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Translation
The boatman
Often I look from the highest hill
To find whether I can see the boatman.
Will you come today or will you come tomorrow?
And if you don't come at all I will be miserable.
O, boatman, "na horo eile"
O, boatman, "na horo eile"
O, boatman, "na horo eile"
Fare well, good health be with you everywhere you go.
My heart is bruised and broken
And often the tears run from my eyes
Will you come tonight or will I be expecting you
or will I close the door with a mournful sigh.
My darling promised me a gown of silk
He promised that and an elegant plaid
A golden ring in which I would see his1 image
but I'm afraid he will forget.
From now on I shall be mournfully tearful,
Like a white swan which has been sorely wounded,
Having a death cry on a little grassy lake
when all have forsaken her.
- 1. I'm assuming an elided possessive pronoun here; if there isn't one it would be "an" instead of "his"
michealt✕
Mairi MacInnes: Top 3
| 1. | Fear a bhata |
| 2. | Cum ur n'aire |
| 3. | Is Gàidheal Mi |
Comments
Macha 
Larry David MacGregor Blumenthal
Sat, 29/07/2023 - 23:41
I don't understand the problem: the traditional focal point of the song is always sung in its own tongue because of the beauty of the Scots Gaelic phrase--
But more intense is when you understand the language and can hear with intense emotion the phrase "Boatman, it is another hour!", and note the beauty of how the song was written in that the repetition of "it's another hour" over and over lends the listener the sad and slow brutality of waiting for one's love... Cheers
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