Стихотворение Нулы Ни Гоннал «Водяная Лошадь» (на ирландском и английском языках).

le Nuala NЁЄ Dhomhnaill

Ar dtЁІis ba ina cuid taibhrЁЄ amhЁўin
a thagadh sЁ¦ chun luЁЄ lЁ¦i.

1. Ansan lЁў
go raibh sЁЄ in ainm is a bheith ag aoireacht ba
i gCuaisЁЄn na gCaorach, (bhЁЄ sЁЄ ag lЁ¦amh
The Old Curiosity Shop le Charles Dickens
is gan aon chuimhneamh aici ar bha nЁў a leithЁ¦id)
cad a chonaic sЁЄ ach na muca mara ina scuaine
amuigh sa chuan. Do gheit a croЁЄ:
is ann a cheap sЁЄ gurb iad na beithЁЄgh go lЁ¦ir aici fЁ¦in
a bhЁЄ tar Ё¦is titim le haill go hobann isteach sa tsruth.
Cheap sЁЄ go bhfaigheadh sЁЄ leathmharЁІ sa bhaile dЁў bharr
is do lЁ¦im suas le teann lЁЄonrith ague uamhain
sarar thuig sЁЄ cad a bhЁЄ suas.
BЎЇshin Ё¦ an chЁ¦ad uair a thaibhsigh sЁ¦ chЁІichi ar an lЁўthair.

translation by EilЁ¦an NЁЄ ChuilleanЁўin

At first it was only in her dreams
That he came and lay with her.

On the day
She was supposed to be minding the cows
In Sheep Cove (she was reading Dickens,
The Old Curiosity Shop,
And cows were the last thing on her mind)
She saw the porpoises flocking out in the bay.
Her heart almost stopped.
She thought they were her cows, all of them
Fallen at once from the cliff to the water.
She thought sheЎЇd get a hammering at home
And she had jumped up in her agitation
Before she saw what the bodies were.
That was the first time he appeared to her there.

2. Ina dhiaidh sin
thЁўinig sЁ¦ arЁЄs is arЁЄs chЁІichi.
Ar dtЁІis bЎЇait lЁ¦i an t-Ё¦adach aisteach a bhЁЄ air:
an lЁІireach, na loirgneЁўin cnЁўmh Ё¦isc, is an cafarr,
na lЁўmhainnЁЄ fada dЁ¦anta de chraiceann bradЁўn is scadЁўn.
NЁЄ raibh aon oidhre eile air, dar lЁ¦i, dЎЇfhЁ¦adfЁў a rЁў,
ach carachtar neamhdhaonna Ё¦igin Ё® Bh-scannЁўn ЎЄ
Ў®An CrЁ¦atЁІir Ё®n LagЁІn GormЎЇ nЁ® fiЁІ King Kong.
Ach nuair a bhain sЁ¦ do an clogad a bhЁЄ ar a cheann
is chraith a mhoing bhreЁў ruainnЁЄ anuas ar a ghualainn
chonaic sЁЄ go soilЁ¦ir ainsin gurbh fhear Ё®g a bhЁЄ ann.

And after that
He came to her again and again.
At first his clothing seemed so strange to her:
The breastplate, the fishbone greaves and the casque,
The long gloves made from the skin of eels,
His whole style recalling
The sub-human creatures from B movies:
The Creature from Black Lagoon, or an Irish cousin of King Kong.
But when he took the helmet from his head
And his fine horseЎЇs mane loosened on his shoulders
She saw clearly that he was a young man.

3. Ansan thЁўinig lЁў
gur chuir sЁ¦ a cheann ina hucht.
BhЁЄ na mЁЄolta mЁ®ra ag bЁІirthЁЄl thЁЄos fЁІthu faoi loch
is na muca mara ina dtЁўinte glЁ¦igeala mЁ®rthimpeall.
(Sa trЁўthЁ®na thiar
do chonaic daoine a bhЁЄ ar an gcnoc le ba iad.)
Is i dteanga Ё¦igin iasachta a thuig sЁЄ
cЁ¦ nЁўrbh fhЁ¦idir lЁ¦i na focail a dhЁ¦anamh amach i gceart,
dЎЇiarr sЁ¦ uirthi a cheann a ghlanadh
is na mЁЄola a bhЁЄ ag crЁў an chinn air a chnagadh
lena hingne fada.

Then came the day
He laid his head on her breast.
The sea-creatures were hooting below them on the water
And the porpoises in shining troops around them.
(Later in the evening
They were seen by people out after cows on the mountain.)
And in a foreign tongue she understood
Though she could not properly make out the words,
He asked her to comb his hair
And crush with her long nails
The creatures that were pestering his head.

4. Do dhein sЁЄ amhlaidh.
BhЁЄ sЁЄ ag portaireacht go bog faoina hanЁўil
is ЁЄ Ёў bhrЁ¦agadh nuair a baineadh aisti an phreab
is gheit a croЁЄ uirthi; bhЁЄ dЁІlamЁўn is duileascar cloch
ag fЁўs i measc rЁІtaЁЄ na gruaige aige.
Thuig sЁЄ lЁўithreach cad a bhЁЄ suas
is nЁўr mhaith an earra Ё¦. Ansan
nuair a bhraith sЁЄ barraЁЄ na gcluas aige thuig sЁЄ leis
nach ar Labhraidh Lorc amhЁўin sa scЁ¦al
a bhЁЄ na cluasa capaill.

She did what he asked.
She was humming softly under her breath
Soothing him, when she got the fright
That stopped her heart again: seaweed and rock dillish
Were growing among the roots of his hair.
She guessed at once what was going on
And that it was bad news. Then
When she felt the tips of his ears she knew
That not only Labhraidh Loric in the old story
Had ears like a horseЎЇs ears.

5. CЁ¦ gur bhrЁІcht brat fuarallais trЁЄna craiceann amach
do bhain sЁЄ mЁЄotЁ®g amhЁўin nЁ® dhЁ® nЁ® trЁЄ
as a cromЁўn is nЁЄ dЁІirt sЁЄ faic.
Lean sЁЄ uirthi ar feadh an ama ag cЁЄoradh a chinn,
ag crЁ®nЁўn is ag portaireacht,
ag gabhЁўilt de shuantraithe is de ghiotaЁЄ beaga amhrЁўn,
Ёў bhrЁ¦agadh is Ёў mhealladh de shЁЄor chun suain.
Ansan nuair a bhraith sЁЄ faid osnaЁЄle
ag teacht ina anЁўil,
do scaoil sЁЄ snaidhmeanna a haprЁІin
go cЁІramach is go mear

Yet although the cold sweat was running down her skin
She gave herself a pinch in the thigh
Or two or three, and said nothing.
She went on combing his hair the whole time
Humming and murmuring
Lullabies and scraps of songs
To soothe him and beguile him into sleep
And then when she heard his breathing
Changing to the sighs of a sleeper
She undid the strings of her apron
Gently and quickly

6. is thug dos na bonnaibh Ё¦
Rith sЁЄ ins na trЁ¦inte trЁЄd an bhfaill
go tigh a muintire. Ar dtЁІis
is slaod gibirise amhЁўin i dtaobh rЁІtaЁЄ feamnaЁЄ
is cluasa capaill a dЎЇeascair as a bЁ¦al. Ar deireadh
nuair a tuigeadh le deacaireacht agus faoi dheoidh
do lucht an tЁЄ cad a bhЁЄ Ёў rЁў aici, dЎЇaithnЁЄodar lЁўithreach
is ar an bpointe boise gurb Ё¦ an t-each uisce Ё¦.
DЎЇЁ¦irЁЄodar airm is a n-Ё¦ide catha,
is ritheadar amach ina mbuЁЄon armtha
ar tЁЄ a mharaithe.

And she ran for it,
She made it up the cliffs in a flash
To the house of her people. At first,
All they could get from her was a streel of nonsense
About seaweed roots and horseЎЇs ears. At length,
When her people at home had laboured to make out
The meaning of what she was saying, they knew at once
Right on the spot that it was the water horse.
They rose up and put on their clothes,
Their battle-gear and took their weapons.
And out they went as an armed patrol
To find and kill him.

7 BhЁЄ seans lЁ¦i, a dЁІirt na hЁ¦inne, ina dhiaidh san.
BhЁЄ, agus gur dhЁ®bair di ЎЄ aon bharrthuisle amhЁўin,
aon ghnЁЄomh ar bith ceataЁЄ is bhЁЄ sЁЄ ite aige,
scun scan, beo beathЁІch, cnЁўmha agus uile.
TrЁЄ lЁў i ndiaidh na tubaiste
seans go mbeadh a hae, an dЁў scЁўmhЁ®ig aici is na duЁўin
le piocadh suas acu ar bharra taoide.
BЎЇfhЁЄor dЁ®ibh, do thuig sЁЄ san.
Mar sin fЁ¦in do luigh imeachtaЁЄ an lae ЁІd
go trom uirthi.
Do shuigh sЁЄ sЁЄos ar fhaobhar na faille
lЁў i ndiaidh lae eile

Afterwards they all said she was lucky.
She was, and it was a near thing; one slip,
One step awry and heЎЇd have swallowed her,
Right down, live and kicking, blood and bones.
Three days after the event
They might have found her liver, a couple of lungs and kidneys
Picked up around the high-tide mark.
That was the sort of beast he was.
It was true for them, she knew it.
And yet she felt the story of that day
Lie heavy on her.
SheЎЇd sit there on the cliff edge
Day after day.

8. is ЁЄ ag cuimhneamh ar loinnir uaithne
na sЁІl bhfiarsceabhach aige a dЎЇfhЁ¦ach uirthi le fonn
a bhЁЄ chomh simplЁЄ san is chomh glan, follЁўin,
ina shlЁЄ fЁ¦in le hampla ocrais;
drithle rithimeach na ngЁ¦ag donn
is conas a chaolaЁЄodar ina riostaЁЄ cЁІnga
ag rЁЄ na lЁўimhe aige

And she thought about the green gleam
In the strange eyes that had looked at her with desire,
That was as simple, clean, clear
In its own way as a hearty hunger;
The rhythmic shining of his brown limbs
And how they narrowed to slim wrists
And the shape of the hands.

.
9. Thar aon nЁЄ eile do chuimhnigh sЁЄ ar mhatЁўin
iallaithe a choirp a bhЁЄ chomh haiclЁЄ
is chomh teann le bogha i bhfearas. An teannas
a bhЁЄ ann, mar a bheadh sprionga tochraiste
a bheadh ar tinneall i gcЁ®naЁЄ
is rЁ¦idh faoi bhrЁўid a athscaoilte.

More than all else she remembered the muscular
Weave of his body that was tense
And light as a tightened bow. The spring
Wound up, alert, constantly
Ready to be released again.