An Bonnán Buí

An Bonnán Buí

An Bhonnán Bhuí (The Yellow Bittern) is a classic poem in Irish by the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna. In addition to the conventional end-rhyme, it uses internal rhyme ("A bhonnán bh"", is é mo léan do l"" / Is do chnámha s"í"nte tar éis do ghrinn" - in the Irish language all the italicised elements have the same long 'ee' sound (pronounced|ɪː), a technique characteristic of Gaelic poetry of the era.

The poem is in the form of a lament for a bittern that died of thirst, but is also a tongue in cheek defence by the poet of his own drinking habit. It has been translated into English by, among others, James Stephens, Thomas MacDonagh, Thomas Kinsella, and Seamus Heaney. The Irish words have been used as lyrics by the band Clannad on their album "Crann Ull" (as "Bunan Bui") and the English words (MacDonagh version) on Cathie Ryan's album "The Music Of What Happens" (1998).

"The Yellow Bittern" is also the name of a 1917 play about the death of Mac Giolla Ghunna by Daniel Corkery.

The version by Thomas MacDonagh is especially notable because in addition to keeping close to the original wording, MacDonagh attempts with considerable success to replicate in English the internal rhyme technique ("His bones are thr"ow"n on a naked st"o"ne / Where he lived al"o"ne like a hermit monk.")

Words (Irish original)

A bhonnán bhuí, is é mo léan do luí,
Is do chnámha sínte tar éis do ghrinn,
Is chan easba bidh ach díobháil
a d'fhág i do luí thú ar chúl do chinn.
Is measa liom féin scrios na Traoi
bheith i do luí ar leaca lom',
Is nach ndearna díth dolaidh sa tír,
Is nárbh fhearra leat fíon uisce poll.

A bhonnáin álainn, is é mo mhíle crá thú,
Do chúl ar lár amuigh romham sa tslí,
Is gurbh iomaí a chluininn do ghrág
Ar an láib is ag ól na .
Is é an a deir cách le do dheartháir Cáthal,
Go bhfaighidh bás mar siúd, más fíor,
Ach hamhlaidh atá, siúd an préachán breá
Chuaigh in éag ar ball le díth na .

A bhonnáin óig, is é mo mhíle brón
Thú bheith sínte fuar i measc na dtom,
Is na luchaí móra ag triall chun do thórraimh,
Ag déanamh spóirt agus pléisiúir ann;
Is gcuirfeá scéala in am faoi mo dhéinse
Go raibh i ngéibhinn, i mbroid dheoch,
Do bhrisfinn béim duit ar an loch úd Bhéasaigh
A fhliuchfadh do bhéal is do chorp isteach.

hiad bhur n-éanlaith atá ag éagnach,
An lon, an smaolach, an chorr ghlas,
Ach mo bhonnán buí, bhí lán de chroí,
Is gur chosúil liom féin é ina ghné is ina dhath.
Bhíodh go síoraí ag ól na ,
Is deir na daoine go mbímse mar sin seal;
Níl aon deor bhfaighinn nach ligfinn síos,
Ar eagla go bhfaighinnse bás den tart.

Is é a d'iarr mo stór orm ligint den ól,
nach mbeinnse beo ach seal beag gearr;
Ach dúirt léithi go dtug an bhréag,
Is gurbh fhaide mo shaolsa an deoch úd a fháil.
Nach bhfaiceann sibh éan an phíobáin réidh
A chuaigh in éag den tart ar ball;
Is a chomharsain chléibh, fliuchaíg bhur mbéal
Óir chan fhaigheann sibh braon i ndiaidh bhur mbáis.

Translations

* [http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/3281.html Version by Thomas MacDonagh]
* [http://homepage.eircom.net/~abardubh/poetry/gael/dan106.html Version by Thomas Kinsella]
* [http://www.eofeasa.ie/cathalbui/public_html/danta_CB/yellow_bittern_heaney.html Version by Seamus Heaney]

ources

* Robert Welch (ed), "The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature". Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1996.


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