| Manx | English | |
|---|---|---|
| DESTRUCTION OF THE MANX HERRING FLEET, IN DOUGLAS BAY, ON ST MATTHIAS’ NIGHT, SEPT. 1787. | ||
| Cooinee shiu shen as aeg, er yn vlein shiaght cheead yeig | Remember ye, old and young, about the year seventeen hundred | |
| Kiar feed as shiaght, er keayn Ghoolish | (and) eighty seven on the sea of Douglas | |
| Myr haink eh gys kione ; she eestagh mie v’ayn, | As it so came to pass, it was good fishing, | |
| Lesh earish feer aalin as millish. | With sweet and fair weather. | |
| Ny-yeih cha nee beayn v’eh aalin as kiune | Yet not long lasting was it fair and calm | |
| My daink kione ny shiaghtin gys jerrey ; | Before the weekend was ended ; | |
| Son va neeal yn aer, ginsh dy row danjeyr, | Because the look of sky was telling there was danger, | |
| As sterrym feer agglagh er-gerrey | And a truly awful storm close by | |
| Oie Mian dy feer jeean, as y fload eck y’ cheayn, | (On) St Matthew’s Eve, very suddenly, with the fleet at sea, | |
| Haink dewillys, as paart jew ren scarrey ; | A cruelty came, and some of them separated ; | |
| woish dy chooilley nhee vader dys nyn gree, | from everything that was dear to their hearts. | |
| Eayr bioys as [1] dewillys ny marrey, | Namely, life, from the cruelty of the sea. | |
|
[1] here
[as] is read as standard spelling
[ass]
| ||
| T’eh doillee dou graa, eer, whillin as va, | It is difficult to say how many there were, | |
| Laa Mian dy feer ching, re nyn greeghyn ; | A St Matthias’ Day truly sick to our hearts | |
|
[re] here taken to be
[ry] — short form of
[rish]
| ||
| Cloan veggey gyn ayr, va keayney dy geyre, | Small orphans, were weeping bitterly | |
| As mraane son nyn sheshey v’ad jeeaghyn | And women were looking for their partners | |
| Trooid Skylley Chreest, va seaghyn as imnea, | Through Kirk Christ (Rushen), there was sorrow and worry, | |
| Mraane jeeaghyn son nyn fendeilee ; | Women looking for their defenders ; | |
| Sheshagh Thom Kenleaye v’ad keayney ny yeih, | Tom Kinley’s crew were weeping for him, | |
| As sheshagh Juan Voar, Chroit-e-Chaley | And the crew of John Moore, Croit-e-Caley | |
| Thom Graymster myrgeddin va cailt ’sy noie cheddin, | Tom Gimster too was lost the same nght. | |
| Marish y’ chooid elley jeh y gheiney, | Together with the rest of his men, | |
| Cha row dooinney bio jeh’n nane as feed shoh | There was no man alive of this twenty-one | |
| Nyn gaarjyn dy sharroo va keayney. | Their friends were weeping bitterly | |
| Fastyr aalin v’eh tra hiaull adsyn jeh, | It was a fine afternoon when they sailed off, | |
| Voish Doolish marish baatyn elley ; | From Douglas with other boats ; | |
| Tra rosh ad yn boayl va’n scaddan dy ghoaill | When they reached the spot the herring was occupying | |
| Cha row smooinaght er assee ny skelley. | With no thought about harm or damage. | |
| Agh gerrit va’n tra, tra ren eh caghlaa, | But how short was the time, when it changed, | |
| Yn gheay niar dy lajer ren sheidey ; | The East wind blew strongly ; | |
| Dy leah datt yn keayn, lesh sterrym as sheayn, | Soon the sea swelled, with storm and noise, | |
| Haink dorrin lesh dewilys as fliaghey. | A tempest came with cruelty and rain. | |
| Nagh hrog ad dy leah, nyn shiaull rosh yn gheay, | Didn’t they quickly raise their sails before the wind, | |
| As jeeragh lesh Purt Ghoolish shiaulley ; | And sail straight towards the port of Douglas ; | |
| Tra roish ad yn beaye va’n keayn magh er draie, | When they reached the bay the sea was out at low tide, | |
| As yn earrish va still goll ny smessey. | And the weather was still getting worse. | |
| Ec anker ’sy vaie, cha faggys da’n traie, | At anchor in the bay, so close to the shore, | |
| Cre berree da ny baatyn va markiaght ; | What would come of the boats that were riding (it out) ; | |
| Lesh cha dorraghey as v’eh, cha row soilshey er y’ chey | With how dark it was, there wasn’t a light on the quay | |
| Ayns aggle nyn maaish v’adsyn farkiagh. | They were waiting (holding on in fear of their lives | |
| Dy fieau er y cheayn, dy lhieney dy lane, | To wait for the sea, to fully fill, (for the tide to come in) | |
| Va chennid feer agglagh dy jarroo ; | Was a desperate situation, truly awful indeed ; | |
| Cablyn va failleil, as baatyn sinkeil, | Cables were failing, and boats sinking. | |
| As scoltey ayns peeshyn cheet thalloo. | And bursting into pieces coming ashore. | |
| Lesh dorraghys doo, nagh bleeyr dauesyn soo | With (the) total darkness, the current wasn’t clear for them, | |
| Ny tonnyn va freayney stiagh harroo ; | The waves were flooding in over them ; | |
| Nagh atchimagh v’eh, lesh dorrin as geay, | How terrifying it was, with tempest and wind, | |
| Dy roie rosh yn earish gys thalloo. | To run before the weather to the land. | |
| Er creaue voish yn cheayn, lesh sterrym as sheean, | Shaking from the sea, with storm and sound, | |
| Ny tonnyn myr sleityn va girree ; | The waves were rising like mountians ; | |
| As ooilley yn tra shen, va’n keayn brishey bane, | And all that time, the sea was breaking white, | |
| Nagh bleayr daue yn purt v’ad dy yearree. | So that the port that they desired wasn’t clear to them. | |
| Mysh oor roish yn laa, ve smooinit va’n tra, | About an hour before daybreak, it was considered that was the time, | |
| Hie Graymster dy roie son y thalloo ; | Grimster went to run for the land ; | |
| V’eh hene as Juan Voore callit ’syn un oor, | He himself and John Moore were lost in the same hour, | |
| As ooilley yn slane sheshaght va marroo. | And all the whole crew were dead. | |
| Myrgeddyn Kenleaye, ec fagail yn beaye, | Also Kinley, leaving the bay (??) | |
| Nagh bleeyr da yn coorse dy roie jeeragh ; | The course for running straight wasn't clear to him ; | |
| Lesh cha dorraghey as v’eh, roit er kione yn chey, | With how dark as it was, driven onto the end of the quay, | |
| As va’n baatey sinkit chelleragh. | And the boat was sunk right away. | |
| Cha row saase sy theihll, nyn gouyr dy scapail, | There was no way in the world, for them to escape, | |
| Yn baase va kiongoyrt roish nyn sooillyn ; | Death was in front of their eyes ; | |
| Yn eam oc va treih, lesh cree er ny lheie | Their shout was miserable, with heart (spirit / hope) melting (away) | |
| Ec toishaght sinkeil boayll va whilleen. | As the sinking began where there were so many. | |
| Dy hrial nyn schlie, cha voddagh shin roie | We couldn’t run [??] to test our skill, | |
| Ny lheid as vad shoh ooilley cooidjagh ; | (with them) Such as they were [??], all together ; | |
| Va ny deiney mie keayn ayns y’ vinnid shen | Were the good sea men in that minute; | |
| Ny tonnyn baaish ren ad y choodagh. | The deadly waves covered them. | |
| Lurg nyn ghaarjyn deyr, va oyr oc shilley jeir, | After (in memory of) their dear friends, there was cause to shed tears, | |
| Ee mraane as mraane treoghe as cloan veggey ; | By women and widows and little children ; | |
| Lesh osnaghyn treih, v’ad currit lesh thie, | With miserable sighs, they were brought home, | |
| As oanluckit marish nyn gheiney. | And buried with their men. | |
| PRINTED BY J. C. FARGHER, “HERALD” OFFICE, DOUGLAS. | ||