Scottish Gaelic Column October 1998 - Lovely Colours on Lone

The Scottish Gaelic Column

Tha an colbh Gàidhlig seo air a tharraing à "Cothrom", an ràitheachan dà-chànanach aig CLI. Thèid "Cothrom" fhaighinn an asgaidh le buill ChLI, an carthannas airson luchd-ionnsachaidh is luchd-taic na Gàidhlig.

This Gaelic column is drawn from "Cothrom", the bilingual quarterly magazine from CLI. "Cothrom" is distributed free to members of CLI, the charity for learners and supporters of Scots Gaelic

	Dathan Àlainn air Iasad	Lovely Colours on Lone
Chùm Comhairle nan Leabhraichean cùrsa sgrìobhaidh aig Moin Ìtheig Mhòr faisg air Inbhir Nis bho chionn ghoirid. Bha Niall Gòrdan as a' Bhlàr Dhubh, a bhios a' sgrìobhadh gu cunbhalach ann an Cothrom, an làthair.	The Gaelic Books Council recently staged a writing course at Moniack Mhòr near Inverness recently. Amongst those participating was the regular contributor to Cothrom Niall Gordon from the Muir of Ord.
Fhuair mi litir gam fhiathachadh gu cùrsa air son sgrìobhadairean Gàidhlig aig Ionad Arvon ann an Gleann Confhadhaich. Bha dà sgrìobhadair ainmeil gu bhith ann - 'se sin Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn agus Iain Moireach - agus bhiodh cothrom aig luchd frithealaidh a' chùrsa bruidhinn riutha agus an cuid sgrìobhaidh a shealltainn dhaibh.	I received a letter inviting me to attend a course for Gaelic writers at Arvon Centre in Glen Convinth. Two renowned writers would be there - Iain Crichton Smith and Iain Murray - and course attenders would have the opportunity to speak to them and show their work to them.
B'i a' cheist: an robh còir agamsa, nach d'fhuair mòran litreachais no bàrdachd san sgoil (mo choire fhìn!), cùrsa dhen t-seòrsa fhrithealadh? Uill, cha robh adhbhar iomnaidh ann - chaidh gabhail rium mar dhuine sam bith eile, agus gu dearbh bha mòran dhe mo sheòrsa ann cuideachd. Mar bu nòs leam o shean, chùm mi leabhar latha los gun cumainn cunntais air mo thuras. Seo beagan dhe na sgrìobh mi oidhche Luain.…	The thing was: was it right that I, who'd not had much literature or poetry at school (my own fault!), attend such a course? Well, there was no reason to be anxious - I was accepted just like anyone else, and indeed there were many of my sort there also. As has been my custom of old, I kept a diary so that I may keep an account of my trip. Here is some of what I wrote on Monday night.....
12.30 Meadhan Oidhche:- Tha mi air mo shlighe fhaotainn dhan àite, agus air coinneachadh ri mòran, cuid as aithne is cuid nach aithne dhomh. Bhruidhinn Iain Moireach mun obair aige, is mun dòigh 's a bhios sgeulachdan a' tighinn a-staigh gu rudan ùra: is bhruidhinn an Iain eile air a' rud ris an canamaid "rosg-dhàn": 's dòcha gur e an diofar eadar rosg is bàrdachd gum bi aon ìomhaigh làidir ann an sgeulachd no rosg, 's gum bithear a' tighinn thuige no dol uaithe le còmhradh, rud nach gabh àite ann am bàrdachd.	12.30 Midnight :- I have found my way to the place, and have met a lot of folk, some I know and some I don't. Iain Murray spoke about his work, and about the way in which stories come into being new things: and the other Iain spoke on what we may call a "prose-poem": perhaps the difference between prose and poetry is that there is always one strong image in a story or prose, and that it is referred to or circumvented by conversation, something which doesn't take place in poetry.
Di-Màirt, bha cothrom againn uile bruidhinn 'nar n-aonar, mar gum biodh, ris ar luchd oideachaidh, duine mu seach. On as i a' bhàrdachd cuspair cridhe Nèill, sann a thagh mi gum bruidhninn ri Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn: duine laghach coibhneil, a leugh cuid dhe na rinn mi thuige seo is a thuirt gun do chòrd na leugh e ris! B'e 'chomhairle gum bu chòir sgrìobhadair aon ìomhaigh làidir a chumail san amharc agus sgrìobhadh ma deidhinn.	On Tuesday, we all had the opportunity to speak alone, as it were, with our instructors, turn about. Since poetry is the subject close to Niall's heart, I chose to speak to Iain Crichton Smith: a lovely, kind man, who read some of what I have written up to now, and who said that he liked what he'd read! His advice was that a writer ought to concentrate on one strong image and write about it.
Dh'fhàg mi leabhran den bhàrdachd agam aige, agus chaidh mi dhan t-seòmar ann an deagh shunnd! Agus bha barrachd misneachd an dàn dhomh on Iain eile air an fheasgar: thuirt e rium, "Sgrìobh mud dheidhinn fhèin - coma cò chaidh romhad!" Uill, tha fhios gu robh buaidh aig na briathran aige orm, oir chaidh agam air na faclan seo a chur ri chèile, is mi an impis mo leabaidh a thogail orm an oidhche ud:	I left a jotter of my poetry with him, and went off to my room in a good mood! And more encouragement was in store for me from the other Iain in the evening: he said to me, "Write about yourself - never mind who wrote before you !" Well, those words must have had an effect upon me, for I managed to put these words together on the point of going to my bed that night:
Dealbh Beatha	A Life Picture
Thòisich mi	I began
Leis na dathan àlainn a fhuair mi air iasad	With the lovely colours I'd got on loan
O bhriathran	From the talk
Is o fhaclan dhaoine eile	And the words of other people
(Mar gum b'ann o phàrantan):	(As if it were from parents) :
Agus chruthaich mi rud -	And I created something -
Chan fhios dhomh 'n e dealbh no dàn,	I don't know if it's picture or poem,
Ach 'se mo chruthachd fhìn a bh'ann:	But it's my own creation:
Agus rinn mi e	And I made it--
Agus stad mi.	And I stopped.
Càil a dh'fhios a'm	I've no idea--
'N e 'n fhìrinn fhèin a bh'agam	Was it my own truth
No fìrinn "fhìor" mo phàrantan	Or the "true" truth of my parents
No fìrinn sam bith eile:	Or any other truth:
Ach 'sann a chuir mi crìoch air	But I finished it
A' rud a thòisich mi:	The thing I'd begun:
Agus nach e sin mo cheann ùidhe co-dhiù?	And isn't that my destination anyway?
Sin ma-tà, aon rud beag a thàinig gu bith aig buaidh a' chùrsa: agus mura robh mi air dad eile a dhèanamh seach sin, bhithinn fòs air a radha gum b'fhiach an cùrsa fhrithealadh!	That, then, is one small thing which came to be as a result of the course: and if I had done nothing else but that, I'd still have said that it was worth attending the course!
Bha làithean is oidhcheannan glè chridheil againn air feadh na seachdain: suipeir ri solas coinnle, còmhraidhean anmoch inntinneach, agus fiù 's fìon gun shòradh! 'S dòcha gun canadh cuid gum b'e làithean saora a bh'againn is cha b'e cùrsa obair chruaidh - ach mar a fhuair Niall beag a-mach, 'se sgrìobhadh an obair as saothraiche th'ann, agus mar sin 'se fìon as fheàrr a thaobh fuasgladh cridhe is faochadh inntinn ... agus dùsgadh ealain cuideachd.	We had some grand days and nights throughout the week: candlelit supper, interesting late conversations, and even plenty of wine! Perhaps some would say that we were on holiday and that we weren't on a hard-working course - but as your Niall found out, writing is the hardest work around, and so wine is best as regards emotional frankness and intellectual relief ... and the awakening of art also.
Uill, ma-tà: seachdain sgoinneil, anns an do thachair mi ri mòran dhaoine laghach agus anns an do dh'ionnsaich mi rud no dhà mu sgrìobhadh - agus anns a' cho-dhùnadh, bu toil leam a radha gur e fìor adhbhar pròis dhomh gun tuirt Iain gu robh aon dàn agam a thaitinn ris gu sònraichte, aon dàn a tha 's dòcha a' cantainn tòrr mu dheidhinn dè seòrsa dàn a bu chòir dhomh bhith ris - dè an dàn? Thà, an dearbh dàn a nochd ann an Cothrom 14, "Fìor Mholadh a Sheinneas !" Measam gur e moladh a fhuair mi fhìn.	Well, then: a fine week, in which I met lots of nice folk, and in which I learned a thing or two about writing - and in conclusion, I would like to say that it is a source of pride for me that Iain said he particularly liked one poem of mine, one poem which perhaps says a lot about what kind of poetry I ought to stick to - what is it? What else but the very poem which appeared in Cothrom 14, "True Praise Which Sings!" I reckon that in itself is praise.

Niall Gòrdan

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