.

o chuaidh, agus d'fhán an tseana-bhean suas ar an dtinnteán. Nuair a fuair sí Seán titithe 'na chodla, bhailigh sí léi í féinig amach as an mbothán agus chuaidh sí go dtí na gabhair agus a tuairgín aici. Do rug sí ar an mbuicín agus mhairbh sí é. Rug sí ar a dhá adharc air agus bhuail sí aniar ar a drom é agus nior stop sí go dtí go ndeaghaidh sí go dtí an poll mar a raibh an duine uasal curtha. Thóg sí aníos as an bpoll é agus chuir sí sios an puicín insan pholl ceanna agus chlúdaigh sí go maith air. Thóg sí léi an duine uasal agus chuir sí é i mball éigin eile mar ni raibh aon ionntaoibh i Seán ná go 'neosadh sé gur mharbhadar an duine uasal. Tháinig sí abhaile ansan agus í go sásta agus chuaidh sí a chodla. 18. He went to bed and the old woman stayed up by the fireside. When she found that Seán had fallen asleep, she took herself out of the house and went to the goats, taking the tongs with her. She seized the little puck goat and killed it. Then she grabbed it by the horns and swung it up on her back. She never stopped until she got to the the hole where the gentleman had been put. She took him up out of the hole and shoved the little puck goat down in the same hole and covered him up very well. Then she took the gentleman away and put him somewhere else, because she had no trust in Seán that he wouldn't tell that they had killed the gentleman. She came home then, well satisfied and went to bed. 19. Ar maidin amaireach, chomáin sí féin na gabhair i ngan fhios do Seán agus i gcionn tamall de'n lá 'na dhiaidh sin, duirt sí le Seán gabháil amach agus na gabhair a fheiscint. Duirt Seán go raibh a chosa tinn tar éis na hoiche aréir agus gur chóir go raghadh sí féin 'á bhfeiscint. Rug sí ar an ursail arís chuige , mar ná deanfadh sé pioc uirri gan eagla a chur air. Nuair a chonnaic sé an ursal, rith sé an doras amach. Nuair a chuaidh sé dhá phairc ó'n dtig chonnaic sé scata mór fear ag siú l ar fud na bpáirceanna agus dhéin sé crosta ag triall ortha go dtáinig sé 'na bhfiadhnaise. “An bhfeacabhar mo ghabhair bheaga i n-aon bhall ?” ar seisean leó. “Ní fheacamar,” a dubhradar. “An bhfeacais-se ár máistir i n-aon bhall ?” “Cár ghabh bhúr máistir ?” arsa Seán. “Ní fheadramar cár ghabh sé,” a dúradar, “acht d'imigh sé ag fowléireacht inné agus ní fheacamar ó shin é. 19. Next morning, she drove out the goats without Seán knowing and after a while, later that day, she told Seán to go out to see to the goats. Seán said that his feet were sore after the previous night and that it was only fair that she should go to see to the goats. She seized hold on the tongs again, because he wouldn't do a thing for her unless she put fear into him. When he saw the tongs, he ran out the door. When he was two fields away from the house, he saw a big crowd of men going through the fields and he went to meet them and when he had come into their presence, he asked, “Have ye seen my little goats anywhere ?” “We haven't,” they said. “Have you seen our master anywhere?” “Where did your master go ?” Seán asked. “We don't know,” they said, “but he went out fowling yesterday morning and we haven't seen him since. 20. B'fheidir gur bh'é sin an duine uasal do mharbh mo mháthair inne,” arsa Seán. “Cá'r mharbh sí é ?” a duradar. “Mharbh sí istigh sa bhaile é,” arsa Seán. “Cionnas mharbh do mhathair é ?” a duradar. “Le buille de'n lái,” arsa Seán. “Agus cad 'na thaobh gur mharbh sí é ?” a duradar. “Mar do fuaramar licíni deasa, mé féin agus mo mháthair,” arsa Seán, “agus do bhí sé 'á mbaint dínn.” “Airiú! amadán is eadh é sin,” arsa dune desna fir. “Ná creididh aon fhocal d'á ndérfaidh sé.” “Ná creididh, má is maith libh é,” arsa Seán, “mar is siné is maith liom-sa.” “Cad 'na thaobh gur maith leat é sin ?” arsa duine des na fir. “Mar do mhaireobhadh mo mháthir mé i dtaobh innsint gur mharbh sí an duine uasal,” arsa Seán. “Cá bhfuil sí anois ?” aduirt duine eile aca. “Tá sé thuaidh ins an portach sin, curtha síos i bpoll creachaileach,” arsa Seán, “agus táimse cortha tnaithte mo dhóthain tar éis é bhreith liom ar mo dhrom aréir.” 20. “Perhaps that was the gentleman my mother killed yesterday,” said Seán. “Where did she kill him?”they asked. “Oh, inside at home,” said Seán,”with a blow of the loy.” “And why did she kill him ?” they asked. “Because we got the lovely little plates, myself and my mother,” said Seán, “and he was going to take them away from us.” “Ah! That fella's a fool,” said one of the men. “Don't believe a word he says.” “Don't believe me if you like,” said Seán, “because it's all the same to me.” “Why wouldn't you care ?” asked one of the men. “Because my mother would kill me for telling you that she killed the gentleman,” said Seán. “Where is he now ?” asked someone else. “He's over in that bog down in a bog hole,” said Seán, “and I'm worn out from carrying him over on my back last night.” 21. “Taispeán dúinn an poll, a Sheáin,” arsa duine aca. “Am bhriathar féin, ná taispeánfad,” arsa Seán, “mar do mhaireóbhadh mo mháthair mé leis an ursal.” Do thóg duine des na fir trí pinghne airgid rua as a a phóca. “Tabharfaidh mé dhuit an méid seo, a Sheáin,” ar seisean, “Má taispeánann tú dhúinn an poll go bhfuil ár máistir ann.” Bhí ana dhúil ag Seán i bpighne i gcomhnuí agus duirt sé go dtaispeánfadh, acht na pinghne a thabhairt do. Fuair sé iad agus do ghluais sé air roimh na fir go dtainig sé go dtí an poll. “Tá sé agaibh ansan,” arsa Seán, ag taispáint an phoill dóibh. Ní raibh aon fhonn ortha dul ag cuardach and duine uasail mar bhí an poll ana-shalach agus do bhí eagla ortha go raibh Seán ag déanamh amadán díobh. “éirigh isteach, a Sheáin,” arsa duine aca, “agus tóg amach chugainn é.” “ Briathar féin, ná raghad,” arsa Seán, “mar ná raibh sé sin 'nár margadh, ach an áit do thaispeánt díbh. Tógaidh féin é nó fágaidh ansan é.” 21.“Show us the bog hole Seán,” said one of them. “'Pon my word, I won't then,” said Seán because my mother would kill me with the tongs.” One of the men took out three red pennies out of his pocket. “I'll give you this money, Seán, if you show us the bog hole where the master is.” Seán always had a great fondness for pennies, so he said that he would show them if he was first given the pennies. He got them and then went on before the men and led them all until they came to the bog hole. “There he is for you, in there,” said Seán. None of them had any desire to go searching for the gentleman because the hole was very dirty and they feared that Seán was making fools of them. “Get in there Seán,” said one of them, “and get him out for us.” “'Pon my word, I won't go in there,” said Seán, “because it wasn't in the bargain – only that I should show you the place. So you can get him yourselves or leave him there.” 22. Thóg an fear na bpinghne do Sheán trí pinghne eile amach agus thaispeán sé dhó iad. “Tabharfaidh mé dhuit an méid seo, a Sheáin,” ar seisean. Do thug agus do léim Seán isteach sa pholl agus chrom sé ar thoch le n-a ladharacha. Is é an chead rud a bhuail uime ná adharc leis an bpuicín agus thóg sé a cheann. “A raibh adharc ar 'ur máistir ?” ar seisean. “D'aithnigheas,” a duirt duine des na fir, “go raibh Seán ro-mhaith dhibh .” “Cuartigh ní sa bhfearr, a Sheain ,” arsa fear eile. Chuartaigh agus 'sé an chead rud eile fuair sé meigil an bhpuicín. Thóg Seán agus d'fhéach sé ar na fir. “A' raibh meigil ar 'ur máistir ?” ar seisean. “Tóg aníos cughainn gach ní a bhfuil agat anois,” aduirt an fear do thug an t-airgead dó. Rug Seán ar adhairc agus ar mheigil ar an bpuicín agus bhain sé tarrac as agus chaith sé cucha amach ar an bport é. “Sin agaibh é,” arsa Seán, “agus nár fhagaibh sibh a thairbhe.” 22. The man with the pennies took three more pennies out and he showed them to Seán. “I'll give you these Seán,” he said if you get him out for us.” Seán leapt with happiness when he saw the money. “Give me the money first,” he said. They gave it to him and Seán jumped into the hole and he started to root about with his fingers. The first thing he came on were the horns of the puck and he lifted his head. “Did your master have horns ?” he asked. “I recognised at once that Seán was too clever for ye,” said one of the men. “Search a bit more, Seán,” said someone else. He did so and the first thing he came on was the puck's beard. Seán lifted his head and looked at the men. “Did he have goatee beard , your master ?” he asked. “Pull it all out for us that you have there,” said the man who had given him the pennies. Seán seized on the horns and the puck's beard and and threw it out on the bank. “There it is for ye,” said Seán,” and may it do ye good.” 23. Ar neóin, ní hé sin ár máistir,” ars' an fear a thug an t-airgead do, nuair a chonnaic sé cad do bhí caithte amach as an bpoll ag Seán. “Is cuma liomsa donas cia aca is é nó nach é,” arsa Seán, “acht ní loirgeóchad a thuille dho.”Do léim Seán amach as a bpoll agus d'fhéach sé ar cad do bhí caithte amach aige as an bpoll agus chonnaic sé gur bh'é a phuicín féin. Do bhuail sé a dhá bhais agus chas sé ag olagóin. “Go mbeiridh an fear mór 'úr máistir leis,” ars' eisean, “mar is granna an rud a dhéin sé dul agus mo phuicín a mharbhadh agus é chur sa pholl ina ionad féinig.” Ghoil sé a dhóthain os cionn an phuicín agus d'imigh an scata fear go brean diobh féinig agus d'fhágadar ansan ag gol é. 23. “But that's not our master,” said the man who had given him the money, when he saw what Seán had thrown up out of the hole. “It's all the same to me whether it is or it isn't,” said Seán, “but I'll look no more for him.” Seán jumped up out of the hole then and he looked at what he had thrown up out of the hole and he recognised that it was his own little puck goat. He began to lament and to wring his two hands together. “May the divil take your master,” he said, “because it's awful what he did, killing my little puck then putting it into the bog hole instead of himself.” He wept bitterly over his little puck goat and the bunch of men went away leaving him there weeping. 24. I gcionn tamaill do bhuail Seán chuige ar a dhrom a phuicín agus thainig sé ag triall ar a mháthair agus é ag goll. “Féach anois, a mháthair,” ar seisean, “cad do dhéin an duine uasal aréir - ár mpuicín a mharbhadh agus é chur sa pholl i n-a ionad féinig.” “Acht, cad é an diobháil é sin ?” a duirt an mháthair – agus, a Sheáin,” arsa ise 'na h-aigne féin, “ni bhead-sa ar t'ionntaoibh a thuilleadh.” Thug sí trí pinghne dho agus duirt sí leis imeacht gan filleadh go brách arís uirthi. Do ghoil sé go seóig ansan agus duirt sé ná himeóghadh sé in aon chor, agus ná 'neosadh sé a thuille go brách arís a choiscfeadh sí air innsint. Níor airigh sé pioc go dtí go rug sí ar an ursail agus bhuail sí tarrac do'n ursail trasna an da lorgain air agus duirt sí leis scrios amach as an mbothán uaithe do gheit agus gan í á fheiscint go brách arís. 24. After a while, he got the goat up on his back and took it home, looking for his mother and he was still weeping. “Look now, mother,” he said, “what the gentleman did last night. He killed our little puck and put it into the hole instead of himself.” “Ah, what harm is that ?” his mother replied and in her own mind she said, “I won't be able to trust you again Seán.” She gave him three pennies and told him to take himself off and never to return again. He wept loudly again then and said that he wouldn't go, and that he would never again tell anything she had forbidden him to repeat. He knew nothing more until she seized the tongs and gave him a belt across his two shins and told him to clear off out of the house quickly and never to see her again. 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. Courtesy of Jack & Vivian, IrishPage.com February 2024 Replay background music: Go Lassie go> 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