Page:The Celtic Review volume 3.djvu/98

Rh meallta neo cha chuala sibhse riamh aona phort eile coltach ris. ’S cha ’n ’eil ioghnadh sam bith ged a dhianainn-sa port a b’ fhiach éisdeachd. Bha bhàrdachd a’ ruith ’s an teaghlach againn bho ghlun gu glun bho linn mo shinn-shinn-seanar. Tha ’m port sin a th’ agaibh cho stubach ’s nach b’ fhuilear dha rud a chur ris gu snas is blas a chur air. Cuireadh sibhse ‘Di-r-daoine’ as a dheaghaidh, ’s chi sibh gu ’m bi e dhà fheobhas.

(Ghabh iad an caothach, ’s am bad a bhodaich bha iad. Chàirich iad croit a’ bhodaich eile air a mhuin. Ghairm an coileach, agus sud Cormag air a’ chnoc ’s an dà chroit air.)

BOOK REVIEW

One can warmly appreciate the spirit which prompted Dr. Gillies to undertake the very difficult task of explaining the place-names of Argyllshire,—a feeling that the work ought to be done and that he knew of no one else anxious or ready to do it It is also easy to accept, in part at least, the author’s judgment as to the success which crowns his efforts: ‘The work is far from perfect. No person could make it perfect; and certainly no one in my position, with my poor scraps of available time, could do it better.’ But it is impossible to acquiesce in the added dictum: ‘I believe it is as nearly correct as any one could make it.’ If this be so, one must despair of even an approach to accuracy in this branch of study. Not but that the author possesses many qualifications for such a work as this. We do not need his renewed assurance that he may ‘with some justice lay claim to a very competent knowledge of old and modern Gaelic’; this has been known for many years. Dr. Gillies has the further advantage of being a native of the county, and therefore ought to be familiar with its dialect of Gaelic, including its principal localisms. He possesses a command of apt diction and phrase, a graphic and picturesque style withal. And yet the work is disappointing, and not worthy of the author’s knowledge or capacity. For one thing Dr. Gillies has produced a readable book. He has stamped his own personality upon every page of it, and a delightful personality it is in many ways. He feels it necessary to apologise for his labours being presented