t h e  g r e a t  b o o k  o f  g a e l i c

a n  l e a b h a r  m ò r

Neach-ealain / Artist: Donald Smith
Snas-sgrìobhadair / Calligrapher: Louise Donaldson
Eadar-theangaichte aig / Translator: Norman Campbell
Roghainn / Nominator: The Literary Panel


 

’S e a phiuthar, Màiri, a bha sealltainn às a dhèidh. Bha i oidhche Sàbaid san eaglais agus nach ann a chaidh Coinneach a shealltainn air seann bhean a bha air an leabaidh. Chaith i an ùine ag innse dha mu Elijah, am fàidh. Nuair a thill Coinneach dhachaigh, thuirt e ri Màiri gur ann comhla ri tè a phrìosanaich an dòchais a chaith e an oidhche. Thòisich e sin ag aithris seanchas na caillich mun "an cèineach ud a chaidh a thogail bodily suas a nèamh". Nuair a chrìochnaich e, cha b’ urrainn e gun a chuid fhèin a chur ris, agus seo agaibh e: "Agus ’s e càil a b’ ioghantaich gu lèir, an ceann dà latha, thuit a’ bhriogais aige nuas agus an drathars na broinn."

His sister Mary looked after him. One Sunday evening she was in church and Coinneach went to visit an old woman, who was bed-ridden. She spent time telling him about the prophet Elijah.*

When Coinneach returned home, he told Mary that he’d spent the evening with one of the ‘prisoners of Hope.’ ** And he began to recite the old woman’s story about ‘that character who was lifted bodily up to heaven.’ When he’d finished, he couldn’t resist adding his own bit to it. Here it is.

‘And the most amazing thing of all was that, two days later, his trousers – with his drawers in them – fell down to earth.’

*Kings II, 2
**John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress