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Translation
Bonaparte
setting out quickly with no3 weariness
going to fight against Bonaparte,
because he4 was threatening King George.
Chorus:
Hearty lads, be happy,
stand up for the honour of your country,
as long as lead and gunpowder last
what thing could worry us?
There is no fault to be considered
in the warriors who would never reject battle
there is no cowardice in their appearance
and they would not give ground to the boastful.
(Chorus)
The people with long socks and kilts
scarlet coats on them as uniform
they were splendid in the attack,
they were those who would never yield, even when wounded.
(Chorus)
In Brussels where it was told
that French were coming in their thousands
and it's no lie when I tell you that that was true
and it was many a man who would die5.
(Chorus)
If we had, as was normal for us,
blades with Islay hilts on our shoulders
we would split their heads dow to their ears
hitting them with the smashing force of our fists6.
(Chorus)
- 1. literally "happily"
- 2. the Gaelic has no finite verbs in this verse except "was threatening" in the last line, everything else uses absolute (tense-free) constructions which would sound hopelessly stilted if translated as tense-free in English
- 3. literally "small"
- 4. literally "it is he who"
- 5. literally:"be stretched out unbreathing"
- 6. "dorn" is ambiguous here, it could mean "fists" or "hilts"; despite the hilts of line 2 of this verse I am sure this line refers to the hands driving the swords, not to the hilts
michealt✕
Capercaillie: Top 3
| 1. | Chuir M'athair Mise Dhan Taigh Charraideach (Skye Waulking Song) |
| 2. | At the Heart of It All |
| 3. | Ailein Duinn |
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