I promised yesterday at Portree to send you my version of the fairy song, and asked you to return yours. You must remember that I never tried to write it from Gaelic, and that I never tried to write it from rapid dictation till last month. Correct my spelling, but mind that I took the _sounds_ from ear, so preserve all that you can without reference to dictionary words. Don’t be hard upon a clansman who is doing his best. Believe me, Yours very truly, J. F. CAMPBELL. From John Cameron, a man about 60, who lives in the south end of Barra, about three miles from Castlebay. He can sing and recite, 1.--The Maiden (written by J. F. C.); 2.--The Death of Diarmaid; 3.--The Death of Osgar; 4.--The Battle of Manus (written by J. F. C.); 5.--The story of the Death of Garry; 6.--The Black Dog; 7.--The story of ditto. 8.--The Smithy and story; 9.--The _Muireartach_; 10.--Dàn an Deirg; 11.--The Fairy Song (as written here by J. F. C.); 12.--How Coireal was slain; 13.--Fionn’s questions; 14.--A small story written; and sundry other songs, lays, and stories, which he will get written if I wish it. This is one of about a dozen of men whom I have met of late who can sing and recite Ossianic ballads, of which some are not in any book or old manuscript that I know. I have another version of this song, written about ten years ago--by MacLean,[35] I think. See Vol. IV. Popular Tales, Lists somewhere. It is now in London. THE FAIRY SONG. The tune is very wild and like a pibroch. I could not learn it in the time. _This is the story as told in Gaelic._ There was a time, at first, when before children were christened they used to be taken by the fairies. A child was born and it was in a woman’s lap. A fairy came to the _Bean-ghlùn_ and she said to the midwife, “_’S trom do leanabh_.” “_’S trom gach torrach_,” said the other. “_’S aotrom do leanabh_,” said the fairy. “_’S aotrom gach soghalach_,” said the midwife, “_’S glas do leanabh_,” said the fairy. “_’S glas am fiar ’s fàsaidh e_,” said the other; and so she came day by day with words and with singing of verses to try if she could “word” him away with her--“_am briatharachadh i leatha è_.” But the mother always had her answer ready. There was a lad recovering from a fever in the house and he heard all these words, and learned them, and he put the song together afterwards: after the child was christened the fairy came back no more. This is the song. I have tried to divide the words so as to represent the rhythm of the tune, but I am not sure that I have succeeded.--J. F. C. I have given a rough copy to Miss MacLeod of MacLeod at Dunvegan, and I should like to have _this_ or _a copy_ back if it is not troublesome. My first manuscript is not easy to read, and I have worked this from it. Fairy:--“’S e mo leanabh mìleanach Seachd Maìleanach Seachd Dhuanach, Gual na lag; ’s lag na luineach Nach d’ fhàs “nacach.”