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Lyrics: |
English Translation: |
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Hò-rò chunna mi |
Hò-rò I saw |
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'S gu faca mi i seòladh |
Indeed I saw her sailing |
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Hò-rò chunna mi |
Hò-rò I saw |
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'S gu faca mi i seòladh |
Indeed I saw her sailing |
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Hò-rò chunna mi |
Hò-rò I saw |
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'S gu faca mi i seòladh |
Indeed I saw her sailing |
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A' dol os cionn a' Bhraga |
Going above Bragar |
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Moch sa' mhadainn air Didòmhnaich |
Early on Sunday morning |
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Chunna mi bhon doras |
I saw from my doorway |
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Moch sa mhadainn 'n àm dhomh èirigh |
Early in the morning when I was getting up |
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Eathar dubh à Bradhagair |
A black boat from Bragar |
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'S e shaoil mi bh' innte "Whaler" |
I thought she was a whaler |
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Sac oirre do chanabhas |
She carried such a weight of canvas |
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A bha cur fodha gèillean |
As to sink her "jaw" |
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Ag iarraidh chun na h-acarsaid |
Hurrying to the anchorage |
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'S na bodaich 's iad nan èiginn |
Because the old men were in trouble |
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Anmoch air Di-Sathuirn |
Late on Saturday |
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Ann an sruth a' Ghallan Uigich |
In the current of Gallan Head |
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'N àm cur oirre canabhas |
When it was time to raise more sail |
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'S na bodaich air co-dhùnadh |
As the old men had decided |
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Chaill i 'n t-iarunn iarach |
She lost the iron pintle |
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A bha 'n ceanglaichean na stiùire |
In the rudder-bands |
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'S chaill bodaich Bhradhagair |
And the old men of Bragar lost |
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An dachaidhean san cùrsa |
Sight of their homes and their course |
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Chunnaic fear an t-signal i |
The man at the signal saw her |
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'S gun fhios co às a dh'fhalbh i |
And wondered where she had set out from |
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Chuir e suas bratach riu |
He raised a flag to them |
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'S bha acadan te dhearg ris |
And they answered with a red one |
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Ag innse mar a thachair dhaibh |
Telling what had happened to them |
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Di-Sathuirn, 's e cho anmoch |
Late on Saturday |
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'S an naidheach sin a lìobhraigeadh |
And to deliver that piece of news |
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'S a h-innse 'n sgìre Bharbhais |
And announce it in the parish of Barvas |
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Nuair shoillsich an là dhaibh |
When the day dawned |
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'S a dhearc iad air a' Champar |
And they beheld the Campar |
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Bha cuid ac ann an agartas |
Some were arguing |
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Am b' e sud fearann Leodhais |
About whether that really was the land of Lewis |
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Ach thuirt fear de na maraichean |
But one of the seamen said |
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Gum b' aithne dha an tom ud |
That he recognized a particular hillock |
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Gun leugh e fhèin na leabhraichean |
That he himself had read the books |
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'S gu leòr aca fo rùm dhiubh |
As there were plenty of these below deck |
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Suas caolas a' Bhraga |
Up the Sound of Bragar |
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'S an acarsaid fo gualainn |
With the anchorage on her shoulder |
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Cha robh guth air "Latitude" |
There was no mention then of Latitude |
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No sgoil na mara 'n uair sin |
Or the nautical school |
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Bha fear aig a "Windlass" |
There was a man on the windlass |
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A' tomhais leis a luaidhe |
Sounding with the lead |
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'S ann dh'ionnsaich e an t-seòldareachd |
He had learned his seamanship |
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Bho òige ri na cruachan |
When he was young at the peat-sacks |
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Nuair ràinig iad an acarsaid |
When they reached the anchorage |
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Cha robh na bodaich fialaidh |
The old men there were not kindly |
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Cha reiceadh iad an langa |
They would not sell the ling |
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No na sgaitean air na b' fhiach iad |
Nor the skate for what they were worth |
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Ach reiceadh iad a' bhiorach riunn |
But they would sell dogfish to us |
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Air sgillin thoirt an t-sia orr' |
A shilling for six |
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Nach b' annasach an naidheachd sin |
Wasn't that a strange story |
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Ga reic an Nis le Siaraich |
West men selling them in Ness |
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Cheud chuimhne th' agams' |
In my earliest memory |
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Mar as aithne don an t-sluagh e |
As everybody knows |
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Cha tigeadh bodaich Bhradhagair |
The Bragar men would not come |
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Reic bhiorach ruinn an uair sin |
To sell us dogfish at that time |
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Bha iasgairean sa bhaile seo |
There were fishermen in this township |
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A chuireadh iad cho suarach |
Who regarded them as so despicable |
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'S nach leigeadh le an aineolas |
That their ignorance prevented them |
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A rèiteach an cuid shuap iad |
From managing their business competently |
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Hò-rò chunna mi |
Hò-rò I saw |
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'S gu faca mi i seòladh |
Indeed I saw her sailing |
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Hò-rò chunna mi |
Hò-rò I saw |
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'S gu faca mi i seòladh |
Indeed I saw her sailing |
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Hò-rò chunna mi |
Hò-rò I saw |
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'S gu faca mi i seòladh |
Indeed I saw her sailing |
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A' dol os cionn a' Bhraga |
Going above Bragar |
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Moch sa' mhadainn air Didòmhnaich |
Early on Sunday morning |
