Nach fraoibiúil an lá!

[muckefuck]

I had to revist that cache of translated children's books that made my day last week. Here's an excerpt from one that I somehow overlooked before. Who can be the first to tell me the title, author, and original language? (Whoever you are, be sure to mention what bit it was that tipped you off.)

Briollaic a bhí ann; bhí na tóibhí sleo
ag gírleáil 's ag gimleáil ar an taof.
B'an-chuama go deo na borragóibh
is bhí na rádái miseacha ag braíomh.

Fainic an Gheabairleog, a mhic!
na gialla géara, greim na gcrúb!
Fainic an Gumailéan is teith
ó Bhandarsnap na bhfriúch!

Thóg sé bórpalchlaíomh 'na ghlac
is lorg i bhfad an manann-namhaid.
Faoin gcniogaidchrann a dhein sé reast
is mhachnaigh seal san áit.

Is é 'na sheasamh faoi ufmhidheamhain,
bhuifleáil an Gheabairleog an treo,
trín tulach-choill--ba lasta a súil--
is i ag plobaireacht insa ród.

'Aon 'do, 'aon 'do, trí fheith, trí fheoil
do ghearr a bhórpalchlaíomh slis! sleais!
Thit an beithíoch marbh; do thóg sé a cheann,
is go frábhógach rith sé ar ais.

Ar mharaigh tú mar sin an Gheabairleog?
Gabh i leith chúm anall a mhic mo bhéibh!
Nach fraoibiúil an lá! Hurú! Hurá!
a dúirt sé le scliogar a scléip.

Briollaic a bhí ann; bhí na tóibhí sleo
ag gírleáil 's ag gimleáil ar an taof.
B'an-chuama go deo na borragóibh
is bhí na rádái miseacha ag braíomh.

Comments

[bunj.livejournal.com]

For me it was the structure, and the prominent placement of the word "Gheabairleog" at the appropriate places.

So how does the translation compare with the German?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Not surprisingly, it follows the English less. Recall the first paragraph of the German:

Es brillig war. Die schlichte Toven
Wirrten und wimmelten in Waben;
Und aller-mümsige Burggoven
Die mohmen Räth' ausgraben.

No one could miss the connexion between mome raths and mohmen Räthe, but neither bears much resemblance to rádái miseacha. Sleo for slithy and an-chuam for mimsy are also pretty cryptic. I assume these are portmanteaux of Irish words in the same way as the originals are of English words, but my vocabulary isn't broad enough to confirm that.

It's also interesting to note that it doesn't scan the same as the other two or have end-rhyme. A lot of Irish verse--like Old English poetry--is light on the rhyme and heavy on the assonance, so I wonder if they aren't following a more complex scheme of vowel/consonant alternations. If so, it's not leaping out at me.