Tabhartas/Present

Seo dhut beagan gaoil
Mar thabhartas
Here's a little love
as a present.

Mas e 's
Nach eil thu riaraichte leis
If you're not
satisfied with it,

Mura bheil e teachd no a' tighinn ri do chàil
No mura bheil e freagairt buileach
if it's not what you're after
or doesn't suit or fit exactly

Ann an dòigh sam bith,
Na gabh thusa dragh dheth
in some way or other,
don't you worry:

Faodaidh mi a thoirt air ais
Agus atharrachadh
I can always bring it back with me
and exchange it.

Am-Tadhail/Visiting Time

'S e Disathairne
'S fheàrr leotha le chèile
Mar àm-tadhail,
Saturday night's when they like to visit:

An dèidh cuid-na-h-oidhch' a ghabhail,
Bidh sinn a' dèanamh suidhe
Gu cruinn,
After supper,
we all sit around,

Gun de dh'fhuaim ann
Ach n t-srùblaich, na solais ìseal
'S a' sealltainn air Parkinson,
not a sound
but the slurping, lights out
and watch Parkinson together.

Bodach-an-Dorais/The Doorman

Bha e air a chuid,
Na leabhraichean air an robh e 'g obair
Is an treallaich air fad fhàgail às a dheidh
Mun àm a nochd
Bodach-an-dorais air an làr,
He'd left all his gear
and the books he was working on
behind by the time
the doorman came
up to his floor
A mhùchadh nan solas is gus an taigh a chur fo ghlais
Gun fiù 's
Absence slip a lìonadh,
to turn off the lights and lock up
without even
filling out an absence slip.

^

Biography

Rody Gorman was born in Dublin and now lives on Isle Ornsay, off the Isle of Skye. He has published a number of volumes of poetry, in both Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic, including Fax and Other Poems (Polygon, Edinburgh, 1996), Cùis-Ghaoil, (diehard, Edinburgh, 1999), Bealach Garbh, (Coiscéim, Dublin, 1999), Air a' Charbad fo Thalamh/On the Underground (Polygon, Edinburgh, 2000), Naomhóga na Laoi, (Coiscéim, Dublin, 2003) and Taaaaaaadhaaaaaaal!, (diehard, Edinburgh, 2003). In 1995, 1998 and 2003, he received a writers' bursary from the Scottish Arts Council and in 1997 received a writers' bursary from the Royal Literary Fund. He is also a recipient of several other awards and fellowships.