May the best ye've ever seen
Be the worst ye'll ever see
May a moose ne'er leave yer girnal
Wi' a tear drap in his e'e
May ye aye keep hale an' he'rty
Till ye're auld eneuch tae dee
May ye aye be jist as happy
As we wish ye aye tae be
May a moose ne'er leave yer girnal
Wi' a tear drap in his e'e
May ye aye keep hale an' he'rty
Till ye're auld eneuch tae dee
May ye aye be jist as happy
As we wish ye aye tae be
Here "hale and hearty" means strong and healthy.
A "girnal” - a storage chest for meal (oats and the like) placed in the kitchen.
A "girnal” - a storage chest for meal (oats and the like) placed in the kitchen.
In "plain" English:
Be the worst you will ever see
May a mouse never leave your girnal
With a tear drop in his eye
May you always keep hale and hearty
Till you are old enough to die
May you always be just as happy
As we wish you always to be
found here.
Thanks Nan, Mr Mac is a Scot, so no need of the translation in this house, but I hope others will like the translation. Old toasts full of wishes are lovely, aren't they? I love the Irish ..... "may the road rise to meet you....."
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Irish blessing is on the sidebar!
DeleteI've been browsing your recent posts, Nan. I shall pop back and browse some more. I've never been a fan of WHA but The Night Mail is a real classic and its tempo really lent itself to the rendition in the 1936 documentary film.
ReplyDeleteIt sure did! Perfect. And thanks for dropping by.
DeleteTis a good one.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is!
DeleteAnd I had forgotten 'til this morning - "Lang may your lum reek"..... in English - "Long May your chimney smoke", which is a lovely short one and I always take it as a wish that you may live long, and have enough money to put fuel on your fire.
DeleteVery nice - though I can't handle mice. At all. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'll email you a pic of what a mouse did the other night at our house!
Delete