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THE BEGINNING
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PENGUIN CLASSICS
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Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
This selection first published 2010
Published in this format in Penguin Classics 2012
Selection and introduction copyright © Patrick Crotty, 2010
Preface copyright © Seamus Heaney, 2010
The moral right of the editor has been asserted
Cover illustration by Eoin Ryan
The acknowledgements constitute an extension of this copyright page
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-0-241-38798-6
TWO LATIN POEMS OF CONFEDERATE IRELAND
fn1 SMEC: from ‘Smectymnuus’, a work written by several hands.
SAMUEL THOMSON
fn1 fairs: young women
fn2 chirlin: chirping
fn3 stangs: stings
fn4 hurchin: hedgehog
fn5 tykes: curs, ill-conditioned animals
fn6 rauckle: rash, rough
fn7 heckle: flax-comb
fn8 sib: related to
fn9 deil: devil
fn10 whin: gorse bush
fn11 Belzie: Beelzebub
fn12 fairs: provides for
fn13 stribs: milks
fn14 outler: an animal that remains outside all winter
fn15 eke: also
fn16 mock: foolish talk
THOMAS DERMODY
fn1 Arcades ambo: Arcadians both (i.e., two rascals)
MAELÍSA Ó BROLCHÁIN
fn1 My God, assist Thou me
fn2 Into my heart that it sound may be
fn3 Lord, grant Thou what I ask of Thee
fn4 This thing I hope and seek of Thee
fn5 Thy love as Thou mayst will
fn6 I seek, I claim, I ask of Thee
fn7 Lord, Lord, hearken to me
DONNCHADH RUA MAC CON MARA
fn1 Uileacan dubh: black lament
SHULE AROON
fn1 Come, come, come, O Love!
Quickly come to me, softly move;
Come to the door, and away we’ll flee,
And safe for aye may my darling be! (tr.
George Sigerson)
JAMES ORR
fn1 cauf: calf
fn2 wat: wet
fn3 braird: first shoots of grain
fn4 thortur’d: crossed
fn5 falds: folds
fn6 chiels: fellows
fn7 blauth’ry: nonsense
fn8 unco: exceedingly
fn9 throuither: confusedly mingled
fn10 squath’ry: something scattered into pieces
fn11 byre-neuks: corners of byres
fn12 bonnocks: oatmeal cakes
fn13 leain’: leaving
fn14 pokes: bags
fn15 cake: quake
fn16 crudle: curdle
fn17 laith: loath
fn18 crousely craikin’: coarsely croaking
fn19 houghel: coughing (?)
fn20 sic: such
fn21 bee scap castin’: beehive opening
fn22 randies: beggars
fn23 skail’d: scattered
fn24 faps: fops
fn25 Moilie: a harmless
fn26 dunch: knock over, defeat
fn27 claughins: hamlets
fn28 Knacksie: ingenious person
fn29 ilk: each
fn30 loun: boy, fellow
fn32 leuks: looks
fn33 wheens: small numbers
fn31 swith’rin’: hesitating
fn34 saunts: saints
fn35 owre sair: too sure
fn36 doubt: suspect
WRITTEN IN WINTER
fn1 warl: world
fn2 ane: one
fn3 burn: brook, stream
fn4 hind: farm worker
fn5 dinlin’: tingling
fn6 claps: pats
fn7 doublets: clothes
fn8 laigh: low
fn9 ower-burden’t: overburdened
fn10 dreep: drip
fn11 half-thow’t: half-thawed
fn12 easin’: eaves
fn13 blunt: weakly
fn14 lift: sky
fn15 ae fit whiles: one foot sometimes
fn16 fain: gladly, eagerly
fn17 tither: other
fn18 silly: hapless
fn19 sweel’t: soaked, drenched
fn20 aye: continually
fn21 stifflin’: conducive to coughing or bronchitis
fn22 piles: blades, stalks
fn23 coof: fool
fn24 distin’t: characterized by
fn25 sae: so
fn26 neist: next
fn27 spait: spate, flood
fn28 muir: moor
fn29 fand: found
fn30 lo’esome: lovable
THOMAS GIVEN (1850–1917)
fn1 auld farrant: old-fashioned
fn2 e’e: eye
fn3 agee: awry
fn4 fit: foot
fn5 denties: dainties
fn6 pree: try out
fn7 keeks: peeks
fn8 fog: long stems of last year’s grass
fn9 broo: higher side of a ditch
fn10 neb: beak
fn11 dicht: wipe
fn12 cuff’t: hit
fn13 skep: hive
fn14 tirrl’t: elbowed
fn15 wanes: young ones
fn16 causey: cobbled path
The Penguin Book of Irish Poetry Page 84
