45970: Faire, Faire Mhic Catriona
Faire, Faire Mhic Catriona was written by William Macphail, 19 Gravir, about 1930, and the following introduction to it in about 1950. Mac Catriona was the author’s cousin, John Roderick Macphail.
The maiden regrets a period in Mac Catriona’s life when he had seemingly renounced all his old associates and boon companions (male and female) and in Lewisian phrase, ‘Thoisich e leantain’ (He got religion). It appears however that his brand of piety was conceived and developed on the unorthodox principles of that church dignitary and notable ecclesiastic, ‘Friar Tuck’, and like His Reverence, he had an occasional relapse.
The last and final one however occurred while passing through Stornoway on his way to Orduighean Nis (Ness Communions). Here he had the misfortune to meet some of his old-time boozing cronies who prevailed upon him to worship at the shrine of Baachus instead. This he evidently did in a style and manner peculiarly his own and reminiscent of the hard drinking days when men were measured by the number and size of their potations. He even amazed and staggered all his well-seasoned pot companions in the number of offerings he made at the shrine of the goddess before arriving at the quarrelsome stage. It seems he came home on this occasion on all fours, air a spogan, as one villager put it. “Dh’fhalbh e air a dha, agus thainig e air a ceithir” and one of his old flames, a maid of some distinction in her day, immortalised his home-coming in the following verse:
Chunnaic mis’ thu ‘n oidhch’ a thainig
Suirich Bhadan dhan a bhaile
Direadh suas aig totag Mairi
Air do mhagan mar math-ghaimhain.
At seventy-six, Mac Catriona is still hale and hearty, strong and active, an outstanding and unique figure in the life and landscape of his native village, crowning an adventurous youth with an old-age of indolence and ease, truly a striking study of the survival of the fittest and a grim reminder of the Gaelic adage: ‘S buan gach deamhain.
Faire, faire! Mhic Catriona
‘S truagh a ghaoil nach d’rinn sinn cordadh
Feasgair dh’aidich thu do ghaol dhomh
Air a raon a buain an eorna
‘S ann an diugh bho dh’fhas mi aosd
Bhios mi smaoineachadh mo ghoraich
Anns na laithean cian a chaochail
‘Nuair a dhiult mi ghaoil mo phog dhiut.
Fear do phears’ cha robh ri fhaotain
Cha robh aon ‘san tir cho calm riut
Theireadh cuid gur e ‘n fhuil rioghail
Bha nad’ shinnsear dh’fhag gun chearb thu
Cha ‘n eil sin an eachdraidh sgriobhte
Ach tha so na fhirinn dearbhte
Na do latha, ‘s na do sgire
Mhic Catriona bha thu ainmeil
Bha comhdach cinn do bhian a’ reoin ort
Peitein mor ‘s brogan arda
Fait do chinn mar it na’ rocais
Nadur coir gun leom ri each ann
Briathran mine, simplidh ordail
Mheall thu iomadh oigh le d’ mhanran
Pearsa dhireach, fhior-ghlan, bhoidheach
Anns nach d’fhuaireadh prois na ardan.
Bu tu mo roghainn thar gach oigear
Ged nach d’fhuair mi coir dhomh fhein ort
Their luchd-fanaid rium cho leomach
“Ghaibh thu fhathast ordugh cleir air”
Tha mi ‘n diugh nam’ aobhar spors
Tha aois is oig le ‘m beol toirt beum dhomh
Och’ a righ, nach mi bha posd riut
Mas d’ rinn gaol is bron mo leireadh.
‘S duilich leam nach robh mi ghraidh leat
Mar a b’abhaist measg a chomhlan
Falbh gu banais, luaidh, na balla
‘S suil a h’uile paisd le muirm ort
Sguir thu nis a dh’obair Shatain
Tha thu ghnath ‘sa choinneamh urnuigh
Na do shuidhe measg nam braithrean
Shios gu dan aig sail na cubaid.
Threig thu h-uile cleachdadh ‘s goraich
Riamh bho d’oige bha ri fas riut
Cha’n fhaicear thu aig bord tigh-osd
Tha sugh an eorna ri cuir sgag ort
Och, ‘s och! bu ghorach faoin mi
Latha dhiult mi fhin mo lamh dhiut
Cha robh suireach na mu sgire
Bha cho finealt riut’s cho cailor.
Comann Eachdriadh na Pairc, Tional December 1993
Details
- Record Type:
- Gaelic Verse
- Date:
- 1930
- Theme:
- humour; characters
- Record Maintained by:
- CEP
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