuing nan each,
Nan each tha mar cheò air sliabh,
A’ giùlan an triath gu chliù.
Is fiadhaiche na fiadh an colg,
Co làidir ri iolair an neart;
Tha ’m fuaim mar an geamhradh borb
Air Gorm-mheall mùchta fo shneachd.
’Sa charbad chithear an triath,
Sar mhac treun nan geur lann,
Cuchullin nan gorm-bhallach sgiath,
Mac Sheuma mu’n éireadh dan.
A ghruaidh mar an t-iubhair caoin,
A shuil nach b’fhaoin a’ sgaoileadh àrd,
Fo mhala chruim, dhorcha, chaoil;
A chiabh bhuidhe ’n a caoir m’a cheann,
’Taomadh mu ghnùis àluinn an fhir,
’S e ’tarruing a shleagh o ’chùl.
Teich-sa, shàr cheannard nan long,
Teich o’n t-sonn ’s e ’tighinn a nall,
Mar ghaillinn o ghleann nan sruth.”

It is difficult to give an English rendering of the above passage that would convey the elegance and force of the original. The admirer of Gaelic poetry cannot but regret that the English reader cannot peruse the Gaelic version, assured, as he feels, that his doing so would raise considerably his estimate of the Gaelic muse. There is not, perhaps, in any language a richer piece of poetical description than the above. Macpherson’s English version of it is as follows:--

“The car, the car of battle comes, like the flame of death; the rapid car of Cuchullin, the noble son of Semo. It bends behind like a wave near a rock; like the golden mist of the heath. Its sides are embossed with stones, and sparkle like the sea round the boat of night. Of polished yew is its beam, and its seat of the smoothest bone. The sides are replenished with spears; and the bottom is the footstool of heroes. Before the right side of the car is seen the snorting horse, the high-maned, broad-breasted, proud, high-leaping, strong steed of the hill. Loud and resounding is his hoof; the spreading of his mane above is like that stream of smoke on the heath. Bright are the sides of the steed, and his name is Sulin-sifadda. Before the left side of the car is seen the snorting horse; the thin-maned, high-headed, strong-hoofed, fleet, bounding son of the hill; his name is Dusronnal among the stormy sons of the sword. A thousand thongs bind the car on high. Hard polished bits shine in a wreath of foam. Thin thongs, bright-studded with gems, bend on the stately necks of the steeds--the steeds that, like wreaths of mist, fly over the streamy vales. The wildness of deer is in their course, the strength of the eagle descending on her prey. Their noise is like the blast of winter on the sides of the snow-headed Gormal.

“Within the car is seen the chief, the strong, stormy son of the sword; the hero’s name is Cuchullin, son of Semo, king of shells. His red check is like my polished yew. The look of his blue rolling eye is wide beneath the dark arch of his brow. His hair flies from his head like a flame, as, bending forward, he wields the spear. Fly, king of ocean, fly; he comes like a storm along the streamy vale.”

The Gaelic scholar will at once observe that the above is a free but a fair translation of the original Gaelic, and the character of the translation is such as to give no idea of imposition. It is just such a translation as a man of poetic temperament and talent would give of the passage.

In 1763 Macpherson published a second quarto containing the poem of Temora in eight books, along with several other pieces. The first book of the former had appeared in the collection of 1762, the editor saying that it was merely the opening of the poem; but the great interest about the publication of 1763 is that here for the first time we are presented with the Gaelic original of one of the books of the poem. It is not true that Macpherson never offered to publish any portion of the original until he was obliged to do so by the pressure of public opinion, for in this case he published the Gaelic original of a part of the work altogether of his own accord. In a short introductory paragraph to the Gaelic, he says that he chooses the seventh book of Temora, “not from any other superior merit than the variety of its versification. To print any part of the former collection,” he adds, “was unnecessary, as a copy of the originals lay for many months in the bookseller’s hands for the inspection of the curious.” Of this new publication, however, he sees it right to furnish a portion “for the satisfaction of those who doubt the authenticity of Ossian’s poems.” The editor adds that “though the erroneous orthography of the bards is departed from in many instances in the following specimen, yet several quiescent consonants are retained, to show the derivation of the words.” He accounts for the uncouth appearance of the language by the use of the Roman letters, which are incapable of expressing the sounds of the Gaelic. What kind of orthography Macpherson would have selected he does not say. He could not be unacquainted with the phonetic orthography of the Dean of Lismore’s book, and may, perhaps, have had it in view in the above remarks. But the orthography which he himself uses is neither the bardic nor the phonetic, and is more uncouth than any orthography which the bards were in the habit of using. One thing is clear, that the Gaelic of the seventh book of Temora was never copied from any manuscript written by a bard. The book opens as follows:--

“O linna doir-choille na _Leigo_
Air uair, eri’ ceo taobh-ghórm nan tón;
Nuair dhunas dorsa na h’oicha
Air iulluir shuil-greina nan speur.
Tomhail, mo Lara nan sruth
Thaomas du’-nial, as doricha cruaim;
Mar ghlas-scia’, roi taoma nan nial
Snamh seachad, ta Gellach na h’oicha.
Le so edi’ taisin o-shean
An dlù-ghleus, a measc na gaoith,
’S iad leumach o osna gn osna
Air du’-aghai’ oicha nan sian.
An taobh oitaig, gu palin nan seoid
Taomas iad cëach nan speur
Gorm-thalla do thannais nach beo
Gu am eri’ fón marbh-rán nan teud.”

Translated by Macpherson thus:--

“From the wood-skirted waters of Lego ascend at times grey-bosomed
mists; when the gates of the west are closed, on the sun’s eagle
eye. Wide over Lara’s stream is poured the vapour dark and deep;
the moon like a dim shield, is swimming through its folds. With
this, clothe the spirits of old their sudden gestures on the wind
when they stride from blast to blast along the dusky night. Often,
blended with the gale, to some warrior’s grave, they roll the mist,
a grey dwelling to his ghost until the songs arise.”

Any reader who understands the Gaelic must allow, without hesitation, that while this is a free it is a fair rendering of the original; while he will be constrained to add that in point of force and elegance the Gaelic is superior to the English version. Many of the expletives in Gaelic are not rendered in English at all, and these add largely to the poetic force and beauty of the former. The orthography of the Gaelic will be seen to be most uncouth and unphilosophical. “Linna” for “Linne” has no principle to warrant it; so with “oicha” for “oidhche,” “Gellach” for “gealach,” “cruaim” for “gruaim,” “taisin” for “taibh-sean.” Then there are no accents to guide the reader except that the acute accent is used in such extraordinary words as “tón,” “fón,” which are written for “tonn,” “fonn.” Altogether it would appear that the writer of the Gaelic of this book of Temora was to a large extent unacquainted with Gaelic orthography, and was unable to write the Gaelic language accurately. The orthography is, indeed, a mere jumble. Still the fact is an interesting and significant one as connected with the whole history of the Ossianic poetry that, at so early a period, Macpherson should have given, as a debt which he felt to be due to the public, a large specimen of the original of one of his poems. If there is any cause of regret connected with the matter, it is that he did not let the country know where he found these poems, and refer others to the sources whence he derived them himself. These have never been discovered by any body else, although numerous pieces of Ossianic poetry are well known in the Highlands to the present day.

There were various versions of Macpherson’s collection, but the most interesting of all was the Gaelic original of the whole poems published in 1807. In this edition a Latin translation was furnished by Mr Robert M’Farlane. The book is a very handsome one, and in every way creditable to its editors. Mr M’Lachlan of Aberdeen revised the Gaelic, and no man was more competent for such a duty. The introduction to the edition of 1818 is understood to have been written by an excellent Gaelic scholar, the late Rev. Dr Ross of Lochbroom, and is an eloquent and powerful composition. Several translations of Ossian’s poems have appeared, but the interest of the work is mainly associated with the name and labours of James Macpherson.

SMITH’S SEAN DANA.

In 1780 appeared a volume of Ossian’s Poems, translated and edited by the Rev. John Smith of Kilbrandon, afterwards the Rev. Dr Smith of Campbeltown. The volume is entitled “Gaelic Antiquities, &c.,” containing, among other things, “A Collection of Ancient Poems, translated from the Gaelic of Ullin, Ossian, &c.” Dr Smith was an admirable Gaelic scholar, as was evidenced by his translation of a portion of the Scriptures into that language, and his metrical version of the Gaelic Psalms. The work before us is a work highly creditable to Dr Smith’s talents and industry, and although he complains of the reception which his efforts on behalf of Gaelic literature met with, it is still prized by Gaelic scholars.

In the year 1787 appeared the Gaelic version of the same poems in an octavo volume, entitled, “Sean Dana le Oisian, Orran, Ulann, &c.” It is a pity that the two versions did not appear simultaneously, as there have not been wanting those who have charged Dr Smith, as was done in the case of Macpherson, with composing himself much of the poetry which he gives as Ossian’s. The same has been said of another collector of the name of Kennedy, who collected a large number of poems which now lie in MS. in the Advocates’ Library in Edinburgh; but it is a curious fact that some of the pieces which Kennedy is said to have acknowledged having composed, can be shown to be ancient.

Dr Smith’s collection begins with the poem called “Dan an Deirg,” _the Song of Dargo_, or _the Red Man_. It is a famous song in the Highlands, as is indicated by the proverbial saying, “Gach dàn gu dàn an Deirg,” _Every song yields to the song of Dargo_. It was sung to a simple, touching air, which is still known. This poem is given by Dr Smith in two sections, entitled severally, “A’ cheud chuid,” and “An dara cuid.” The song is given by the M’Callums (referred to below), but it is most perplexing that not one word of their version agrees with Dr Smith’s. Their version is manifestly of the ancient form and rhythm, with the usual summary at the head of it given by Gaelic reciters ere beginning one of their songs. None of this is found in Dr Smith’s version, which is cast very much in the mould of Macpherson’s Gaelic Ossian. Mr J. A. Campbell, in his _Popular Tales of the Highlands_ (vol. iii., p. 51), gives a few lines of the lament of the wife of Dargo for her husband, but they do not correspond in one line with the version of Dr Smith. The same may be said of Dr Smith’s “Diarmad,” which is entirely different from all the existing versions of the same poem. The versions of the Dean of Lismore and of Gillies (mentioned below) are identical, and so are to a large extent other existing versions taken down from oral recitation, but Dr Smith’s differs largely from them in locality, matter, and rhythm. It removes the story of the death of this Fingalian hero from Glenshee to Sliabh Ghaodhail, in Kintyre. At the same time, it is quite possible that different poems existed bearing the same name; and Dr Smith’s poems are compositions of decided excellence. They add much to the stores of the Gaelic scholar, and the English translation is done with a skill little inferior to that of Macpherson himself.

OTHER COLLECTIONS OF OSSIANIC POEMS.

The earliest collector and publisher of the poems of Ossian was Mr Jerome Stone at Dunkeld, who furnished the _Scots Magazine_ in 1756 with a translation in rhyme of “Bàs Fhraoich,” or the Death of Fraoch. Stone did not give the Gaelic original of this or of any other of his collections, but they were found after his death, and a selection of them is printed in the Report of the Highland Society on Ossian. A Mr Hill, an English gentleman, made some collections in Argyleshire in 1780; and several pieces were published by a bookseller of the name of Gillies at Perth, who published an excellent volume of Gaelic poetry in 1786.

Gillies’s pieces have the true ring of the ancient poetry of the Highlands, and are in many cases to be found floating still among the traditional poetry of the people. The Ossianic pieces are numerous. They are--“Suiridh Oisein air Eamhair àluinn,” _the Courtship of Ossian and Eviralin_; “Comhrag Fhinn agus Mhanuis,” _the Conflict of Fingal and Manus_; “Marbhadh Chonlaoich le Cuchulain,” _the Slaughter of Conlach by Cuchullin_; “Aisling Mhailmhìne,” _Malvina’s Dream_; “Briathran Fhinn ri Oscar,” _Fingal’s Address to Oscar_; “Rosg Ghuill,” _the War-song of Gaul_; “Dàn na h-Inghin,” _the Song of the Maiden_, usually called “Fainesoluis;” “Conn mac an Deirg,” _Conn, son of Dargo_; “Duan Fhraoich,” _the Song of Fraoch_; “Cath righ Sorcha,” _the Battle of the King of Sorcha_; “Marbh-rann Oscair,” _the Death-song of Oscar_; “Ceardach Mhic Luinn,” _the Smithy of the Son of Linn_; “Duan a Mhuireartaich,” _the Song of Muireartach_; “Caoidh Dhéirdir,” _Deirdre’s Lament_, in which the poem given already from the old MS. of 1268 appears as a part of it. It is most interesting in this case to compare the written with the traditional poem; “Bàs Dhiarmaid,” _the Death of Diarmad_; “Dearg mac Deirg,” _the Song of Dargo_; “Teanntachd mòr na Feinn,” _the great trial of the Fingalians_; “Laoidh Laomuinn mhic an Uaimh-fhir,” _the Song of Laomuinn_; “Eairagan,” _Earragon_; “Na Brataichean,” _the Banners_; “Bàs Oscair,” _the Death of Oscar_; in all twenty-one fragments or whole pieces, some of them of considerable length, and almost all, if not all, taken down from oral recitation. This list is given in full, in order to show what pieces of professed Ossianic poetry could be found in the Highlands soon after the publication of Macpherson’s work by other and independent compilers. A comparison of those pieces with Macpherson’s Ossian is interesting to the inquirer in this field. The following specimen of one of Gillies’s alleged compositions of Ossian may be given here:--

BRIATHRAN FHINN RI OSCAR.