I posted this on another Irish translation forum and got this response. I was hoping to get some feedback about the Irish translation that was offered particularly the line : and leave there many a shining pool. Thanks for any advice.

Can someone help me translate this? (The source is listed below). This is meant to be a blessing that can be said at a holy well and so I'd be interested in using the word Tobar.

May the blessing of the rain be on you—
the soft sweet rain.
May it fall upon your spirit
so that all the little flowers may spring up,
and shed their sweetness on the air.
May the blessing of the great rains be on you,
may they beat upon your spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool (Tobar)
where the blue of heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.

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You realize the English leaves a lot to be desired??? But here's a crack at it.

Go raibh beannacht na fearthainne ort
an dea-fhearthainn bhóg.
Go dtite sí ar d'anam
go ngoba na bláthanna beaga aníos
agus go dtuga siad a milseacht don aer.
Go raibh beannacht na fearthainne móra ort
go mbuaile siad ar d'anam
agus go ní sí go maith í
agus go bhfága sí iomaí linn niomrach ina diaidh
ina gcaithfidh scáil na spéire gorma
agus scáil na réalta uaireanta.

Although they both contain water, a pool is not a well, so the word tobar doesn't feature.

Specifically, this line and the word "niomrach"

agus go bhfága sí iomaí linn niomrach ina diaidh

I just got one reply elsewhere and am hoping someone can help here. Thanks.

I'm not really sure if this is an improvement or not.
Wait for other opinions.
I changed fearthainn to báisteach only because the B sound goes with the other words.

Go raibh beannacht na báistí ort
an bháisteach ghlan bhóg.
Go dtite sí ar d'anam
sa gcaoi go ngobadh na bláthanna beaga aníos
agus go dtugadh siad a mboladh don aer.
Go raibh beannacht na báistí móra ort
go mbuaile sí ar d'anam
lena ghlanadh go maith
agus neart linnte lonrach a fhágáil ansin
áit a gcaitear scáil na spéire gorma
agus scáití scáil réalt.

Could it be a variation on niamhrach?
I thought you had to use iomaí with the copula,
Is iomaí linn... It's many a pool????
but I don't know for certain.


My Irish isn't strong enough to say whether Bríd's version is much better than the other, but I do agree with her on the use of báisteach for the alliteration.

Thank you for your input! The fact that I was unable to find a meaning for one of the words in the original translation offered meant that it was important to get some others more talented in Irish than I to comment on the language. I do appreciate the original translator's efforts but am striving to learn Irish and want to know!