Macbeth quote tr*nsl*t**n

[Mutt Lunker]

I wondered if someone could help me out with a tr*nsl*t**n into Gaelic of the phrase "fair is foul and foul is fair" from the opening scene of Macbeth?

[Níall Beag]

That's a tricky one, and I suggest you'd be best saying what you want it for, as often that changes how you'd carry out the tr*nsl*t**n.

You should also quote the context, as otherwise everyone making an attempt at it is going to have to go off and look it up individually. It can't be translated without the context.

[Mutt Lunker]

THe full opening scene is:
"Macbeth: Act 1, Scene 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thunder and lightning.
Enter three WITCHES.
First Witch
1 When shall we three meet again?
2 In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
Second Witch
3 When the hurlyburly's done,
4 When the battle's lost and won.
Third Witch
5 That will be ere the set of sun.
First Witch
6 Where the place?
Second Witch
6 Upon the heath.
Third Witch
7 There to meet with Macbeth.
First Witch
8 I come, Graymalkin!
Second Witch
9 Paddock calls.
Third Witch
10 Anon.
ALL
11 Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
12 Hover through the fog and filthy air.

Exeunt. "

It would be for use in the music accompanying a production of the play, so poetically phrased if a direct and literal tr*nsl*t**n sounds clumsy and unpoetic. Thanks.

[Níall Beag]

Well... the choice of word "fair" is all down to rhyme, which isn't an issue here, so you might get away with something like:
"Is olc math, 's math olc" or "Is math olc, 's olc math" (I prefer this, even though it's the opposite way round, but again, in the original that's a choice based on rhyme), but I think that fails for not having a real noun in either half..

Perhaps "Is math an olc, is olc am math" -- literally "the wicked-thing/wickedness is good, and the good-thing/goodness evil". By adding in the definite article an/am (English "the"), not only do we make a "thing" out of an adjective in each one, but we preserve the meter at the expense of adding a single unstressed syllable at the start of the line -- da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM.

There has been a partial tr*nsl*t**n of the play previously, but I don't think the first scene will have been done (it was adapted to a two-actor play, featuring Mr & Mrs MacBeth only).

[Mutt Lunker]

Great, thanks.