An fear aosta agus a chuid airgid - Eoin Ó Cianáin


Taifeadadh: [Íoslódáil an comhad fuaime] [Íoslódáil comhad fuaime AIFF (den leagan glanta don ‘úsáideoir’)] [Íoslódáil comhad fuaime AIFF (den leagan cartlainne)]

Tras-scríbhinn

Fear aosta agus a chuid airgid.

Bhí fear aosta insa chomharsain seo agus bhí a lán airgid aige. Agus bhí an oiread sin spéis aige san airgead go mbeadh sé dá shórtáil ar an tábla lena lámh ó uair go huair. Bhí an oíche... Ins an oíche rachadh sé suas 'un a rúma, 'uige fuinneog a rúma agus shuífeadh sé agus an fhuinneog suas aige agus a choinneal lasta ag amharc air ó luí na hoíche go dtí an meán oíche. Bhí dlítheamhnach[1] óg in éis a theacht 'na mbaile[2] in éis a chuid foghlama a fháil. Agus: "Saoilim," a deir sé, "go dtiocfadh liomsa cása maith a dhéanamh as an tseanduine[3] sin."

Bhí sé ag goil thart aon oíche amháin agus bhí an fhuinneog suas ag an tseanduine ag meabhrú agus ag amharc ar an airgead mar ' ghnách leis. Agus deir sé... Chuaigh sé 'na fuinneoige agus chuir sé a lámh isteach agus tharraing sé an t-airgead uilig den tábla isteach insa mhála agus bhí caefa[4] mná air agus bhí wig air faoin chaefaidh agus 'air[5] a d'amharc an seanduine air, d'amhar[6] sé isteach in aghaidh an tseanduine agus chraith sé an wig agus deir sé, "Veh, veh, veh!"

Bhí an seanduine, bhí sé chóir a bheith as a chéill fán airgead. Agus, "Ar maidin," arsa seisean, "caithfidh mise goil 'uige dlítheamhnach (chun amharc)," ar seisean, "cá bhfuil mo chuid airgid."

"Bhuel, cá hé rachfá 'uige ach mac do dhearthára féin atá ina dlítheamhnach mhaith in éis a theacht 'na mbaile as a chuid foghlama a fháil anois."

""Bhuel, rachaidh mé 'uige an uair seo."

Fuaigh sé 'uige agus d'ársaigh sé an scéal dó agus 'air a d'ársaigh, "Bhuel, má thig ar a fháil ar chor ar bith," arsa seisean, "gheobh' mise do chuid airgid duid."

Ach (nuair a) bhí sé ag goil 'na mbaile dhropáil sé an wig aige poll uisce a dtabharfadh fear comharsan a bhí ann a chuid caiple 'uige a dh'ól, agus 'air a tháinig an fear lena chuid caiple ar maidin fuair sé an wig insa tobar agus thóg sé í agus thug sé isteach í. Char shaoil sé aon dadaí de.

Ar ball tháinig na police(ibh) thart fiacháilt[7] an bhfaigheadh siad focal ar bith bhon[8] ghadaí ná cá hé thug an t-airgead leis. Fuair siad an wig insa tobar agus thug siad an wig leofa agus thug siad an farmer leofa fós ar leis an poll a rabh na caiple (aige). Tugadh suas é roimhe leis[9] an bhreitheamh. Agus fuair an... fuair sé an... fuaigh sé 'uig an dlítheamhnach seo, agus adeir sé leis an dlítheamhnach, "Cuirfear mise as an tír," arsa seisean, "thaire leis[10] an airgead seo is cha rabh an dadaí a'm le teanamh[11] leis."

"Bhuel, glacfaidh mise do chás, má thig liom aon dadaí a dhéanamh duid. Níl[12] a fhios agam."

Chuaigh siad ar aghaidh leis an chás agus 'air a scairteadh suas ar an tseanduine, mhionna-... bhí an wig ar an tábla agus mhionnaigh sé leis an wig agus mhionnaigh sé leis an farmer gurb é a chaith an t-airgead a thabhairt leis agus gur chaill sé an wig ag an tobar.

"Bhuel, tá an scéal cruaidh go leor," arsa an dlítheamhnach... arsa an breitheamh. Arsa seisean, "'N fhuil a fhios a'm goidé a dhéanfas mé leis an scéal."

"Fan, le do thoil," a deir an dlítheamhnach seo, "go bhfiafróchaidh mise ceist den - nó bheirt - den fhear seo má bheireas tú cead domh."

"Ó, bhéarfaidh go siúráilte."

Thug sé an... Chuir sé an wig air agus bhí an chaefa leis faoina ascaill agus chuir sé an chaefa air, agus d'amhar' sé isteach in aghaidh an tseanduine agus chraith sé an wig mar rinn sé 'air a bhí sé ag tabhairt an airgid leis agus, "Veh, veh, veh, veh!" a deir sé.

"Ó, a rógaire, is tusa a (thug) mo chuidse airgid leat!" arsa seisean.

"Anois," arsa an dlítheamhnach leis an bhreitheamh, "goidé a shaoileann tú den fhear sin? Mhionnaigh sé an chéad uair ar an fhear mhodhúil seo agus mhionnaigh sé anois ormsa," arsa seisean ansin, "(...) is tusa an... is tusa insa chathaoir an darna fear a mionnóchadh sé (air mur gcoimhéadóchaidh tú é)."

"(Dhéanaimsa)[13] dismiss ar an chása," arsa seisean. "Níl a fhios ag an tseanduine goidé atá sé a dhéanamh."

Aistriúchán

The old man and his money.

There was an old man in this neighbourhood and he had a a lot of money. And he was so obsessed with the money that he used to sort through it with his hands at the table as the hours went by. The night was... At night time he would go up to his room, to the window of his room, and he would sit, with the window open and his candle lit, looking at it from nightfall until midnight. There was a young lawyer who had come home after finishing his studies. And, "I believe," he said, "I could make a good case out of that old man."

He was going by one night, and the old man had the window open, examining and looking at the money, as was his wont. And he said... He went to the window and he put his hand in and he took all of the money off the table and into his bag and he had a woman's bonnet on and a wig on under the bonnet and when the old man looked at him, he looked straight at the old man and he shook the wig and he said, "Veh, veh, veh!"

The old man nearly lost his senses over the money. And, "In the morning," he said, "I'll have to go to a lawyer to see," he said, "where my money is."

"Well, who else would you go to but your own nephew who is a good lawyer and who has come home now after finishing his studies."

"Well, I'll go to him this time."

He went to him and he told him the story and when he had told him, "Well, if it can be found at all," he said, "I'll find your money for you."

But when he was going home he dropped the wig into a waterhole to which a neighbour used to bring his horses drinking, and when the man came with his horses in the morning he found the wig in the well and he took it and brought it inside. He didn't think anything of it.

After a while the police came by to see if they could find out anything about the robber or who stole the money. They found the wig in the well and took it with them and they also took the farmer who had the horses and owned the hole. He was brought up before the judge. And he got the... he went to this lawyer, and he said to the lawyer, "I'll be banished from the land," he said, "because of this money and I had nothing to do with it."

"Well, I'll take your case, if I can do anything for you. I don't know."

They went ahead with the case and when the old man was called upon, he swor-... the wig was on the table and he swore over the wig and he swore that it must have been the farmer who took the money and that he lost the wig at the well.

"Well, it's a hard case," said the lawyer... said the judge. He said, "'I don't know what I'll do with this case."

"Wait, please," said this lawyer, "until I put a question or two to this man if you'll permit me."

"Oh, do certainly."

He... He put the wig on, and he had the bonnet under his arm, and he put the bonnet on, and he looked straight at the old man and he shook the wig as he had done when he was taking the money and, "Veh, veh, veh, veh!" he said.

"Oh, you rogue, you are the one who took my money!" he said.

"Now," said the lawyer to the judge, "what do you think of that man? He swore first it was this gentleman and now he swears it was me," he said then, "(...) you are... you in the chair are the next man he will swear did it if you don't confront(?) him."

"I dismiss the case," he said. "The old man doesn't know what he's doing."

Fonótaí

= dlíodóir. (Back)
= chun an bhaile. Cf. Éamonn Ó Tuathail, Sgéalta Mhuintir Luinigh (BÁC, 1933), xxxiii: ag goil ’na mbaile 'going home'; ag goil ’na bhaile 'going to town'. (Back)
Leg. tsean-nduine? Cf. Dónall Ó Baoill, An teanga bheo: Gaeilge Uladh (BÁC, 1996), 148: sean’uine 'an old man'; seanduine 'an old person' (Tír Chonaill). (Back)
= caidhp. Cf. caif in Patrick S. Dinneen, Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla (BÁC, 1927; athchló, 1996). Cf. Heinrich Wagner agus Colm Ó Baoill, Linguistic atlas and survey of Irish dialects (4 iml., BÁC, 1958-69), iml. 4, 290, n. 5. (Back)
= nuair. Cf. Emrys Evans, 'The Irish Dialect of Urris, Inishowen, Co. Donegal', Lochlann 4 (1969) 1-130: 80. (Back)
= d'amharc. Cf. Gerard Stockman agus Heinrich Wagner, 'Contributions to a study of Tyrone Irish,' Lochlann 3 (1965), 43-235: 199. (Back)
= fiacháil. (Back)
= fán. Cf. Stockman agus Wagner, op. cit., 156, 209. (Back)
= roimh. Cf. Art Hughes, 'Gaeilge Uladh', in Kim McCone et al., Stair na Gaeilge (Maigh Nuad, 1994), 611-60: 658. (Back)
= thar. Cf. Stockman agus Wagner, op. cit., 162. (Back)
= déanamh. Cf. Hughes, op. cit., 653. (Back)
Leg. (Cha)n fhuil? (Back)
= déanaim. Cf. Stockman agus Wagner, op. cit., 118. (Back)

Tráchtaireacht

Tá an scéal greannmhar seo mar gheall ar dhlíodóir a ghoideann ó agus a bhuaileann bob ar sprionlaitheoir le feiceáil faoi dhó i mbailiúchán Doegen, mar atá anseo uair amháin, agus arís faoin teideal 'An Seanduine agus an Dlightheamhnach', ón bhfaisnéiseoir céanna. Níl sé soiléir an bhféadfaí é a áireamh mar shampla den scéal idirnáisiúnta béaloidis ilchineálach ATU 1525 The master thief, ós rud é go ndearnadh catalógú ar an oiread sin cineálacha scéil faoin teideal seo. Féach Hans Jorg Uther, The types of international folktale: a classification and bibliography (3 iml., Helsinki, 2004). D'fhéadfadh sé go bhfuil baint éiginnte éigin aige le fabhalscéal Aesóip mar gheall ar an sprionlaitheoir agus a chuid óir. I leagan Aesóip, goidtear ór an sprionlaitheora as poll folaigh rúnda, agus an chomhairle a chuirtear air ná a shamhlú go bhfuil sé fós ann, mar nár bhain sé aon úsáid as ar aon chuma. Féach Karl Halm, Fabulae Aesopicae collectae (Leipzig, 1852), 198. Tá an scéal atá faoi chaibidil againn anseo i gcló i mbailiúchán scéalta ón scéalaí céanna, díreach in aice le leagan den fhabhalscéal le hAesóp a luadh thuas, inarb é dlíodóir an sprionlaitheora an té a chomhairlíonn dó a shamhlú go bhfuil an t-ór aige fós. Féach Éamonn Ó Tuathail, Sgéalta Mhuintir Luinigh (BÁC, 1933), 84-7. Móitífeanna eile a fhaightear, b'fhéidir, sa scéal seo ná K311.16 Thief disguised as girl agus K1836 Disguise of man in woman’s dress. Tá gaol ag fabhalscéal Aesóip leis an móitíf J1061.4. Miser’s treasure stolen. Féach Stith Thompson, Motif-index of folk literature (atheagrán méadaithe, 6 iml., Bloomington, Ind., 1955-8).

Bhí coincheap an sprionlaitheora a mbuailtear bob air nó a n-imrítear cleas air ar mhaithe lena chuid airgid cotianta i gcultúr na ndaoine san ochtú agus sa naoú céad déag agus san fhichiú haois. Tá roinnt ceoldrámaí agus drámaí grinn ann ón tréimhse seo bunaithe ar an téama céanna. Féach John Denison Champlin, Cyclopedia of music and musicians (Nua-Eabhrac, 1885), 90. Is scéal coitianta é leis i mbailéid agus i leabhairíní mangaire na linne. Féach T. A. Martin, Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 20 (Bristol, 1897), 50. Féach leis William Coolidge Lane, Catalogue of English and American chapbooks and broadside ballads in Harvard College Library (Cambridge, 1905), 106. Ar deireadh, cuireadh dráma dar teideal 'The Miser Outwitted', ina mbaintear a chuid airgid de sprionlaitheoir le cluain, cuireadh an dráma seo ar siúl den chéad uair i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1848. Féach David Beasley, 'Major John Richardson's "The Miser Outwitted" discovered', Theatre Research in Canada 7 (1986), 3-10. Ní fios an raibh tionchar ag an ábhar seo ar an traidisiún béil, ach pé acu an raibh nó nach raibh léiríonn sé an móréileamh a bhí ar an téama san Eoraip ag an am.

Tá tras-scríobh ar an scéal seo leis in Heinrich Wagner agus Colm Ó Baoill, Linguistic atlas and survey of Irish dialects (4 iml., BÁC, 1958-69), iml. 4, 289-90, agus in Róise Ní Bhaoill, Ulster Gaelic voices: bailiúchán Doegen 1931 (Béal Feirste, 2010), 208-13.

Teideal i mBéarla: The old man and his money
Leagan digiteach foilsithe ag: Tionscadal Gréasáin Cheirníní Doegen, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann

Cur síos ar an Taifeadadh:
Cainteoir: Eoin Ó Cianáin as Co. Thír Eoghain
Duine a rinne an taifeadadh: Karl Tempel
Eagraí agus riarthóir scéim na dtaifeadtaí: Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann
I gcomhar le: Lautabteilung, Preußische Staatsbibliothek (anois Lautarchiv, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Taifeadta ar 24-09-1931 ag 12:00:00 in: Ollscoil na Ríona, Béal Feirste. Taifeadta ar 24-09-1931 ag 12:00:00 in: Ollscoil na Ríona, Béal Feirste.
Taifeadadh Cartlainne (Comhartha Aitheantais LA_1211d1, ó cheirnín seileaic in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann): 03:58 nóiméad ar fad. Taifeadadh Cartlainne (Comhartha Aitheantais LA_1211d1, ó cheirnín seileaic in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann): 03:58 nóiméad ar fad.
Dara taifeadadh cartlainne (Comhartha Aitheantais LA_1211b1, ó cheirnín seileaic i mBéal Feirste): 03:58 nóiméad ar fad. Dara taifeadadh cartlainne (Comhartha Aitheantais LA_1211b1, ó cheirnín seileaic i mBéal Feirste): 03:58 nóiméad ar fad.
Taifeadadh Úsáideora (Comhartha Aitheantais LA_1211d1, ó cheirnín seileaic in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann): 03:57 nóiméad ar fad. Taifeadadh Úsáideora (Comhartha Aitheantais LA_1211d1, ó cheirnín seileaic in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann): 03:57 nóiméad ar fad.