Dan le Pádraig Mac Piarais darbh tidela “Mionn”

[Lúcas]

I am doing a little research on Patrick Pearse and I ran into the poem below. It was published on the 16 March 1912 in “An Barr Bua (The Tip of Victory)”, a political newspaper that Pearse published. Interwoven with the poem are footnotes written by Aindrias O Cathasaigh who edited the book An Barr Bua, Coiscéim, 2012, p. 20 and p. 29. I found this poem to be pompous and morose, as if Pearse is obessed with being a hero or with an heroic death, but I might be a little biased. So I would be interested in anybody’s thoughts on the poem. The English translation, such as it is, that appears after the poem is mine.

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Mionn

le Pádraic Mac Piaras

In ainm Dé,
Dar Criost a Aon-Mhac,
Dar Mhuire a Chaomh-Mháthair,
Dar Pádraic Apstal [apsal – caighdean oifigiúl] Gael,
Dar dílseacht Cholm Cille,
[fónota 56 — Ceannródaí Críostaí sa séú céad]
Dar clú ár gcine,
Dar crú ár sinsear,
Dar dúnmarú Aodha Rua,
[fónota 57 — Deirteir gur spiaire a thug nimh don taoiseach Aodh Rua Ó Dónell i 1602.]
Dar bás truamhéileach Aodha Uí Néill,
[fónota 58 — Bhásaigh an taoiseach seo sa Roimh i 1616, thar éis naoi mbliana ar deoraíocht ag iarraidh bealach a aimsiú le filleadh chun troda in Éirinn.]
Dar oidhe Eoghain Rua,
[fónota 59 — Anbhás a fuair a fuair an taoiseach Eoghan Rua Ó Néill i 1649, le nimh, dar lena lán.
Dar mian an tSáirséalaigh le hucht a bháis,
[fónota 60 — Bháisaigh an ceannaire Seacaibiteach Patrick Sarsfield sa mBeilg i 1693 de chréacht a fuair sé ag troid in arm na Fraince. Deitear gur dúirt sé ar leaba a bháis: “Oh, if only this were for Ireland.”]
Dar osna éagomhalainn an Ghearaltaigh,
[fónota 61 — Gabhadh Edward Fitzgerald, duine de ceannaire na nÉireannach Aontaithe, i 1798. Gortíodh le urchar le linn a gabhála é, ceileadh cóir leighis air go bhfuair sé bás pianmhar sa bpríosún.]
Dar créachta crólinnteacha Tone,
[fónota 62 — Fuair Theobald Wollfe Tone, Éireanach Aontaihe, bás i 1798 de gearradh scornaí, aige féin, is dóichí.]
Dar fuil uasal Emmet,
[fónota 63 — Cuireadh Robert Emmet chun báis in 1803 thar éis éirí amach i mBaile Atha Cliath.]
Dar coirp an Ghorta,
Dar deora deoraithe Gael,
Beirimid na mionna a bhreireadh ár sinsir
Go bhfuasclóimid de ghéibheann ár gcgine
Nó go ditfimíd [sic] bonn le bonn.

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An Oath

by Patric Pearse

In the name of God,
By Christ His only son,
By Mary His gentle mother,
By Patrick an Irish Apostle,
By the fidelity of Colmcille (a.k.a. Columba),
[foonote 56 — a Christian leader in the sixth century]
By the fame of our race,
By the blood of our ancestors,
By the murder of Red Hugh,
[foonote 57 — It is said that a spy poisioned the chieftain Red (haired) Hugh O’Donnell in 1602.]
By the pitiful death of Hugh O’Neill.
[foonote 58 — This chieftain died in Rome in 1616, after spending nine years in exile trying to find a way to return to the fighting in Ireland.]
By the sudden death of Red Owen,
[foonote 59 — The chieftain Red (haired) Owen O’Neill (Owen Roe O’Neill) died suddenly, in 1649, by poison, according to many.
By the wish of the Sarsfeld facing his death,
[foonote 60 — The head of the Jacobites, Patrick Sarsfield, died in Belgium in 1693 of wounds he got fighting in the French army. It is said that he said on his death bed: “Oh, if only this were for Ireland.”]
By the cry of distress of the Fitzgerald,
[foonote 61 — Captured Edward Fitzgerald, one of the leaders of the United Irishmen, in 1798. He died of a gunshot when he was captured, and medical treatment was withheld from him so that he died a painful death in prison.]
By the gory wound of Tone,
[foonote 62 — Theobald Wollfe Tone, a United Irishman, died in 1798, of a slit throat, likely done to himself.]
By the blood of noble Emmet,
[foonote 63 — Robert Emmet was put to death in 1803 after the revolution in Dublin.]
By the corpses of the Famine,
By the tears of the exiled Irish,
We take the oaths our ancestors took
that we will deliver our race from captivity
or we fall toe to toe.

[Onuvanja]

Go raibh maith a’d as an dán sin a roinnt linn! Caithfidh mé a rá gur breá liom an t-aistriúchán atá déanta agat air. Ós rud é gur “mionn” atá ann, ba chóir go mbeadh sé rud beag sollúnta, creidim. D’fhéadfá a rá go bhfuil an file ag iarraidh a mhíniú cén fáth go bhfuil an tsaoire ag teastáil ón bpobal agus cén fáth go mba cheart troid ar a son. Marach an Piarsach agus a leithéid, drochsheans go dtarlódh rud ar bith i 1916… Bhuel, níl ann ach tuairim.

[Héilics Órbhuí]

Aontaim le Ovunanja. Is aistriúchán an-mhaith atá déanta agat ar an dán. Tréaslaim leat.
Ní dóigh liom go bhfuil sé ‘pompous’ ach tuigim do chás. Déarfainn go bhfuil sé ag iarraidh aird a tharraingt ar na héagóra a rinneadh ar an gcine Gael agus go háirithe ar dhaoine áirithe a throid ar a shon, nó iad a mhóradh nóÂ a chuir i gcuimhne dúinn. Tá cuma saghas rómánsúil ar an dán, ach ní hé sin le rá nach bhfuil sonraí an scéil fíor. Togha fir thú gur roinn tú linn é!

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