My Poem of the Week: 'Coin is Madaidhean-allaidh' / 'Dogs and Wolves' by Sorley MacLean

[narya_flame]

Time for some Gaelic this week; this is long-ish, so both the original and the English translation are under cuts.

Coin is Madaidhean-allaidh

Thar na sìorraidheachd, thar a sneachda,
chì mi mo dhàin neo-dheachdte,
chì mi lorgan an spòg a' breacadh
gile shuaimhneach an t-sneachda:
calg air bhoile, teanga fala,
gadhair chaola 's madaidhean-allaidh
a' leum thar mullaichean nan gàrradh,
a' ruith fo sgàil nan craobhan fàsail,
a' gabhail cumhang nan caol-ghleann,
a' sireadh caisead nan gaoth-bheann;
an langan gallanach a' sianail
thar loman cruaidhe nan àm cianail,
an comhartaich bhiothbhuan 'na mo chluasan,
an deann-ruith a' gabhail mo bhuadhan:
rèis nam madadh 's nan con iargalt
luath air tòrachd an fhiadhaich
tro na coilltean gun fhiaradh,
tha muillachean nam beann gun shiaradh;
coin chiùine caothaich na bàrdachd,
madaidhean air tòir na h-àilleachd,
àilleachd an anama 's an aodainn,
fiadh geal thar bheann is raointean,
fiadh di bhòidhche ciùne gaolaich,
fiadhach gun sgur gun fhaochadh.

Dogs and Wolves

Across eternity, across its snows,
I see my unwritten poems,
I see the spoor of their paws dappling
the untroubled whiteness of the snow:
bristles raging, bloody-tongued,
lean greyhounds and wolves
leaping over the tops of the dykes,
running under the shade of the trees of the wilderness,
taking the defile of narrow glens,
making for the steepness of windy mountains;
their baying yell shrieking
across the hard barenesses of the terrible times,
their everlasting barking in my ears,
their onrush seizing my mind:
career of wolves and eerie dogs
swift in pursuit of the quarry,
through the forests without veering,
over the mountain-tops without sheering;
the mild mad dogs of poetry,
wolves in chase of beauty,
beauty of soul and face,
a white deer over hills and plains,
the deer of your gentle beloved beauty,
a hunt without halt, without respite.

Taken from Hallaig and Other Poems, published by Polygon.  More about the author here.

Comments

[hhimring]

Sorley MacLean is amazing! Although I don't know his work very well. This poem is wonderful, too.

[narya_flame]

I only discovered his work this year when I started learning Gaelic. I'm not at the point of being able to read the poems without translations yet, but it helps to read "proper" things in the language and not just exercises.

I love this poem too. The imagery is great - much more vicious and bloodthirsty than most poems about writing poems!

[spiced_wine]

making for the steepness of windy mountains;
their baying yell shrieking
across the hard barenesses of the terrible times,
their everlasting barking in my ears,
their onrush seizing my mind:

Wow, this is incredible!

[narya_flame]

Isn't it just! <3

[mithrial]

Oh - this poem is wonderful. I love the idea of Wolves in the wild highlands. This brings them to life. It must sound amazing read aloud in Gaelic.

I think some folk want to re-introduce wild wolves into the highlands, but understandably Farmers say no.

[narya_flame]

I am learning Gaelic, but I wouldn't do this justice, it needs a native speaker - or at least someone a lot more competent than me!

There is a lot of talk of rewilding. Bears and eagle owls are under discussion too.

[mithrial]

Well, amazing of you for having a go. That must be quite challenging. These ancient languages from the magic isle need to be kept alive.

I wonder if the re-wilding will ever happen?
Bears!!!!!

- I remember Spike didn't like it when Buffy made one on Thanksgiving. :D

[narya_flame]

It isn't too bad; some words look similar to related words from other languages, e.g. brógan = shoes, ceud = one hundred. Some don't look similar but sound decipherable when you've got your head around the pronunciation. Some are nothing like, though - cù = dog, fàilte = welcome - and the pronunciation is difficult, the letter combinations form totally different sounds to the same groupings in English!

[mithrial]

Amazing!

[bunn]

That's rather wonderful. Unusual to see the hounds and the wolves running together, rather than one after the other. Ferocious unwritten poems!

[narya_flame]

Yes! To be fair I think inspiration can be rather ferocious, so I love this imagery - and yes, I like the hounds and wolves running together too ❤