Astrologer Doctor Whaley, who lived in Stephen's Green, Dublin; which is the bitterest-most wicked-and diabolical satire, ever written in the Irish language. The poet first describes the hellish practices of the Astrologer, whom he describes as in league with the Devil, who since he began to view the moon and the planets, had, with his Balor-eye, destroyed their benign influence; so that the corn-fields, the fruit-trees, and the grass had ceased to grow; the birds had forgotten their songs (except the ominous birds of night), and the young of animals were destroyed in utero. He then begins to wither this Antichrist of Ireland with imprecations, awful in the highest degree; implores that the various diseases which waste the world may attack him, and calls down upon his guilty head the curses of God, the angels, the saints, and of all good men. Dr. Whaley, however, does not appear to have melted before this aeir of O'Daly, for he lived to a great age, and composed more effectual lampoons on the Irish, than the Bards (then on the decline) had composed on him. His Almanacks throw much light on the history of the ferocious times in which he lived. See Annals of the Four Masters, Ed. J. O'D., A.D. 1414, note 1. For the amusement of the Irish reader we give this satire in the original Irish. aoir dhoċtUIR WHALEY. Cread an sproċt nō'n toċt-sa air Ghaedalıb? Ag ifrjondaċ ha loċt—ag broc an és¿iš, Ca b-fuil na draojie ljoṁċa, gêara ? Ca b-fujl Sadb, Meadb, nó Déjrdre ? Réir mar dearbas a ċeart-laoj Gaojdilge. 1 Dermot O'Meara, a learned physician who lived at Bally. ragget, in the County of Kilkenny, early in the seventeenth century. He was author of a work entitled "Hybernie Pathologia Hæreditaria Do ruz se barr ós Ha côadrajb, 21 A d-ceangain Cabra, a Zajdji 'sa n-Greizis ; 'S nać rajb fear rann na dan do déanai, A déarfað aṁáin go g-cajnfead Eire ; Do glacfad uajỏ duais nã aon-rad, Ho gur cur ré cájn 's tájr ar Ghaedlajb, 'S gur barnead an ceann gan ioill de i n-éific! Cread dob al som ag cajit na ag innsjut sgêalta ? 'S ta curta go deo faoj čeó véaltad, An brúð ¿útač, črúbaċ, bréagad, Majstiže ō ifrjonn d'a żrjosad le géar-goin, bhjos le feoil Aojne 's uisge gréise, Pajtséir da n-olc do čujread go faobraċ, Ir tu an dara Pharaoh najdeaċ, fraoċda, Cread é do žaol le Jupiter, no le Venus, 20húc tú zo follus an solus ar Phoebus. Generalis sive de morbis Hæreditariis." 12mo. Dub. 1619, which is now very scarce. He also wrote a poem on the Earl of Ossory, his chief patron, with interesting notices of the noble family of Ormonde. See Harris's Ware's Writers of Ireland, p. 90. Bhajd tá an spreag as teas na gréjne, Ta gaċ crann d'éis a korad do féaŋad, Is buan gaċ bean ag caoine a céile, Do cuir tu ai donas air ealtaib na h-Eireann, An fuiseóg 's an spideóg gan aon smid, O ¿jonsgajn an t-sújl Bhalajr bejt agaṁarc na réaltañ, Dunad ar do fújljb gan léir-rosg ! Fuact air do cluasaib gan éistioce ! Carlcin ort 's buan djè-céille! 'S dá rajb spreag a h-alt na b-féj¿ leat! Spadanas ad teangajn na fażajr labairt do déanaṁ, Gan smior, gan smjos, go raib do żêaga; Sgrios neannta 's canncar béil ort, Fjolún Fionn ir silead réama ort. Fjabras breac is galar péiste ort, Fallsaoir 's forujp ad ¿lí' 's ad féagajb, · Cosgairt ad ¿eart-lár ag daolajb, Ag Belzebub ad stracad ó ¿éile, 25 Cerberus 50 rabassi a bújère 'sa bêjce ; Osgar na súiste ag rúsgad do bréan-¿usrp, 'S Averroes na n-garb-brúċt bréana. 2 mún sa cac 'sa sgeaċraċ ort a n-éjvfeaċt, Ampir na loċt 'sa tojl do déana; 21 An fajd besdir beó ná rajð séan ort, 'S go dad ballajb o ¿éjle. As fada rojme Bí tú a n-galar daga, 30 g-currrd raca na g-cearc ort an tonn taosgaċ; Do pin do corp mallajġċe peacajde do sgeaċċan, Do leat do geatasde air fead na h-Eireann. A dúbajrt tú linn ad leabrajb éjċig, Jur do cloċa 's do croíny do gnidmjd sleaċta; Act do'n Atajr, do'n Mac 's do'n Spiorad Haoṁia. A čorbléir bodajż, lobia, żrana, Hi bejö me a n-earrajd leat san g-câs so; Hí ag plé creidiṁ leat ata mé, Ace da molab bujt le gujõe jarrċa. Mallaċt Dé ort 'sa naoṁ-Mačar, Mallaċt na Sagart ort 's na m-Bráċar, Mallaċt na m-bajýtreabaċ 's na n-garlaċ. Mallaċt na lag ort 's na lajdir, Mallaċt sjol Eaba 'gus Adajṁ ort; Ata súil agam go b-fajciod an là úd 'Ha d-tabarfajd Djarmajd' marcajżeaċt ard dust, The Jack Ketch of his day. Ar beatadać focair, fočma, lapać, Lo stjorrójpjde maide 's coiléar cnajbe, Ma Buajltear smaile ort żeabajð tú plástar, Jarraim sud air Dhia, gan faid jongan dár luig bean méar ná órdóg, na deargnast gob out, gan bun do cinn ag sile agas a gnajċ-sile; agas tu ad luide air leaba artind a maoilinn sléibe a m-béal doruis gan comlad; seact mile o aen ċajdrsom, aċt cardsson faolċon, leóżan, agas leopard; agas gan do brat suajn ort act sgaoilteog shadmać do jordfio tú; do corp do geabas bas leis an in-bolgaċ Franncaċ! Hi beag liom so anojs do rád leat, Mar 15 buaċall boċt me ta loisgċe, crâjdte; A's me an fear dorċa, mac Chorimajc Uí Dhalajġ.' The last satire, lampoon or burlesque of any note composed in the Irish language, was written in 1713, by Aodagan O'Raigaille2 (Egan O'Rahilly), a Munster poet, on an industrious farmer and tax-gatherer in Kerry, named Tadhg Dubh O'Croinin [Teige Duff O'Cronin], the ancestor, in the female line, of the Cronins of the Park, near Killarney. In this burlesque, O'Rahilly traces the pedigree of O'Cronin in thirteen generations to the devil!! This outrageous lampoon was intended by its author to ridicule the illiterate plebeian families planted in Ireland by Cromwell, and such of the native Irish as united with them in oppressing the old Irish race who were permitted to live on the lands of their ancestors, in cabins not worth more than thirty shillings per annum. 1 In other copies this line reads :— Na ceiligide m'ainim fear dorċa O'Dalajż. 2 For a sketch of the life of Egan O'Rahilly, see The Poets and Poetry of Munster, (second edition) p. 21, Dub. 1850. |