Irish Translation Forum

Would someone please help me by translating the following phrase?

Three things that constitue a bard: a tune, a story, and knowing the road into the green.

It's a paraphrase from the Charles DeLint book "Into the Green"

I'm trying to model it on the Irish triad format like:
Tréde neimthigedar cruitire: golltraige, gentraige, súantraige.
(Three things that constitute a harper: a tune to make you cry, a tune to make you laugh, a tune to put you to sleep.)

Thanks in advance!
Jeani

Here's my best shot at it based on those on-line dictionaries. I changed "tune" to "song" and the best thing I could find for the indended meaning of "green" was "fairy hill"

Tréde neimthigedar bárd: amhrán, seanachas, ráthad a sígh.

Anyone have a thought?

(I hope, I hope, I hope!)

That is in Old or Middle Irish. In modern Irish my best guess is:

Trí ní a chruthaíonn bárd: port, scéal agus eolas an bhóthair go dtí an glas.

What is 'the green' in this case? I've just used the colour green.

Here's the explanation....I found it with a google. Even just this much makes me quite curious to read the entire thing.....


http://www.greenmanreview.com/intothegreen.html

Angharad was born a tinker. She has always had the Sight, but one day two witches, Woodfrost and his grandson Garrow, join her father's travelling company, and from them she learns just what having the Sight means. They tell her that through her veins runs the Summerblood, inherited from the kowrie and their lord Hafarl, the ancient fey who still live in the world beyond our sight. Those with Summerblood can see into that world, "into the green," and speak the languages of animals and trees. To the ordinary housey-folk, however, such people are called witches, and they are feared. And sometimes hunted.

It's a great book. If you've not read any Charles DeLint before I also recommend "Jack of Kinrowan" if you are interested in the fae.

The green is the faerey land that normal humans can't see. Kind of like the difference between what Harry Potter can see and the Muggles can't. Sígh (which I think means faerey mound) was as close as I could come.

Thanks!
Jeani

Hi Sleepcat,

What about replacing 'knowing the road to the green' with plain old 'Magic'.

That's draíocht as gaeilge.

-KS

In (dubious) Old Irish, since you were asking for the OI triad formula:
Tréde neimthigedar bard: adbann, scél, aithnius inna sligede glais.

Modern Irish:
Trí rud a dhéanann bard: fonn, scéal agus aithne na slí glaise.

I’ve used ‘knowledge of the green way’ rather than ‘knowing the road into the green’ because ‘into the green’ doesn’t make a lot of sense in Irish.

Result! we've got someone who knows a bit of Old Irish. Stick around Seán!