At Sea

At seaAir a chuan
Embarking’Dol air bòrd
Raising the sailTogail an t-seòl
Running before the windRuith roimh’n ghaoth
The ship is sailingTha an long a seòladh
The tide is flowingTha a mhuir a lìonadh
On sea and on landAir muir ’s air tìr
Now we’re offNis dh’ fhalbh sinn
Keep her to windwardCum ris i
Out to the sea?Mach gu’s a chuan?
YesSeadh
We have the wind nowTha ghaoth againn a nis
Is the boat on the shore?Bheil am bàt’ air an tràigh?
I left it thereDh’fhàg mis’ an sin e
Come on board thenThig air bòrd, mata
Here are the oarsSealla’ na ràimh
Pass them hereCuir an so iad
Shall we row?An iomair sinn?
Yes, just nowIomraidh, an traths’
Shall I sit at the helm?An suidh’ mis’ air an stiùir?
Do soDean sin
The sea is beautifulTha ’mhuir gle bhriagh
The sea air is bracingTha gaoth na mara neartachail
How slowly we seem to moveNach sinn tha dol mall!
What large vessel is that?’De’n soitheach mór tha sin?
That is a steamerTha bàta-smuid
What is it doing here?’De tha i deanamh an so?
Assisting ships up the streamCobhar luingeas suas an t-sruth
The opposite coast is dangerousTha’n cladach fa’r co’ar cunnartach
There are many rocksTha moran chreag ann
I hear that there are many ships wrecked every yearTha mi cluinntinn gu bheil móran luingeas air am bristeadh ’na h-uile bliadhna
Is there a lifeboat near?Bheil bàta airson tearnadh beatha faisg?
There is one six miles awayTha fear sia mìle air falbh
What place is this?De’n t-àite tha so?
Who is that man?Co’n duine tha sin?
May we safely leave the boat here?Bheil e sàbhailte am bàt’ fhàgail an so?
We will pull round the islandTarruingidh sinn cuairt an eilein
Take you the oarsGabh thusa na ràimh
The waves are risingTha na tuinn ag eiridh
The wind is strongerTha’ghaoth ni’s treasa
Raise the sailCuir suas an seòl
Tie this to the mastCeangail so ris a chrann
That is a fishing boat’S sin bàt’ iasgaich
Hand me the balerCuir a nall an taoman
Keep out the waterCum a mach an t-uisge
I have lost an oar-pinChaill mi putag
There it is on the deckSin i air an tobhta
We need not rowCha ruig sinn leas iomram
Haul up the sailTarruing suas an sgòd
Keep her steadyCùm air do làimh
She has plenty wayTha pailteas astar aice
Yes, she’s ploughing the wavesTha i gearradh nan tonn
We’ll pass below that islandTheid sinn seachad fo’n eilean sin
Remember the rocksCuimhnich na creagan
Is it flood tide just now?’Ne’n làn a tha’nn an traths?
No, it’s ebb tideCha’n e ach an tràghadh
Now we’re out of the straitNis, tha sinn mach as a chaol
What ships are these?’De na luingeas tha sin?
Some of them are men-of-war’Se luingeas chogaidh th’ann an cuid diu’
Let us go nearerGabhamaid ni’s fhaisge
They are at anchorTha iad air achdair
We’ll board that shipTheid sinn air bòrd na luinge sin
Pass under her bowGabh seachad fo toiseach
Lower the sailLasaich an seòl
Put aboutM’an cuairt i
Come under the ladderThig fo’n fhàradh
Pass the painterNall am ball
Where is the captain?C’ aite bheil an ceannard?
He’s on the quarterdeckTha e ’sa cheann deiridh
What instrument is that?’De ’n inneal tha sin?
A compassTha cairt iuil
These are strong masts’S laidir na croinn sin
I would like to be a sailorBu toigh leam bhi ’am sheòladair
As long as the sea is quietFhad ’s a bhiodh a mhuir samhach
A seaman’s life has its own dangersTha a cunnartan fhein aig beatha maraiche
Let us return to landRachamaid air ais gu tir