[From Manx Soc vol 21]

MANNIN VEG VEEN.

Written from the Recitation of Mr. Harry Quilliam of Peel, 1868.

Translated by Mr. John Quirk, Carn-ny-Grele, Kirk-Patrick.

To the tune of Barbara Allan.

I

O VANNIN veg veen,
Tayns mean y cheayn,
Aynjee ta lane eeasteyryn
Tra ta'n oarn cuirt,
As ny praasyn soit,
Gell roue dy cherragh ny baatyn.

II.

Son y Feailloin,
Bee mayd goll roin,
Dy yeeaghyn son warpyn Skeddan
Heear 'sy chione rouayr,
Lesh yurnaa liauyr,
Goaill neose nyn shiauill fo'n Charron.

III.

Heear ec y veain,
Shiaulley dy meen,
Yn tidey keayrt va noi ain
Stiagh dys Puit-Chiarn,
Dy yeeaghyn ny mraane,
As dy phaagey nyn myrneenvn.

IV.

Goll veih thie dy hie,
Yeeaghyn son jough-vie,
Cha ron ny lheid ry-gheddyn
Eisht hrog shin Shiaull,
Erskyn nyn gione,
As hie shin son y gheaylin.

V.

Heear ec y chiark,
Magh ec yn chleait,
Yn cheayn va gatt as freayney;
Roish rosh shin tidey
Yn Chiggin vooar,
Daa ghooinney gollish teaymey.

VI.

Goll seose yn roayrt,
Ta deiney loayrt,
As mennic fluighey nyn lieckan;
Yn fload va roin,
As foddey vdin,
Adsyn shegin dooin y gheddyn.

VII.

Tra ren shin feddyn,
'Syn fload vy-gheddyn,
Nagh row ad shen lesk phrowal;
Tra cheayl shin oc,
Ny skeayllyn v'oc,
Nagh cheau shin voin yn famman.

VIII.

Tra Y'an shibber eit,
As yn ushtey royt,
As ooilley jeant dy baghtal;
Hie shin dy rousagh,
Kow yn ecast veg sondagh,
Dy heet roue hoin dy aghtal.

IX.

Roish brishey'n laa,
Hug shin magh coraa,
Cha leah's va shin er phrowal
Eisht yn chied saagh,
Haink hooin dy booiagh,
Dansoor shin ee dy lowal.

X.

Ec brishey-yn-laa,
Ve kiune as rea,
Va'n cheayn gol-rish traaie-gheynnee,
Dy chooffley hiaur,
Vo'o fakin goll,
Gylla.gh, jeeagh magh son wherree.

Xl.

Er y vaye vooar,
Va sterrym dy liooar,
Lesh earish fliugh as fliaghey
Skeddan dy glen,
Yiogh shin avns shen,
'Bey'n ghobbag as y vue-varrey.

XII.

Toshiaght yn Ouyn
Bee'n oie gaase lianyr,
Faag mayd nyn mannaght ec y Chiggin
Hig mayd eisht roin,
Dys Doolish ny lhong,
As bee giense ain ayns thie Whiggin.

XIII.

Ayns thie Whiggin vooar,
Ta jough dy liooar,
Marish palchey lhune as liggar;
As lhiabbee-vie,
Dy gholl dy lhie,
Tra vees mayd lesh nyn shibber.

XIV.

Bee paayrt cheet thie,
Fegooish niaght vie,
Ta'n sna:ie ain eit ec y ghobbag
Ny mraane-oast hene,
Goaill chymmey jin,
'Sgra, ta caart ain foast 'sy vullag.

i.

HAIL! Isle of Man,
Sweet ocean land,
I love thy sea-girt border
When the barley's sown,
And the potatoes down,
We'll get our boats in order.

ii.

Midsummer day,
And we are away
In earnest seeking herring;
Contrary Head
At length is made,
Take down our sails at Charron.

iii.

West at the mine,
One day being fine,
The tide against us veering;
We then sought next
Our soothing sex,
Our sweethearts at Port Erin.

iv.

Then here and there,
We sought good beer,
But none could we discover;
Up to the gale
We hoist our sail,
And made toward the Shoulder.

v.

Lo there and then,
Around the Hen,*
The bounding waves were jumping,
Ere we had tried
The Chickens' tide,
We lost some sweat by pumping.

vi.

We found the fleet
We sought to meet
Had left us far behind them;
Tho' spring tides dash,
Our decks to wash,
Yet still we strove to find them.

vii.

As we came near
To where they were,
They'd proved how things were doing;
So, when we heard
How they had fared,
Our nets were set agoing.

viii.

Then, supper o'er,
The water store,
And all things in rotation;
We went to test our fish and mesh,
To learn their situation.

ix.

Before the dawn
Our horn was blown-
We then knew good and evil
And the first men
Who gladly came,
We spoke them fair and civil.

x.

At early -dawn,
'Twas fair and calm,
The waves forgot their fury;
And every sail
Within our hail,
They wish'd to see a wherry.

xi.

On the big bay,
'Twas a stormy day,
The weather wet and cloggish
The herrings there,
In plenty were,
The sea-hog and the dog-fish.

xii.

When days curtail,
We'll bid farewell
To Calf-lands, Hen, and Chickens;
At Douglas then
Will be our inn,
We'll have a ball at Quiggin's.

xiii.

At Quiggin's hall
There's plenty ale,
With beer and all things proper
A goodly place,
With beds of ease,
When we are done our supper.

xiv.

Once home again,
Some may complain,
The dog-fish did not spare us;
Land-ladies wise
Will sympathise,
And fetch a drop to cheer us.

 

The Hen and Chickens are rocks opposite the Calf of Man.


 

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