An Old Gaelic Prayer
Alice, Lady Lovat wrote a biography of Bishop Aeneas Chisholm in 1927, and she relates that: 'Bishop Grant, when parish priest at Eskadale, took the following prayer, which he translated from Gaelic, from the mouth of John MacDonald, of Eskadale, who was then ninety-nine years of age, and who had learnt it eighty years before from Donald MacGruar, of Strathglass, who was then seventy years old.' Bishop Grant, at the age of 26, was ordained in 1733 and died in Aberdeen in the year 1778. So presumably this prayer is from the 17th century or before.
Di do bheathaDi do bheatha a Chuirp Chrìosta
Di do bheatha a Rìgh nam feart Di do bheatha a Dhiadhachd chaomh Di do bheatha a Dhaondachd cheart Mar a thoilich thu, Chrìosta, teachd Fo sgéith arain, do Chorp slàn Leighis m’anam bho gach olc Ormsa an dràsda a ta Di do bheatha, Fhuil ’us Fheoil Di do bheatha, a phòr nan Gràs Bàth m’uilc am fuil do Ghràs Fàilt ort, a dhuine ’sa Dhia. Mothaich mi bho’n ti th’air chuairt Blaseam ort aig uair mo bhàis A Thrianaid gun deireadh gun tùs Na biodh t’fhearg rium nas motha Fàilt ort, fhìor Chuirp, a rugadh le Moire Òigh A bhrìgh do tholladh, a sileadh tonna fala A Thrianaid Naomh, thoir D’Shacramaid dhuinn An diugh ’s aig uair ar bàis: Agus Amen. |
Hail to TheeHail to Thee, O Body of Christ;
Hail to Thee, O King of Hosts; Hail to Thee, O Gracious Godhead; Hail to Thee, O true Manhood. As Thou wert pleased, O Christ, to come Under the cover of bread Thy whole Body, Heal my soul from every evil that is upon me now. Hail to Thee, Blood and Flesh; Hail to Thee, food of grace; Wash my sins in the Blood of Thy Grace. Hail to Thee, food of grace; Wash my sins in the Blood of Thy Grace. Hail to Thee, both God and man; Guard me from him that goeth about. May I receive Thee at the hour of death, O Trinity without end and without beginning, Neither let thy anger be upon me. Hail to Thee, true body born of Mary Virgin; By Thy being pierced, shedding waves of blood, Holy Trinity, grant us Thy Sacraments To-day and at our death hour, and Amen. |
Note
The source of this prayer is from Alice, Lady Lovat's biography of Bishop Chisholm of Aberdeen, 'A Highland Bishop', publ. 1927.
and respectfully revised by Ciarán Ó Duibhín in September 2019.
and respectfully revised by Ciarán Ó Duibhín in September 2019.
