| Manx | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrane mysh ny baatyn va caillit ec Doolish ’sy vlein 1787. Septr. 20th. | A song about the boats that were lost at Douglas in the year 1787, Sept. 20th. | |
| Cooinee-jee, shenn as-aeg:— | Remember, old and young, | |
| Ayns y vlein shiaght cheead-yeig, | In the year seventeen hundred | |
| Kiare feed as shiaght, er Keayn Ghoolish | And eighty seven, on the Douglas sea ; | |
| Myr haink eh gys kione, | As it so came to pass, | |
| Va eeastagh vie ayn, | A good fishing there was, | |
| Lesh earish feer aalin as millish. | With, sweet and very fine weather. | |
| Ny-yeih cha nee beayn, | Yet not for ever, | |
| Darr yn earish chiune, | The weather stayed calm; | |
| My daink kione y chiaghtin gys jerrey, | Before the weekend ended, | |
| Son va neeal yn aer, | For there the appearance of the sky, | |
| Ginsh dy row dangeyr, | Was telling there was danger, | |
| As sterrym feer agglagh er-gerrey. | And a horrific storm nearby. | |
| Oie’l Mian feer jeean, | On St Matthew’s Eve, very keenly, | |
| Hie yn fload gys y cheayn, | The fleet went to sea, | |
| Haink dewilys er paart jeu, ren scarrey, | An inclemency befell some of them, who separated, | |
| Veih dy chooilley nhee, | From every thing, | |
| Va deyr gys nyn gree, | That was dear to their hearts, | |
| Eer bioys, lesh dewillid ny marrey, | Even life, by the cruelty of the sea. | |
| She fastyr fine v’eh | It was a fine afternoon, | |
| Tra hiaull adsyn jeh | When they sailed off, | |
| Voish Doolish marish baatyn elley, | From Douglas with other boats, | |
| As rosh ad y boayl | And they reached the spot, | |
| Va’n scaddan dy ghoaill | The herring were occupying, | |
| Dyn smooinaght er assey ny skeilley. | Without a thought about harm or damage. | |
| She gerrid va’n traa, | How short was the time, | |
| Gys ren yn eh caghlaa, | Until it changed, | |
| Yn gheay niar dy niartal ren sheidey; | The east wind blew mightily, | |
| As s’leoie datt yn keayn, | And how soon the sea swelled, | |
| Lesh sterrym as sheean, | With storm and noise, | |
| Haink geay niar lesh dorrid as fliaghey. | An east wind came with darkness and rain. | |
| As hoie ad dy leah, | And they quickly set, | |
| Ny shiaull roish y gheay, | The sails before the wind, | |
| Dy jeeragh lesh purt Ghoolish shiaulley ; | Sailing straight towards the port of Douglas; | |
| Myr rosht adsyn stiagh, | As they arrived in, | |
| Smooinaghtyn dy row’n keayn er gholl magh | Thinking that the sea had gone out, | |
| Va’n earish still goll foddey s’dewilley. | The weather was still going far more inclement. | |
| Traa s’dorraghey v’eh | It was the darkest time, | |
| Va’n soilshey jeh’n chay | The light from the quay, | |
| Nagh treih v’eh ec baatyn va markiaght; | How miserable the boats that were riding (at anchor) had it; | |
| Va caabhil failleil | The cables failing, | |
| As baatyn sinkeil, | And boats sinking, | |
| Ayns aggle nyn mioys v’ad farkiaght. | They were waiting in fear of their lives. | |
| V’eh dorraghey doo | It was pitch black, | |
| Nagh bleayr daue yn soo[1], | So that the current wasn’t clear for them, | |
|
[1] Soo-Marrey,— s.
a whirlpool. (Kelly. J), Stroo,— s. m. the current of a stream; pl. —yn. (Cregeen). For soo here, rather than whirlpool, ‘drift’ or ‘current’ seems more likely.
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| As tonnyn myr sleityn va girree, | And waves were rising like mountains, | |
| Ooilley’n traa shen, | All that time, | |
| Va’n keayn brishey bane, | The sea was breaking white, | |
| Cha bleayr daue yn purt v’adsyn geearree. | The harbour they wanted wasn’t clear to them. | |
| Ec anchor sy vaiee, | At anchor in the bay, | |
| Cha faggys da’n traie, | So close to the beach, | |
| Nagh treih ve ec baatyn va markiaght, | How miserable the boats that were riding (at anchor) had it; | |
| Va caabil failleil as baatyn sinkeil, | The cables failing, and boats sinking, | |
| Ayns aggle nyn mioys v’ad farkiaght. | They were waiting in fear of their lives. | |
| Va’d fieau er y cheayn, | They were waiting at sea, | |
| Derrey yn lhieeney veagh lane, | Until the incoming tide would be full, | |
| As watchal dy gyere dagh minnid | And watching keenly every minute, | |
| Cha s’oc cre cha leah | They knew not how soon, | |
| As veagh ad ceaut jeh | They would be thrown off, | |
| As sinkit ersooyl gys y diunid. | And sunk, gone to the deep. | |
| Lesh da Thom Kinlaee | In the case of Tom Kinley, | |
| Faagail yn Baiee, | Leaving the Bay, | |
| Cha bleayr da cre’n raad dy gholl jeeragh , | It wasn’t clear to him which was to got straight, | |
| Traa s’dorraghey ve, | It was such a dark time, | |
| Bwoailt noi kione y chay | Struck against the end of the quay, | |
| Va’n baatey oc sinkit chelleeragh. | Their boat was sunk straight away. | |
| Ve smooinit dy ghra | It was thought to say, | |
| Tammylt beg roish y laa, | A little bit before daylight, | |
| Chrie[2] Grimster dy heet lesh y thalloo | Grimster tried to come towards the land, | |
|
[2] Chrie—this word is not clear as it has been amended by a later hand.
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| Eh-hene as Juan Voore | Himself and John Moore, | |
| Va’d caillit yn un oor, | They were lost (in) the same hour, | |
| As ooilley ny deiney va maroo | And all the men who were with them. | |
| Ymmodee jeu yn oie shen | Many of them that night, | |
| Va sauail ad-hene | Were saving themselves, | |
| V’ad sauail ad-hene liorish saaseyn, | They were saving themselves by means of resourceful measures, | |
| Voish y chione sodjey magh, | From the furthest end out, | |
| Er y chay v’ad cheet stiagh, | They were coming in to the quay, | |
| Er coyrdyn as peeshyn dy vaatyn. | On ropes and fragments of boats. | |
| Trooid Skeerey Chreest va | Through Rushen Parish there was, | |
| Seaghyn as imnea, | Sorrow and distress, | |
| Mraane jeeaghyn son nyn vendeilee; | Women looking for their defenders; | |
| Sheshaght Hom Kinlaee | Tom Kinley’s crew, | |
| Va caillit ny-yeih, | Were nevertheless lost, | |
| As hoshiaght Juan Voore Croit-y-Caley. | And first John Moore of Croit-y-Caley. | |
| Thom Grimster myrgeddin | Tom Grimster too, | |
| Va caillit yn oie cheddin, | Was lost the same night, | |
| Marish y chooid elley jeh e gheiney, | Together with the rest of his men, | |
| Cha row dooinney bio | There was no man alive, | |
| Jeh’n nane as feed shoh; | From this twenty-one, | |
| Ny caarjyn dy sharroo va keayney. | The friends were crying bitterly. | |
| Te doillee dooin ghra, | It is hard for us to say, | |
| Cre whilleen as va, | How many there were, | |
| Oie’l Mian, feer ching ec nyn greeaghyn; | St Matthew’s Eve, for our hearts, is truly sick; | |
| Cloan faagit gyn ayr, | Children left with no father, | |
| V’ad keayney dy ghyere, | They were crying severely, | |
| As mraane lurg nyn sheshaghyn jeeaghyn | And women were looking after (for) their partners | |
| Hee shiu dagh nhee, | You see everything, | |
| Cheet myr saillish Jee | Coming as God, | |
| Ta reill harrish tonnyn ny marrey; | Who rules over the waves of the sea, pleases; | |
| Ta sterrym as geay | Storm and wind always calm and pacify, | |
| Kiuney as goaill fea, | As he commands. | |
| Dy kinjagh myr t’eshyn cur sarey. | ||
| Cha birrys da mraane as cloan | It was no wonder that women and children, | |
| Ve feer dobberan | Were in deep mourning, | |
| Quoi oddagh surranse gyn keayney | Who could suffer without crying? | |
| Hie ad er chur lesh thie | They were brought home, | |
| Lesh osnaghyn hreih, | With heavy sighs, | |
| As ad y oanluckey marish nyn gheiney | (And) to bury them with their men | |
| Ve feer virrilagh, | It was truly miraculous, | |
| As feer atchimagh, | And truly terrible, | |
| Cheau ad yn traa va daue kiarit | They spent the time that was intended for them, | |
| Liorish nyn Ver-croo | By their Creator, | |
| Cordail rish e ghoo | In accordance with his word, | |
| Eer bioys as baase myr v’ad sarit. | Even in life and death as they were commanded. | |