| Manx | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Pledeilys eddyr daa Vanninagh dooie. | A talk between two native Manxmen. | |
| (Juan as Illiam meeiteil.) | ||
| (Juan and Illiam meeting) | ||
| Juan.—Tou cheet. | Juan.—You’re coming. | |
| Illiam.—Ta. Tou uss cheet neesht | Illiam.— Yes, you’re coming too. | |
| J.—Ta moghree fihn ayn. | J.—It’s a fine morning. | |
| I.—Ta shen ayn, agh ta tra mie rastagh harrish ain. | I.—That’s right, but a pretty rough time we’ve had. | |
| J.—Ta dy jarroo. Geayll oo jehn lhong va trait laa chaiee mooie jeh Kione Yerby? | J.—Yes indeed. Did you hear of the ship that was beached the other day off Jurby Head? | |
| I.—Dy ve shickyr | —nagh row eh sy fabyr? | |
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I. To be sure—wasn’t it in the paper?
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| J.—Cren pabyr tou uss goaill? | J.—What paper do you take? | |
| I.—Ta ga ny three jin goaill yn Heral eddyr shin; as shimmey oor plesal te cur orrin ceau; te cur shaghe yn traa, chouds te ginsh jeh ny reddyn ta goll. | I.— There are two or three of us taking the Herald between us, and it has caused us to spend many a pleasing hour; it passes the time, while it tells of the things that are going on. | |
| J.—Ta Juan Bowyr as mee hene goaill y Sun eddyr shin. Taa wite pleat jeant ayn er y gherrid shoh mychione y Chiare-as-Feed—wite jinglerys. | J.—Deaf Juan and myself take the Sun between us. There’s so much prattle done in it recently about the Keys—so much wrangling. | |
| I.—Hoh! Ommijys leh—jus ryd dy lieeney'n duillag. | I.— Oh! Nonsense lad—just a thing to fill the page. | |
| J.—Ta ny smoo na shen ayn. Vell oo toiggal ad? | J.—There’s more than that in it. Do you understand them? | |
| I.—Tad mie doillee lhiam ny cheayrtyn, fooast strow hene dy vel mee laanvie. | I.—I find them pretty difficult sometimes, still I think I’m very good. | |
| J.—Insh dou cre tan fogle lhiauyr shen meanal, Rebrezentashyn. Tad gusal mennic eh, agh cha vel y cheeall my chione cre te meanal. | J.— Tell me what that long word ‘rebrezentashyn’ means. They often use it, but not the sense about what it means. | |
| I.—Cha sayd cre Rebrezentashyn! Tou dty voght glen ny yei, mannagh sayd cre Rebrezentashyn. Jeeagh sy Dicksinerry, ghooinney, as yiow jeeragh eh. Vel Dicksinerry ayd—foddee nagh vel—yeeaseeyms nane dhyt. | I.—You don’t know what rebrezentashyn is! You’re a right wretch then, if you don’t know what rebrezentashyn is. Look in your dicksinerry, man, and you'll find it right away. Do you have a dicksinerry—maybe not—I'll lend one to you. | |
| J.—Oh ta shann unnane aym ny lhie er y latt ayns shen sthie, agh ta ny duillaggyn eic faagys ooilliu reabit assjee; agh yioym un ogle aynjee fooast—nee un duillag shen. | J.—Oh, I have an old one lying on the rack indoors there, but its pages are nearly all ripped out of it, but I’ll find one word in it yet—one page will do that. | |
| I.—Cre shiu dhyt boirey? Injyms mee hene dhyt, ghooinney. —Rebrezentashyn—ta shen fer shassoo ayns ynnyd fer elley. Tan Heral shassoo er dy lhisagh sleih jannoo leighyn dy phlesal ad hene, cha nee fagail da’n Kiare-as-Feed ad. As dy jarroo ta mish me hene goaill toshiaght dy leaystey red beg bentyn daue. Nagh beagh eh foddey share dooin stroak ve ain ayns ny coonseilyn oc? Shen myr tadyr ayns Sosthyn. Ta dagh skeerey cur stiagh dooinney ayns yn ynnyd oc: dooinney rheit lioroo hene. As nagh mie veagh eh dy voghe shin kied voish y Ree dy rei dooinney ayns y skeerey ain, fer veagh toiggal feme y skeerey, as myr shen veagh fondagh dy charail leighyn fondagh dooin? | I.—What's the value of worrying [i.e. Don't bother]. I'll explain it to you, man. Rebrezentashyn—that is one person standing in another’s place. The Herald is insisting that people should make laws to please themselves, not leaving them to the Keys. And, indeed, I am myself beginning to somewhat waver in my opinion concerning them. Would it not be far better for us to have a ‘stroak’ (vote) in their councils? That’s how they are in England. Each parish puts a man in their place: a man chosen by themselves. And wouldn’t it be good if we were to get permission from the King to choose a man in our parish, one who would know what the parish needs, and so would be able to design effectual laws for us? | |
| J.—Cha vel mee gobbal. Nish hene tad taggloo jeh gobbal kied da ny hirinnee ta shin ayn [?shirrey] cur pudaasyn ass cheer; as ta fys mie ain ooilliu er dy vel shoh ryd feer neuchreeney; son cren phrice yiow nish er yn arroo? As cren aght nee yn Thennys y maal? Er son feme cha bee ayn: yiow main palchey voish Nolbin, as shen ayns tra giare, lhig da gennid ve ayn na dyn; agh ta fys ain er un ryd, bee curnaght voish ny cheernyn mooie lieeney stiagh orrin, as freayll sheese price yn arroo myr boallagh eh. Myr shen nagh bee chynce eddyr faagit dooin. | J.—I’m not denying it. Right now they are talking of refusing permission for the farmers who looking to export potatoes; and we all know well that this is a very unwise thing; for what price will you get now for the corn? And how will the tenants make the rent? Shortage there won't be: we’ll get plenty from Scotland, and that in a short time, whether there be a scarcity or not; but we know one thing, there will be wheat from outside countries piling (filling) in on us, and keeping down the price of corn as it used to. So there won’t be a chance at all left for us. | |
| I.—Ta’n irrin ayd. Craad yiow sleih argid ec y tra tayn dy eek ny feeaghyn bleeaney oc? Agh bee eh ny share da ny leighdaryn. | I.—You're right there. Where will people get money at the moment to pay their annual fees? But it will be better for the lawyers. | |
| J.—Wahll, wahll, cha vel shoh agh un ryd ny yei, agh shimmey ryd tayn. | J.— Well, well, this is only one thing anyway, but there are many things in it. | |
| I.—Shohn whashtyn, vel eh lowal dan Chiare-as-Feed janoo leigh erbee fegooish consent y theay? Ernonney lhig aue ve rheit liorish y theay, as eisht veagh dagh skeerey as chynce eikey son cairys; son oddagh ad eisht janoo stiagh rish y dooinney mooar oc hene er dy choilliu oyr jeh egin foshlit na feme erbee oddagh ve reaghit liorish leigh noa. | I.— This is the question, is it right for the Keys to make any law without the consent of the public? If not, let them be chosen by the public, and then each parish would have chance for justice; so they could then approach their great man themselves on every cause requiring help openly, or any need that could be resolved by a new law. | |
| J.—Veagh shoh resoonagh, dy ghra yn chooid sloo jeh. Agh cre shiu taggloo? Cha vow mayd nyn aigney! | J.—This would be reasonable, to say the least of it. But what is the worth of talking? We won't get our way! | |
| I.—Kys sayds son shen? Foddie dy now. | I.—How do you know about that? Maybe we will. | |
| J.—Beggan! Tan Kiare-as-Feed as sneih currit orroo, as tad gra dy vel ad corree, as dy vel paart jeu hene scrieu ayns y Sun cha keoi as dy beagh ad dy feer baanrit. | J.—Hardly! The Keys are affronted, and they say they are angry, and that some of them write in the Sun as crazy as if they were truly raving. | |
| I.—Cha voddyms credjal shen—ta sins[1] smoo ayndoo na dy ghoaill olk rish yn irriney, shickyr. Ta fys mie oc er nagh re noi oc hene myr deiney erlheh tan chooish bentyn, agh daue myr Khingleeidee yn theay, as shen-y-fa cha vel eh quashtyn ta bentyn da resoon chadjin, chamoo vel eh madyr erbee dauesyn agh dys vondeish y cheer; cheumooie jeh shen, dy beagh ad currit ass oik mairagh veagh eh dys y vondeish oc hene, son haueagh eh cost daue cha nee beggan, goll dys Balleychashtal myr whilluen goar dys bwoaillee. Ec y chooid smessey veagh ad myr vadyr—as eer bentyn da nyn oashley oddagh eh ve ny share, son oddagh ad, whillin as ta feiu, ve rheit ass y noa. As lurg ooilliu quoi sfondagh veagh son y visnis na ad hene? | I.—I can’t believe that—there is more sense in them than to take offence at the truth, surely. They well know that it isn’t against them as individuals that this matter is concerned, but for them as leading heads of the public, and therefore it isn’t a question that concerns ordinary discourse, neither is it any matter for them, but for for the benefit of the country; besides, if they were to be put out of office tomorrow it would be to their own advantage, because it would save them the not insignificant cost of going to Castletown like so many goats to the fold. At worst they would be as they were, and even concerning their high status they could be better off, for they could, as many as are worthy, be elected anew. And after all, who would be most qualified for the business than themselves? | |
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[1] sins—‘sense’.
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| J.—Cha sayms bwo, agh hee main cre jir yn Heral tra hig eh. Ta mish coondey lane jehn Heral. Ta mee treeall goaill eh son y nah raie. Yeeasee oo dou eh, as yeeasyms y Sun dhyts. Bee plea dewil goll son shiaghtinyn. | J.—I don’t know boy, but we’ll see what the Herald says when it comes. I think a lot of the Herald. I have a mind to take it for the next quarter. You’ll lend it to me, and I’ll lend the Sun to you. There’ll be a vicious contention going for weeks. | |
| I.—Dyn dood cha vod ad ve feeagh. | I.—No doubt they won’t be able to be calm. | |
| J.—Tou us er cheu yn Heral. | J.—You’re on the side of the Herald. | |
| I.—Ta mee goaillrish dy vel, as cha nee fegooish resoon. Ta ooilliu'n sleih son eckey. Eie stiagh myr tou goll shiaghey, as jeeaghyms dhyt ee. | I.—I admit I am, and not without reason. All the people are in favour of it. Call in as you go past, and I’ll show it to you. | |
| J.—Feer vie, my vees tra aym neem gyllagh er raad bac. | J.—Very good, if I have time I’ll call on my way back. | |