I A GAELIC NORWEGIAN BALLAD. N the large gathering of last century Gaelic manuscripts, from which we have commenced to give something every month, we find "Seurlus of Dovre" in three separate collections. We append to these remarks what is undoubtedly the best of the three versions. It is found among Athole and Braemar songs, and must be supposed to have been taken down in that district, from oral recitation, by the writer of the collection, whoever he was, although he added to the inland poems the "Lament of Donald Gorm Tanisteir of Glengarry," by his wife, the daughter of Clanranald, and an elegy on John Garbh of Raasay, who was drowned about 1649. The last piece of all in this manuscript collection is called "An Fhirinn Ghlan," a didactic poem, in the style of Duncan Lothian's proverbs in verse, which Sheriff Nicolson republished in his "Gaelic Proverbs." We have a very strong suspicion that Duncan Lothian was the writer of the collection, and the author of “An Fhirinn Ghlan.” This suspicion is strengthened by the fact that the second version of "Seurlus,' which came undoubtedly from Glenbriarachan, in the parish of Moulin, and at the top of Strathardle, is, verse for verse, and line for line, the same as the one we use. But, in the second version, some obsolete words found in the first are superseded by words of similar alliterative sounds and altogether different meanings. The text therefore is rendered in parts curiously corrupt, as, for instance, where "saor lamhain" is substituted for "saor lann." The third version is very short and very imperfect. It may possibly have come from the islands, as it is associated with an island song: 'S tric mo shuil air an linne 'S air an fhireach is airde, 'S tric mo shuil air mo dheadhaidh, The translation of the "Seurlus" ballad is far from being warranted correct. In some places the meaning of old or quite obsolete words is merely guessed at, and the guesses may perhaps be occasionally widely astray. There is, seemingly, some small amount of confusion in the text itself. It may not be absolutely free from the corrupting substitutions so conspicuous in the second version. The subject-matter itself is obscured by a veil of antique mist, which perhaps people deeply learned in Scandinavian lore can still uplift. It is next thing to certain that the Highland reciters of "Seurlus" were in the habit of giving a preliminary explanation of the poem in prose; but, unfortunately, the men who made manuscript collections of Gaelic poetry, a hundred and more years ago, did not think it worth while to take down the popular ursgeuls, or prose explanatory prefaces. In the ancient, and what has come to be called the Ossianic, poetry of the Irish and Highland Celts, Lochlannaich, or Scandinavians, figure largely and often enough, as foreign invaders, foes from the sea, and unwelcome settlers by the right of the sword. But, as far as we know, this "Seurlus" ballad is the only woof and weft Norwegian poem in Gaelic which has come down to us from the distant past in the Highlands, from at least before 1266, when the islands were finally ceded to Alexander the Third. Perhaps indeed it was old, and had gained its permanent footing in Celtic literature, before the battle of Clontarf, fought in 1014, which gave its death-wound to the supremacy that the Scandinavians had been attempting, with great prospect of success, for a long time to establish over Ireland and Scotland. At anyrate, all probability is against the supposition that a purely Norwegian ballad could have been imported, and lastingly embedded in Gaelic popular literature, after 1266. It looks, at first glance, a singular thing that the "Seurlus" ballad should have been transmitted from generation to generation, for five hundred years and more, in the Grampian districts, which the Scandinavians never subdued, while, as far as known, it had almost or entirely in last century dropt out of the memory of the islanders, whose ancestors had long been under the yoke of the Lochlannaich. There was, however, an ancient connection between Athole and the Caithness, Orkney, and Shetland earldoms, continued down to 1230, or later, which may, peradventure, account for the anomaly. Thorfinn, the great Scandinavian Earl of the North, and ruling colleague of Macbeth, is supposed to have died about 1056. He was a grandson of Malcolm Mac Kenneth, King of Scotland, at whose Court he had been brought up in his boyhood. Thorfinn was, therefore, half a Highlander, and no doubt learned to speak Gaelic at his grandfather's Court. Thorfinn and King Duncan, slain by Macbeth, were cousins-german. Duncan's eldest son, Malcolm Ceannmor, became, on Macbeth's death, King of Scotland; and Duncan's younger son, Madach, was made Earl of Athole by his brother, King Malcolm. Madach married a grand-daughter of Earl Thorfinn, and Harald, their second son, in right of his mother, became one of the co-Earls of Caithness and Orkney, while their eldest son continued the line of Athole. It thus happened that, for more than a century after 1100, there was a close friendly connection between Gaelic Athole and Scandinavian Orkney and Caithness. While it is considered proper to give the text of the best and fullest version of "Seurlus," just as it is found in the manuscript, it may be observed, in regard to "Dobhair," that in the other two versions it is written "Douir." That spelling agrees best with the rhythm and alliterations of the ballad. In the footnote references, B stands for the Glenbriarachan version, and C for the fragmentary third one. SEURLUS AN DOBHAIR. 'S fiarasach an codal sin O's taobhaiseach an codal sin Aislinn Sheurluis an Dobhair. Lo gu deach Righ Lochlainn Bha Seurlus og na choi-imeachd, 'S ann an sin a thuirt an t-og Oscar,2 Cia mo chuid da 'n ghleannan fhasach ? 'N gleann am biodh na casuchdaich Gleannan farsuinn fior-dhomhain Air an do shuidh og Sheurlus an Dobhair, Ag eisdeachd na bha fodha. Ri nuallan nan con ghrad-charrach, 'S ri seol3 nan srathaibh sithe, Lion an cabhlan codail sin Og mhac Righ Lochlainn lionmhor. 'N am dusgadh as a chodal Bha folt buidhe shuas a coir-chleachd oirr', B' fhearr dreach is dealbh air domhain. 'S ann a gheibht' air meoir na h-ainnir, Bha leine ghasda chroch-bhuidh oirr' 1 B. Leitir Ruin; C. Leitir Dhithridh. 2 B. Air labhairt da 'n og osgarach. 3 B. Ceolan. An criosan nach fhacas amhailt Lan do bhuaidh 's do amhailtin Bha deilg chaola nam fail or-bhuidh Bha saorlann oirre 'n coirichean, An sealla sin a chunna sinn An sealla sin a chunna sinn As na gleannaibh crioth-thruailleach" Le brataibh gasda caol-uaine” Cha lubadh i'm feur barr-uaine Air leataobh tulcha sithe, Gus 'n do sgaoileadh lea'n lamh gheal-ghlacach Sgaoileadh leatha an coirichin, Leis an laimh nach do chuir i fuidhe, Am brat amlagach or-bhuidh Air uachdar Sheurluis an Dobhair : Bha barr nan ciabh cas-bhuidh 'S e thraghadh air osnaich, O! 's ann aic a bhiodh a dheirbhe,1 1 B. Ard mhac an earuir uaine. 2 B. Craobh-ruadha. 4 B. 'S an aig gu biodh a dhearbha. |