.

uair d'éirigh sé ar maidin amáireach, bhí an sneachta ar an dtalamh agus chuir a mháthair ag comáint na ngabhar é agus d'fhógair sí air iad aodhaireacht. Chomáin Seán leis acht níor dheaghaidh sé i bhfad nuair d'fhill sé abhaile agus fuacht a dhóthain air agus duirt sé ná geobhadh sé amach a thuille go hoiche arís. Rug a mháthair ar an ursail agus bhuail sí cúpla strábhiaras den ursail air. Chuir sí amach arís é go dtí na gabhair - ar eagla go raigheadís thar teorainn ar aoinne des na cómharsanaibh agus go ndéanfaidis aon diobháil. D'imigh Seán, agus é ag gol. Níor dheagaidh sé i bhfad on dtig nuair a chuimhnigh sé ar an seanduine do leag sé ar lar na páirce inné roimhe sin agus chuaigh sé fé n-a dhéin, féachaint cia 'ca beo nó marbh a bhí sé. 11. When he rose next morning, the snow was on the ground and his mother sent him to drive out the goats and she told him to take care of them. Sea/n went on but he hadn't gone far when he returned home because of the cold and he said he wouldn't go out any more until nightfall again. His mother grabbed the tongs and gave him a couple of belts with it. She sent him out again to the goats for fear that they would stray cross the boundary of any of the neighbours' land and do ny damage. Seán went away crying, but he hadn't gone far before he thought of the old man whom he had knocked down the day before in the middle of the field and he went to see if he was alive or dead. 12. Nuair a chuaidh sé isteach sa pháirc mar a raibh an sean duine, chonnaic sé duine uasal agus gunna aige i dteannta an ghalláin. Bhí and duneuasal ag féachaint ar an gallán agus é ag déanamh ionadh de cad do leag é. Bhí sé ar t'í iompadh on ngallán nuair a dhéin Seán air. "An bhfuil sé 'na bheatha, a dhuine uasail?" arsa Seán. "Cé hé féin?" ars'an duine uasal. "Ní fheadar cé hé féin," arsa Seán, "mara bhfuil fhios agat féin." "Cé bheadh ina bheatha ?" ars', an duine uasal. "Bheadh an stúmpa sin sínte ansan," arsa Seán. "An bhfeadaraís cad do leag é ?" ars' an duine uasal. "Tá fhios go maith," arsa Seán. "Do leagas féinig é." "Cad 'na thaobh gur leagais é ?" ars' an duine uasal 12. When he went into the field where the old man was, he saw a gentleman with a gun near the gatepost and he was wondering what had knocked it down. He was turning away from it when Seán came up. "Is he alive sir ?" said Seán. "Who is that ?" asked the gentleman."I don't known who he was, unless you know yourself," said Seán. "Who would be alive ?" said the gentleman ?" "That stump that is lying there," said Seán. "Do you know what knocked it over ?" asked the gentleman. "I know well," said Seán. " I knocked it down myself." "Why did you knock it down ?" asked the gentleman. 13."Do tháinig mé ansan amach inné," arsa Seán, "ag feiscint mo ghabhar, agus chonnaic me ansan 'n-a sheasamh i lar na páirce é agus an sneachta ag seideadh air. Do tháinig trua agam dó agus bhaineas díom mo chóta mór agus do leathas timcheall air í. Chuadhas abhaile ansan agus nuair a tháinig mé ar ball arís do bhí mo chóta mór caithte aige dhe anuas ar an sneachta. D'fhiafruigheas de cad n-a thaobh gur chaith sé uaidh í agus níor thug sé aon fhreagra orm. Do dheineas air isteach agus thugas mo ghuala dho agus leagas é agus bhí licíni néata go leir san áit go raibh sé 'na shesamh." "Agus cá bhfuil siad anois ?" arsa an duine uasal. "Do rugas liom lán mo chóta mhóir díobh ," arsa Seán, "ag triall ar mo mháthair agus chuir sí isteach sa chofra iad. Tháinig sí féin agus mé féin ag iarraidh tuilleadh aca agus chuireamar iad-san, leis, isteach sa chofra i dteannta na cod' eile." 13. "I came out here yesterday," said Seán, "looking for my goats and I saw him standing there in the middle of the field and the snow was blowing over him. I felt sorry for him and I took off my overcoat and put it around him. I went home then and when I came back again in a while, he had my overcoat thrown down on the snow. I asked him why he had thrown my overcoat away and he never gave me an answer. I ran at him and gave him my shoulder and there were lovely little plates in the place where he had been standing." "And where are they now ?" asked the gentleman. "I took the full of my overcoat with me looking for my mother and she put them all into the chest. Then she and I came searching for the rest of them and we put them also into the chest together with the rest of them. 14. "Cá bhfuil do mháthair ?" ars' an duine uasal. "Tá sí sa bhaile," arsa Seán. "Teanam ort, agus téimis ag triall uirthi," ars' an dune uasal. "Teanam ort, " arsa Seán - mar ba mhaith leis leithscéal éigin fhail chun dul isteach as an tseachta, Chomáineadar leo go dtángadar isteach go dtí tig na mná boichte., Bheannaigh an duine uasal di agus bheannaigh and bhean bocht do mar an gcéadna. "Cá bhfuil na licíni a thugabhar isteach libh inné ?" ars' an duine uasal leis an seana-mhnaoi. "ó! Tá siad ansan sa chofra, a dhuine uasail," ar sise. "Tóg amach chugam iad," ar seisean. "Ní fhéadfainn é," ar sise. "An bhfuil fhios agat, " ar seisean " gur mise máistir an talamh seo ?" "ó ní fheadar, a dhuine uasail," ar sise. "Is mé," ar seisean," agus is liomsa gach aon tsaibhreas a bhfuil fé fhód an talamh seo. Tóg amach chugam na licíni as an gcofra nó lamhachfaidh mé leis an ngunna seo thú !" 14."Where is your mother ?" asked the gentleman. "She is at home," said Seán. "Hurry along now and we'll go looking for her," said the gentleman."Come on then," said Seán, because he was glad of an excuse to go in out of the snow. They carried on until they came in to the poor woman's house. They greeted each other and then the gentleman asked, "Where are the little plates you took home with you yesterday ?" "Oh, they're in the chest, sir," she replied. "Get them out for me," he said. "I can't sir," she said. "Do you know that I am the master of this land ?" he asked. "Oh, I didn't know sir," she said. "I am," he said,"and every form of riches that lies beneath the sod of this land belongs to me. Get those little plates out of the chest for me or I'll shoot you with this gun !" he said. 16. "Andaigh ! Ni fheadfainn iad thogaint, mar tá an chófra ró-dhoimhin," ar sise. "Faigh an fuairmín sin ansan tú féin agus buail féd' chosaibh é agus b'fhéidir go bhfeadfá sroiseant chucha." D'fhuair agus sheasamh sé i n-airde air agus chrom sé isteach sa chofra, ag iarraidh na licíni fháil. Nuair a bhí sé ar a chromara, do rug an tsean-bhean ar lái a bhí le n-a hais agus do bhuail sí buille dhe ansa chúl ar an nduine uasal agus thit sé isteach sa chofra 'na phléist mharbh. Dhún sí an cófra air agus d'fhág sí ansan é go dtáinig an oiche. Nuair tháinig an oiche, ghlaoidh sí ar Sheán agus thógadar amach as an gcófra an duine uasal. D'fháisg sí teadán maith air agus duirt sí le Seán teacht chun go gcuirfeadh sí ar a dhrom an corp. "Cad deanfam anois, a mháthair ?" arsa Seán, nuair a bhí an duine uasal ar a dhrom aige. "Raighmid ó thuaidh go dtí an bportach," ar sise, "agus cuirfimid ann é." ar sise. 16. "Oh, indeed ! I couldn't get them out because the chest is too deep," she said. "Get that stool there and put it under your feet and maybe you can reach them yourself." He got the stool and stood up on it, then he bent down into the chest., trying to get the little plates. When he was bending, the old woman seized a spade that was nearby and she struck him a blow with it at the back of his head and he fell into the chest a dead corpse. She shut up the chest on him then and left him there until night. When it was night, she called Seán over and they took the body of the gentleman out of the chest. She tied a strong rope around him and told Seán to come near until, she could hoist the corpse up on his back. "What will I do now mother ?" asked Seán, when the gentleman was up on his back."We'll go over to the bog," she said, "and we'll throw him into it." 17. Do chomáin an bheirt leó, le cois a chéile, go dtángadar go dtí an portach. D'aimsigheadar poll creachaileach agus chuireadar síos in san pholl an corp 'na seasamh agus uisce agus lasthach d'á chludach. "Teanam ort anois abhaile a Sheán," arsa a mháthair agus thángadar abhaile. Nuair a bhiodar istigh cois na tine dóibh féinig, rug sí ar mhullach cinn air, agus rug sí ar an ursail agus do tharraig sí ar fud an tighe é. "Má tá do dhonas ort," ar sise,"ná ormsa, go 'neosaidh tú d'aon duine 'na bheathaidh gur marbhamar an duine uasal - fé mar innis gur thugamar linn na licíni - beidh t'anam agam leis an ursail." "Muise! go deimhin ní inneósadh," arsa Seán, "a's ní gá dhuit é rá liom, mar taim dóthanach mo dhóthain do'n ursail. Táim cortha mo dhóthain do'n duine uasal agus ná gáibh a thuille orm mar gheall air, gur raghaidh mé a chodla." 17. The two of them carried on side by side until they came to the bog. They found a bog hole and they put the body down into the hole feet first and the water and muck covered him. "Let's go home now Seán," said his mother and they did so. When they were inside by the fire, she seized him by the scruff of the neck then got the tongs and beat him throughout the house with them. ""Well, may misfortune fall on both of us if you ever tell anyone alive that we killed the gentleman - as you did about the little plates - I'll have your life with the tongs !" "Musha, indeed I won't tell anyone," said Seán, "and there's no need for you to go on at me any more about it, because I'm fed up with the tongs* and I'm weary enough of the gentleman. I'm going to bed." We would like to acknowledge that, because of unavoidable condensing, necessary for fitting this tale into the space available, some alteration in plot has had to be made. We have, however, tried to be as accurate as possible. Courtesy of Jack & Vivian, IrishPage.com Jan. 20, 2024 Replay background music: Christie Ar mbuiochas le Caoimhghín Ó Brolcháin ar son a chabhair leis an nGaedhilge Filleadh go clár scéalta Click icon above to go back to story index