| Manx | English | |
|---|---|---|
| My charrey deyr. —Ta mee er scrieu ny focklyn shoh dhyt mychione laa sheilg va ec Dan Yuan as mish sheese ayns skeerey Magh'll. | My dear friend.—I have written these words to you about a day of hunting Dan Juan and myself had down in Maughold parish. | |
| Haink eh gys thie ain gra, “Nish y traa my t’ou la-al laa son heilg[1], ta moddey mie aym neesht[2].” | He came to our house, saying “Now is the time if you want to have a good day’s hunting. I have a good dog now.” | |
|
[1] heilg—shelg
[2] neesht—nish—‘now’
| ||
| “Mie dy-liooar,” dooyrt mish, “laa erbee, son cha nel monney obbyr aym er y choigee foast.” | “Very well,” I said, “any day, for I have not much work on the loom yet.” | |
| Jerdein harrish v’eh moghrey braew chirrym as hie shin gys Cornaa; as myr va shin goll trooid y cheyll, hooar y moddey soar jeh conning ayns y conney ec y kione jeh. Ren eh gouystyrnee as hie magh yn conning ass trooid grinney, yn moddey geiyrt er harrish y vagher: | Last Thursday, being a good dry morning, we went to Cornaa; and when we were going through the orchard the dog got a quest of a rabbit among the gorse at the top of it. He barked and out came the rabbit through the gateway, the dog after it across the field. | |
| “My Yee, my Yee,” loayr Dan, “kys ta-ad goll!” | “My goodness, my goodness,” shouted Dan, “how they are going!” | |
| “Ta yn moddey shoh tappee ny yeih,” dooyrt mish, “jeeagh t’eh cheet as conning ayns y veeal.” | “You have a Swift dog anyhow,” I said; “look, he is coming back and the rabbit in his mouth.” | |
| “Trooid,” dooyrt eh eisht, “lhig dooin goll heose gys thie Juan; foddee nee shin fakin mwaagh ayns ny magheryn shen. | “Come,” he said, “let us go up to John’s house, perhaps we will see a hare in his fields.” | |
| As myr va shin goll, hie[3] shin paitchey cheet sheese, as briaght shin jeh, row eh akin mwaagh erbee mygeayrt. | And as we were going up we saw a lad coming down, and we asked him was he seeing any hares about. | |
|
[3] hie—'went’, evidently an error for honnick—‘saw’
| ||
| “Ta my ayr heose, giarrey aittin dy chur fo tooran,” dooyrt eh, “agh nee eh cur shiu er y raad.” | “My father is up cutting roughness to put under a stack,” he said, “and he will put you on the way.” | |
| “Moghrey mie Juan.” dooyrt shin. | “Good morning, John,” we said. | |
| “Moghrey mie diu,” dooyrt eh | “Good morning to you both,” said John. | |
| “Vel oo fakin mwaagh erbee mygeayrt?” | “Are you seeing a chance hare about John,” says I. | |
| “Dy jarroo, ta.” dooyrt eh. “Honnick mee unnane ayns y vagher cheu cooyl y thie riyr. Foddey t’eh ayns-sen foast, trooid as cur y moddey ayn.” | “Oh, yes,” he said, “I saw one in the field behind the house last night. Perhaps he is in yet: come and put the dog in.” | |
| As myr ve eh tammylt ayn ren eh gounstyrnee reesht. | When the dog was a little while in the field we heard him barking. | |
| “Jeeagh! Jeeagh!” dooyrt Juan “Ta fer wooar currit seose.” Va’n moddey geiyrt er ayns jalloo, as harrish vagher lurg vagher ass y hilley. | “Look! Look!” John said, “There is a big one put up.” The dog was after it in an instant, and across field after field out of sight they went. | |
| Hie Juan as cheau yn bart er y dreeym, gra, “Trooid gys y thie as cur aile ayns ny poibyn, te ro gheayagh ayns shoh.” As myr va shin soit sheese keayrt; tain goaill foddeeagh dooyrt eh, na vel peccagh erbee cheet dy ghoaill cowag marin ayns y chenn chengey. | Then John went and lifted the bundle on his back, saying, “Come to the house and put fire in your pipes, it is rather windy here. When we had sat down awhile—We are longing John said, that no one comes now to have a chat with us in the old tongue. | |
| “Tain goaill aggle,” dooyrt Nancy, “dy vel eh bunnys ersooyl. Kys ny vel yn Kiannoortys cur ee ayns y schoillyn?” | “We are afraid,” Nancy said, “that it is almost gone. Why don’t the Government put it in the schools?” | |
| “Ugh. Ugh,” dooyrt Dan, “Cha nel y sleih mooar cur geill da monney agh yeeastyn veggey, eeanlee keoie, as shenn craue’n. Ta shin goaill nearey dy vel yn shenn ghlare y phobble bunnys jarroodit, kys nee mayd jannoo dy reayll eh bio?” | “Oh. Oh,” Dan said, “the big people are not giving much heed to anything only little fishes, wild birds and old bones. We are ashamed that the native language of our people is almost forgotten; what can we do to keep it alive?” | |
| Roie paitehey beg stiagh geamagh; “Ta’n moddey er jeet as fer wooar echey!” | A child came running in shouting. “The dog has come back, and a big fellow at him!” | |
| “Ta moddey mie glen ayd Thomm, cha bee oo laccal son jinnair Jedoonee erbee choud as te ayd. Trood as cur shilley orrin reesht.” | “You have a very good dog.” said John, “You will not be wanting for a good dinner on Sunday so long as he is at you. Come and see us again.” | |
| As tra va shin er roshtyn gys kione y droghad, veeit shin Billy y greasee soie er y cleigh, as va boggey yndysagh goll; as “Trood, lhig dooin goaill bine beg ry-cheilley harrish shenn traa’n, tra va shin guillyn ry-cheilley.” | When we got to the head of the bridge, we met Billey the shoemaker sitting on the wall, and there was great joy going, and he said “Come, we will have a drop together over old times when we were boys together.” | |
| Va’n coleayrtys dy hayrn, eisht chyndaa shin nyn gione dy valley, skee marish yn obbyr as vaynrey lesh sheshaght y laa. | The twilight began to come, then we turned our heads homeward, tired with the work, but delighted with the friendships of the day. | |
| THOMM BEG. | LITTLE TOM. | |