Here is a link to the song on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hVFSbqwwwgAs noted elsewhere, verses 1, 3, 4, and 7 are in Scottish Gaelic, and verses 2, 5, 6, and 8 are in Irish.
My original attempts here to reproduce what I was hearing have been deleted as no longer of any use, now that we have the lyrics from the liner notes. I've received my copy of the CD, so I've updated the lyrics here a bit further. I also received the 2011 book of the
Clárach's poetry, but it doesn't have
A Riogain Uasail in it! The book does, however, have an extensive glossary and a discussion of people and places, which have helped to clear up a few questions.
I've made a few changes to the Irish and Gaelic text, and a number of changes to the translation given in the liner notes. There were a few big translation errors, like the one franc found about Charles vs. George, and a number of smaller ones. There are some words in the Irish and the Gaelic which are either archaic or perhaps dialectical. I was able to find most of those (or something close) in my older dictionaries or in the glossary to the poetry book. There are still a few words or clauses where I'm not clear on the exact meaning or the syntax, though, but in those cases the essential meaning appears to be pretty clear.
1
A Riogain Uasail shuairc ’s a stòr,
do chridhe ‘s do bhuairte truagh làn bròn,
guidheam gu cruaidh chun an uain an cumhachd,
fo theachd ar cuairt chun a’ bhuachaill’ beò.
2
Do dheoin an aon-Mhic tiocfaidh thar n-ais,
go treorach tréanmhar, tuillte de neart,
go sluach séanmhar fuadrach faobhrach,
go cuanta Éilge is Inis Airt.
3
‘Nuair shuidhich an sluagh chun ghluais an leòghann,
san trìtheamh uair ‘s e buannachd cath,
bithidh sgaoileadh is ruagadh oirnn gu brath,
le nàir’ air an uaill th’ aig Tuath Luirc.
4
Chan eil òigear sèimh dhan bhannal cheart,
dh’fhuil Eoghain is Eibhir uasal is Art,
nach gluaiseadh e fhèin fada cèin,
‘se bharail fhèin do chòir bhith ceart.
5
Beidh an saol suaimhneach síoch sóch,
gan phléid, gan bhuairt, gan bhruíon, gan bhrón,
Beidh an spéir gan duartan suim ar neoin,
gan fhraoch, gan fuacht, gan teimheal, gan cheo.
6
Coróin na réics[?] ‘s do dhligheadh an ceart,
go deo do Shéarlas linn is dleacht;
dar Duach, gan bhréig, ní trua liom féin,
gach tuathal tréan do chur i sac.
7
Bidh lagh na Róimh mar ‘s gnath gu mòr,
bidh deuchainn an dàn gu bràth gun smàl,
bidh Seòirse lag is fann air a rathad,
gun fhìon, gun fheòil, gun snàithle bròig.
8
Beidh scóp ag cléir na cruinne, is reacht,
‘s ní leomhfaidh aon ‘na gcoinne teacht, [liner notes have "bcoinne"]
beidh duais gach lae dá lua don éigs’,
ach duain is dréacht do sheinnt seal.1
O noble, gentle, Queen; O treasure/dear,
your heart and your pitiful grief full of sadness,
I pray hard to the lamb of power [i.e. the Lamb of God],
for the return of the lively lad.
2
By the will of the Only Son [of God] he will return,
driven and strong, full of power,
in a happy, active, eager multitude,
to the harbors of Éilge and Inis Airt.
[I didn't find either of these locations in my reference materials. Eilgi and Art are figures mentioned in Old Irish writings.]
3
When the lion sets the host in motion,
in the third hour the battle is won,
there will be a dispersing and a routing from us forever,
with shame [to?] the lamentation of Tuath Luirc.
[Tuath Luirc = tribe/people of Lurc. Could be a place name, but I can't find it.
There are other places using Luirc, e.g. Charleville = Rath Luirc]
4
There isn’t a gentle youth from the right band,
of the blood of Eoghan, noble Éibhir, and Art,
who would not venture fearlessly abroad,
in order to put things right.
5
Life will be calm, peaceful and comfortable
without argument, without grief, without strife, without sorrow,
the sky will hopefully be without as much as a downpour,
without fury, without cold, without gloom, without mist.
6
The king’s crown, it is truly your entitlement, [not entirely sure of the syntax here]
forever rightfully belonging to [our?] Charles,
by Duach, truthfully I have no compunction,
bagging? every powerful opponent.
7
The law of Rome will indeed be the custom,
godliness will be ordained forever without blemish,
and George will be [left] weak and hollow on the road/way,
without wine, without meat, without a stitch of shoe.
8
The universal [i.e. catholic] clergy will have scope and jurisdiction,
and no one will dare to oppose them,
there will be prizes announced daily for the poet,
[for?] poems and compositions performed [in turn?]
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See what I did there? Ahaha.