| Manx | English | |
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| Ta mee nish goll dy insh diu mychione oie ren mee ceau er yn cheayn ayns baatey-eeastee, as va ooilley ny deiney ny lhie scooyrit agh mee hene fud ny hoie nagh voddagh gleashagh, as ren mee streeu dy ghoostey ad ymmodee keayrtyn agh va mee eginit dy lhiggey daue lhie. | I am now going to tell you about a night I spent on the sea in a fishing boat, and all the men were lying drunk except myself all night and could not move, and I tried to wake them many times but was forced to let them lie. | |
| V’eh ayns yn ouyr mysh yn traa veagh shin cliaghtey jannoo scaddan nyn dhie, as va’n scaddan er ve feer goan son shiaghtin ny jees mysh yn traa shen, myr veagh dy mennick. | It was in the autumn about the time we used to make our home herring, and the herring had been very scarce for a week or two about that time, as they would often be. | |
| Hooar shin wheesh un oie as ren jannoo da fer jeh ny deiney, as tra va’n scaddan currit ersooyl ayns yn chaart, dooyrt yn mainshter dy row eh cairagh da dy coyrt boteil dy rum da’n cheshaght, er yn oyr dy row eh er gheddyn yn stock thie as dy beagh dy chooilley ghooinney eginit dy chur boteil myrgeddin tra yinnagh eh gheddyn scaddan e hie. | We got as much one night as did for one of the men, and when the herring was sent away in the cart, the master said that it was right for that man to give a bottle of rum to the crew, as he had got the stock home, and that everyone would be obliged to give a bottle likewise when he had get his home herring. | |
| Myr shen y chied oie va shin mooie ny lurg shen, hooar shin wheesh dy scaddan as va shirveish ooilley yn cheshaght. | So the first night we were out after that, we got as much herring as would suffice for all the crew. | |
| Va’n baatey currit stiagh ayns yn phurt, as tra va’n scaddan ersooyl er y cheer, as kuse dy yough iuit oc, ren shin shiaull as goll magh reesht. | The boat was put into the harbour, and when the herring was away to the country, and they had drunk some ale, we set sail and went out again. | |
| Tra va shin goll sheese lesh Kione Spaainey ren fer jeu geddyn yn boteil as cur eairk y pheesh daue. | When we were going down towards Spanish Head one of them got the bottle and gave them a hornful each. | |
| Va mish yn aarleyder ayns ny laghyn shen, as va’n guilley dy gholl dy lhie dy chooilley fastyr tra veagh yn baatey faagail yn baie. | I was the cook in those days, and the boy was to go to bed each evening when the boat was leaving the bay. | |
| Myr shen hie mish dy lhie as ren mee cadley son tammylt mie dy hraa, as tra ren mee doostey va mee geaishtagh dy chlashtyn ny deiney, agh cha row red erbee er ny chlashtyn. | So I went to bed and slept for a good while, and when I awoke I was listening to hear the men, but nothing was to be heard. | |
| Eisht haink mee ass yn cabbane as cha row dooinney ry akin agh fer va ny lhie er y chullee-yerree, agh va’n chooid elley jeu ayns yn cabbane ny lhie myr kirp marroo. | Then I came out of the cabin and there was not a man to be seen but one who was lying on the after-gear, but the rest of them were in the cabin lying like dead bodies. | |
| Ren mee fakin eisht cre va er haghyrt. | I saw then what had happened. | |
| Tra ren ad geddyn scaddan nyn dhie yn un laa, ren ad cur lesh boteil y pheesh as ren ad giu ooilley yn rum er yn raad gys yn Cheyllys, as tra v’ad er gheddyn trooid yn Cheyllys cha row veg dy gheay er yn cheayn twoaie, agh ren yn tidey coyrt ad magh voish ny creggyn, as tra v’eh kiune ren ad ooilley lhie sheese as goll dy chadley. | When they got their home herring the same day, they brought a bottle each and drank all the rum on the way to the Sound, and when they had got through the Sound there was no wind on the northern sea, but the tide put them out from the rocks, and when it was calm they all lay down and went to sleep. | |
| Tra v’ad lane dy rum, ren paart jeu cur braagyn y cheilley ayns yn aile as lostey ad, as va fer ayn as cha row braag echey dy chur er e chassyn dy hooyl gys e chummal laa-ny-vairagh, agh v’ad ooilley ec shee tra haink mish ass yn cabbane. | When they were full of rum, some of them put each other’s shoes in the fire and burned them, and there was one who had not a shoe to put on his feet to walk to his dwelling the following day, but they were all at peace when I came out of the cabin. | |
| Va’n chooid elley jeh’n flod ersooyl magh ass shilley, as va’n tidey tayrn shin dy siyragh lesh yn Chiggin Vooar.[1] | The rest of the fleet was away out of sight, and the tide was drawing us rapidly towards the Big Chicken. | |
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[1] yn Chiggin Vooar - ‘rocky outcrop just south of Calf of Man’ Broderick (1982: 120).
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| Va mee fakin dy row yn baatey goll urree dy tappee, as cha row saase erbee aym dy eiyrt yn baatey raad erbee. | I saw that the boat was going onto it fast, and I had no means of driving the boat in any direction. | |
| Ren mee ec y jerrey geddyn yn baatey beg currit magh lesh lane dy hooilleil as va mee kiarail dy hauail my vioys hene ayns yn baatey beg, my yinnagh yn nane vooar goll er yn Chiggin. | In the end I got the small boat put out with much effort, and I intended to save my own life in the small boat, if the big one went on the Chicken. | |
| Va’n ghrian er gholl sheese traa shoh as va’n eayst er nirree ayns yn shiar agh v’eh cummal goll kiune. | The sun had gone down by this time and the moon had risen in the east, but it was holding calm. | |
| Va’n baatey beg ayn rish lhiattee yn vaatey mooar aarloo dy lheim aynjee, my veagh ee cheet ro faggys er yn Chiggin, agh ren yn tidey cur kest jee ec corneil twoaie yn Chiggin, as ren ee goll shaghey fegooish strugey yn chreg. | The small boat was there beside the big boat ready to jump into, if she came too near to the Chicken, but the tide turned her at the north corner of the Chicken and she went past without brushing the rock. | |
| Va mee ec reamys marrey reesht, as va’n aggle aym harrish son tammylt beg. | I was on the open sea again, and my fear was over for a short while. | |
| Hie mee sheese ayns yn cabbane, as va ooilley ny deiney ny lhie myr kirp, agh va fer ny lhie er baare yn cabbane as ny cassyn echey er-gerrey da’n aile, as v’eh jeeaghyn dou dy row eh gennaght yn chiass son v’eh sprettal dy mennick. | I went down in the cabin, and all the men were lying like corpses, but there was one lying at the top of the cabin with his feet near the fire, and it seemed to me that he could feel the heat for he was often starting. | |
| Ec jerrey haink fynneraght beg dy gheay as va mee stiurey ee lesh Purt le Moirrey gys va mee ec Kione Spaainey, agh ren yn gheay lheie ersooyl reesht. | Finally there came a little breath of wind and I was steering her towards Port St. Mary until I was at Spanish Head, but the wind melted away again. | |
| Eisht ren yn tidey caghlaa, as va’n tidey cur lesh mee sheese lesh yn Chiggin reesht. | Then the tide changed and brought me down towards the Chicken again. | |
| Va mee eisht feer faggys da’n thalloo, as ren yn tidey cur lesh mee sheese lesh Clettyn yn Vurroo [2] as va mee smooinaght shickyr dy liooar dy beign er yn Clett as cha voddin geddyn dooinney erbee dooisht. | I was then very near land, and the tide brought me down towards Clettyn yn Vurroo, and I was thinking sure enough that I would be on the Clett, but I could not get any man awake. | |
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[2] Clettyn yn Vurroo - ‘i.e. the Burroo cletts, on the main island opposite the Calf of Man’ Broderick (1982: 120).
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| Ren mee yn swing [3] y yannoo shickyr gys yn anchor as lhig mee sheese ec cheu har jeh’n Clett. | I made the swing fast to the anchor and let it down on the east side of the Clett. | |
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[3] ‘the ‘swing’ referred to the hawser holding the train of nets to the stern of the boat’ Broderick (1982: 120).
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| Ren ee cummal as cur lesh toshiaght yn vaatey gys yn tidey, agh ren yn baatey tayrn ee ersooyl myr clea, [4] agh cha ren ee bwoalley yn chreg; eisht ren yn baatey goll seose cheu sthie jeh’n Chiggin, as yn anchor sleaydey er yn ghrunt gys va mee mooie ayns yn cheayn twoaie. | It held and brought the bow of the boat to the tide, but the boat drew it away like a barred gate, but she did not strike the rock; then the boat went up on the inner side of the Chicken, with the anchor dragging on the bottom until I was out in the northern sea. | |
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[4] myr clea - ‘like a barred gate’ Gell (1948: 54), Broderick (1982b: 120).
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| Tra honnick mee dy row shin ass danjeyr, hie mee ayns yn cabbane reesht, as ren mee goaill ooilley ny cainleyn v’er boayrd as cur soilshey ayndoo ooilley as festal ad er dy chooilley voayl mygeayrt y cabbane. | When I saw that we were out of danger, I went into the cabin again and took all the candles that were on board and lit them all and fixed them all over the cabin. | |
| Haink fynneraght braew dy gheay, agh cha voddin shiaulley yn baatey er yn oyr dy row yn anchor roie; agh cha row mee ayns gaue, as ren mee ceau yn ayrn elley jeh’n oie fegooish aggle erbee. | There came a fair breeze, but I could not sail the boat, because the anchor was running; but I was not in danger, and I spent the rest of the night without any fear. | |
| Ec yn jerrey haink soilshey yn laa; v’eh moghrey Jesarn. | At last daylight came; it was Saturday morning. | |
| Mysh shiaght er yn chlag ren paart jeu doostey, as ren ad doostey yn mainshter. | About seven o’clock some of them woke, and they woke the master. | |
| Eisht haink ad ooilley seose as ren ad goaill seose yn anchor as jannoo son Purt le Moirrey, agh cha row dooinney gra fockle rish dooinney elley. | Then they all came and took up the anchor and made for Port St. Mary, but no-one said a word to anyone else. | |
| Agh tra va ny kiartaghyn jeant, va fer fegooish braagyn dy chur er e chassyn. | But when the chores were done, there was one man without shoes to put on his feet. | |
| Va daa phiyr jeh ny braagyn echey losht agh ren fer elley eeasaght braagyn da dy gholl thie. | Two pairs of his shoes had been burned, but another lent him shoes to go home. | |
| Ta mee er ve boirit keayrt ny ghaa er dy henney lesh deiney veagh goaill yn scooyr, agh cha row mee rieau ayns lheid yn stayd as va mee yn oie shen, as ta mee treishteil nagh jean y lheid cheet orrym arragh ayns my vea, son cha vel ny eeasteyryn giu nish myr v’ad cliaghtey. | I have been troubleed a couple of times since with men who would get drunk, but I was never in such a state as I was that night, and I hope that the like will never happen to me any more in my life, for the fishermen do not drink now as they used to. | |
| Ny-yeih ta paart jeu jannoo broutyn jeu hene ayns Crook foast tra nagh vel yn lught-thie oc hene fakin ad. | Nevertheless some of them still make brutes of themselves in Crookhaven when their own families do not see them. | |
| Ta mee er ve ec yn scaddan traaghyn feer sterrymagh as er jeet trooid gaue ny ghaa, agh ta ny traaghyn shen ooilley jarroodit aym, son dy beagh ny eeasteyryn freayll ayns cooinaght ny danjeyryn t’ad er heet trooid, cha jinnagh ad goll gys yn cheayn arragh. | I have been at the herring on very stormy occasions and have come through many dangers, but I have forgotten all those times, for if the fishermen kept in mind the dangers they have come through, they would not go to sea any more. | |
| Ta shin er ve ayns gaue ymmodee keayrtyn lesh kay, as she ayns ceau sniaghtee va’n traa s’dorrinagh ren mee rieau ceau er yn cheayn. | We have been in danger many times with fog, the most treacherous time I ever spent at sea was in snowfall. | |
| Ny-yeih tra veagh shin geddyn stiagh ayns yn phurt veagh yn danjeyr dy leah er ny yarrood. | Nevertheless when we would get into port the danger would be soon forgotten. | |
| Ta mee er ve ymmodee keayrtyn ayns gaue as smooinaghtyn dy beagh eh yn traa jerrinagh aym as aarloo dy chur seose son y vaase, agh ny-yeih ren yn Ooilley-niartal coadey shin as leeideil shin gys yn phurt ayns sauchys. | I have been many times in danger and thinking that it would be my last, and ready to give up for death, but still the Almighty protected us and guided us to port in safety. | |
| Ny-yeih cha vel graih aym er yn cheayn nish. | However, I have no love for the sea now. | |
| Ta mee er ve goll gys yn scaddan as gys ny balkyn as gys eeastagh brick ec Kinsale as Glendore, Castlehaven as Baltimore, Beerhaven as Crookhaven rish kiare bleeaney jeig as daeed, as er-lhiam dy vel eh traa dou dy gheddyn aash as dy cheau my henn laghyn ec shee ayns yn boayl share shynney lhiam jeh ooilley ny cheeraghyn ta mee er vakin lesh ooilley my hroailt. | I have been going to the herring and to the cod and to mackerel fishing at Kinsale and Glendore, Castlehaven and Baltimore, Bearhaven and Crookhaven for fifty-four years, and I think it is time for me to rest and to spend my old age at peace in the place I love the best of all the countries I have seen with all my travelling. | |
| Ny-yeih shegin dooin streeu dy laboragh choud as ta shin ayns yn vea shoh, as cha vel fys aym cre cha leah as vee’m sumnit dy chur sheese yn laad dy ghoaill aash ayns yn thalloo ass va mee er ny ghoaill. | Nevertheless we must strive to labour as long as we are in this life, and I do not know how soon I will be summoned to lay down the burden to rest in the ground out of which I was taken. | |