L. 107

An tApa agus an Deilf.

Ba ghnáth le daoinibh fad' ó apaidhe agus
measáin, agus neithe de'n tsórd sain, do bhreith
leó ar fairrge, mar chaitheamh aimsire.
Rugadh amach ar bord luinge, ar an gcuma
sain, Apa áirithe. D'éirigh gaoth agus briseadh
an long, agus bhí an fhoireann 'san uisge, gach
aon'ne ag snámh ar a dhícheall, agus a anam air.

Deirtear gur béas do'n Deilf, nuair
chí sí duine d'á bháthadh, teacht faoi aníos agus
é thabhairt chum puirt. Ní raibh snámh ag an
Apa úd. Chonnaic an Deilf é agus cheap sí
gur duine bhí ann. Tháinig sí faoi agus chuir
sí a cheann os cionn uisge, agus thug sí isteach
é i n-áit d'ár bh'ainm Peiraios.

“An Aitéineach tu?” ar sise.

“Is eadh cheana,” ars' an tApa, “agus mo
shinnsir reómham.”

“Aithnigheann tu Peiraios mar sin?”
ars' an Deilf.

“Aithnighim go maith,” ars' an tApa.
“Duine galánta creideamhnach. Tá mo
ghaol leis go gairid.”

Nuair d'airigh an Deilf an chaint sin, do
ghlac fearg í. D'imthigh sí síos faoi uisge,
agus do báthadh an tApa.

Brígh an Sgéil.

Fan sa' chruth 'n-ar dúthchas duit. Ná
cuir umat an uaisleachd nach leat. Ní
féidir duit í 'iomchur. Ní dhéanfair acht
breis tarcaisne do thuilleamh dhuit féin.

'S go sgagann an cóisde
Amach ar a smóig
An fear úd nach eól dó,
Is náire air.

NOTES.

Foireann (fuirionn), gen. foirne, dat. foirinn, a
crew, etc. Foireann fidhchille, a set of chess-men.
Aon-ne = aonduine.

Duine d'á bháthadh : Fr. O'Leary suggests that d'á should
be confined to the passive use, and 'gá (= ag a) to the
active use.

Tá sé d'á bualadh, he is being beaten.
Tá sé 'gá bhualadh, he is beating him.

Tá sé 'ga bhualadh féin, he is beating himself. Do
has long been used in both ways, but ag is confined to
the active use. Confusion has, no doubt, arisen from the
fact that when 'dá and 'gá have the consonant aspirated,
as they usually have, they sound exactly alike. Often
the consonant is not heard at all.

Ní raibh smámh aige, he could not swim.
Ní'l rinnce agam, I cannot dance.
Ní'l dul uaidh agat, you cannot avoid it.

I n-ar dúthchas duit, a very idiomatic phrase. Dúthchas,
the nature of a living creature, what is natural or proper
to it. Hence tír dhúthchais, native land, teanga dhútchais,
native language. Is dúthchas duit sa' chruth i n-a bhfuil
tú, it is natural or proper to you (to be) in the form or
state in which you are. An cruth i n-ar dúthchas duit,
then means, "your proper state."