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20/08/2012

Tha litir bheag na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain.
This week's short letter for learners is introduced by Ruaraidh MacLean.

3 minutes

Last on

Mon 20 Aug 2012 19:00

An Litir Bheag 380

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mar a fhuair Coinneach Odhar an dà-shealladh. Seo stòiridh eile mu dheidhinn. Fhuair màthair Choinnich clach bheag dhubh. Bha sin bho thaibhs bana-phrionnsa Lochlannach. Cha robh Coinneach beò aig an àm. Thuirt an taibhs rithe, “Thoir a’ chlach seo don ghille a bhios agad fhathast, nuair a tha e seachd bliadhna a dh’aois.â€

            Nuair a bha Coinneach seachd, thug a mhàthair a’ chlach dha. Thog Coinneach a’ chlach agus chunnaic e sealladh.

            Tha stòiridh eile ann. Bha Coinneach a’ fuireach is ag obair aig Loch Ùsaidh, faisg air Brathann. Bha e ag obair air tuathanas mar sgalag. Cha robh e fhèin is bean an tuathanaich a’ faighinn air adhart. Bha gràin aig a’ bhoireannach air Coinneach. Bha i ag iarraidh Coinneach a mharbhadh.

            Latha a bha seo, bha Coinneach a’ buain na mònach. Bha e fad’ air falbh bhon taigh. Chuir bean an tuathanaich biadh thuige. Chuir i puinnsean anns a’ bhiadh.

            Mus tàinig am biadh, thuit Coinneach na chadal. Ach dhùisg e gu h-obann. Bha e a’ faireachdainn rudeigin fuar air a bhroilleach. ’S e clach bheag gheal a bha ann. Bha toll tron chloich.

            Thug Coinneach sùil tron toll. Chunnaic e sealladh. Anns an t-sealladh, bha bean an tuathanaich a’ cur puinnsean anns a’ bhiadh aige. Cha robh e cinnteach an robh e fìor. Thug e a dhinnear don chù aige. Bhàsaich an cù. Thuig Coinneach – leis a’ chloich – gun robh an dà-shealladh aige.

            Tha stòiridh eile ann. Bha Coinneach pòsta. Bha a bhean a’ toirt biadh a-mach dha. Bha e a’ buain na mònach fada bhon taigh. Thuit e na chadal. Dhùisg e. Bha rudeigin cruaidh fo a cheann. ’S e clach a bha ann. Bha toll anns a’ chloich.

            Thug Coinneach sùil tron toll. Chunnaic e gun robh puinnsean anns a’ bhiadh, ged nach i a bhean a chuir ann e. Ach nuair a choimhead e tron toll, chaill e a fhradharc anns an t-sùil sin. Agus bho sin a-mach bha e cam.

The Little Letter 380

I was telling you how Coinneach Odhar [The Brahan Seer] got the second sight. Here’s another story about it. Coinneach’s mother got a small black stone. That was from the ghost of a Scandinavian princess. Coinneach wasn’t alive [yet born] at the time. The ghost said to her, “Give this stone to the son you will yet have, when he is seven years old.â€

        When Coinneach was seven, his mother gave him the stone. Coinneach picked up the stone and he saw a vision.

        There is another story. Coinneach was living and working at Loch Ussie, near Brahan. He was working on a farm as a labourer. He and the farmer’s wife did not see eye to eye. The woman hated Coinneach. She wanted to kill Coinneach.

        One day, Coinneach was cutting peats. He was a long way from the house. The farmer’s wife sent him food. She put poison in the food.

        Before the food came, Coinneach fell asleep. But he suddenly awoke. He was feeling something cold on his breast. It was a small white stone. There was a hole through the stone.

        Coinneach looked through the hole. He saw a vision. In the vision, the farmer’s wife was putting poison in his food. he wasn’t sure if it was true. He gave his dinner to his dog. The dog died. Coinneach understood – with the stone – that he had the second sight.

        There is another story. Coinneach was married. His wife was taking him food. He was cutting peats far from the house. He fell asleep. He awoke. Something hard was under his head. It was a stone. There was a hole in the stone.

        Coinneach looked through the hole. He saw there was poison in the food, although it wasn’t his wife who put it in. But when he looked through the hole, he lost the sight in that eye. And from then on he was blind in one eye.

Broadcast

  • Mon 20 Aug 2012 19:00

All the letters

Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.

Podcast: An Litir Bheag

The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners

An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic

An Litir Bheag is also on LearnGaelic (with PDFs)

Podcast