The Basis of Poetry
Bunait na Bàrdachd
Gaelic
Dè th' ann am bàrdachd?
Faodaidh an ìre mhath rud sam bith a bhith air fhaicinn mar bhàrdachd, ach mar as àbhaist, 's e pìos sgrìobhaidh a bheir seachad beachd, faireachdainn no ìomhaigh ann an dòigh nas giorra, nas teinne na sgeulachd no aiste.
Gu traidiseanta, bha riaghailtean teanna ann airson gach diofar seòrsa bàrdachd, cuid a bha cumanta ann an saoghal nan Gàidheal: marbhrann, duan-molaidh, ealaidh, laoidh, dàn-mòr, dàn-aoghaireil; agus cuid nach robh dùthchasach: fèin-òraid, sonaid, duan Luimneach, haiku, is mar sin air adhart.
Bha cuspair cudromach ann am bàrdachd le gaol, bàs agus nàdar gu tric aig cridhe bàrdachd.
Anns a' cheud bhliadhna mu dheireadh, bha barrachd bàrdachd ann, ris an canar saor-rannaidheachd, nach robh a' leantainn riaghailt sam bith, agus a bhios ga sgrìobhadh air cuspair sam bith.
English
What is poetry?
Almost anything can be considered poetry, but usually it is a piece of writing that conveys an idea, feeling or image in a shorter, more concise way than a story or an essay.
Traditionally, there were strict rules for all different types of poetry, some of which were common in the Gaelic world: elegy, praise poem/panegyric, ode, hymn/song, epic, pastoral; and some not so traditional: soliloquy, sonnet, limerick, haiku, and so on.
Theme/Subject was important in poetry with love, death and nature often at the heart of poetry.
In the last hundred years, there was more poetry, called free verse, which did not follow any rule, and which is written on any subject.
Why don't you have a go at this task! If you have a Gaelic-speaking friend, you could do this together. If you don't—no problem—you can have double the fun!
We've given you these question as a starting point, but you'll certainly have other questions and opinions about bàrdachd. 😊
GLIOCAS | TIP
😊 📚
It's well worth looking at the BBC Bitesize website which has guidance on how we should consider poetry.
Check this out first:
Before we start reading or writing poetry, there are three main things we should consider.
Reading and writing are very important in learning a language.
Do you think you could try writing a little poetry?
First think about reason, subject and message.
When you have thought about what the poem will be about, and what you want to say, you can write some notes on it.
The next thing to think about is style.
Do you want to follow rules and structure?
Are you going to talk about the subject directly or will you use image, symbol, or metaphor to represent the subject in the poem in an indirect way?
Is there going to be rhythm, or rhyme?
If so, it would be useful to write a list of vocabulary which talks about the subject and which rhyme with each other.
Now try writing your own poem!
Don't worry if you don't consider yourself a good writer, this is fun and a good exercise to improve your language skills.
When your poem is finished, it's well worth reading it out to yourself.
Are you pleased with it?
If you are, why don't you frame it and put in on the wall!
Nach math a rinn thu! (Well done!)