Queerieorrals (8 Scots Poems) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

1.Scotch an Wry

Scotch corpse: a cairryoot
Scotch thrift: darn it
Scotch summer: ower in a wunner
Scotch caber: Heilan fling
Scotch tenor: giein't laldy, tartan baldy


2.Oo

Rev. Ian MacPhail's plus fours
Cam fae a noble pedigree.
Their mither, Grizzel the yowe,
Wis kent ower ten green braes
As a swack an douce-like quine.

The discipline o the spinnin wheel an loom
They hae tholed... these scrapins o their mither.
The future o her oo has noo bin shaped
Shank-warmers
Dowp-hauders
Coddlers o haly baas.


3. Montrose Song Tune: Will ye Go tae Sheriffmuir

Hae ye seen the great Montrose,
wi a rooser fur a nose
Iron teeth tae chaw his foes,
steppin up sae vauntie?

Fin they fulled his christenin mug,
a coo wis bairned bi a dug
A wummin tried tae kiss a slug,
an ither things sae clarty.

Fin he crossed the Brig o Dee,
sign the Covenant said he
Or I'll set the musketry
tae drub yer burgh sairly

Black the day Montrose cam back,
Irish bloodhounds at his back
Fur oor bonnie toun tae sack,
in the name o glory.

This is foo an army thrives,
makkin widdas ooto wives
Loadin cannon, grindin knives,
ready fur the stooshie

Wad ye like a cure fur ague?
Leprosy the pox or plague?
Tie a ribbon roon yer craig.
Jyne Montrose's pairty.

Bold dragoons war firin shots,
made frae Fyvie's chunty pots
Trampin roses an shallots
roon the Howes o Fyvie

Syllabub an buttered wine,
there's a sodjer o the line
Won the fecht bit nae the quine,
the bonnie lass o Fyvie.

Covenanter, Cavalier,
soun the drum an they'll appear
Sell yer coo, lock up yer meer,
for aathin they will spulzie

Catched an caged, wi feint a care,
he wrote poem an caimbed his hair
He steppit up the gibbet stair,
intae the page o history.

Hung an drawn, the butcher's cairt,
rowed him roon tae ilkie airt
Fur playin o the lion's pairt,
roon oor noble country

Efter he'd been hoodie bait,
Gweed King Charles, oor potentate
Gaithered him tae lie in state
an kistit him wi glory.


4.King Charles I 19/11/1600, Dunfermline Castle - 30/1/1649, Whitehall scaffold
Tune: Barbara Allan.
Written during a visit to Fyvie Castle, organised by the NTS

King Charles rose up thon hinmaist morn,
twa sarks he chose tae weir,
Lest he should shakk, an fowk mistakk
pure cauld, fur signs o fear.

They brocht his littlins tae his room,
sae they micht takk their leave,
An he has pressed them tae his breist,
an telt them nae tae grieve.

The anely soun, the beatin drum,
the craikin o a craa,
As past the silent crowds they lead
their monarch tae his faa.

Afore the scaffold happt in black,
(the hooded heidsman's airt)
The boughs war bauld,
the Thames rowed cauld, t
hrough Lunnon's frozen hairt.

The first step tae the scaffold bare,
he stamped his fit wi rage,
For aa unfair, he saw aince mair,
the mock trial o the age.

The second step King Charles took,
he faltered wi his fit,
He felt the stangs o Civil War,
an kent the waste o it.

The third step forrit that he gaed,
his brither Scots sae quick,
Tae save their kirk, drew sword an dirk,
afore his prayers they'd spikk.

The fourth step that the Monarch tuik,
his een luiked hyne awa,
On war wi France, on war wi Spain,
that brocht nae gain ava.

The fifth step syne, he brocht tae min',
wi ile they did anoint him,
In costly goun, he wore the croon,
as king they did appoint him.

The saxth step ben the scaffold stair,
he welcomed hame his queen,
A fleur-de-lis brocht ower frae France,
sweet maid o new saxteen.

The seventh step, nearhaun Daith's yett,
his hairt wis like tae brakk,
He stude at Fyvie's castle waa,
the Ythan at its back.

In Fyvie's green an pleisunt lan,
the infant king wis free,
Tae rin its braw, blink-bonnie braes
wi Seton's faimily.

The hinmaist step! He faced his foes,
an spakk oot lood an clear.
The sodjers drave the crowds awa,
for fear o fit they'd hear.

An syne, thon slicht an cultured man,
luiked Terror in the ee,
Tae show the leal, fu brave an weel
a Stewart King could dee.

He's laid him doon, raxxed oot his airms,
like Christ on Calvary,
The swingin blade a martyr made
tae greet Eternity.


5. Deevilick, Deevilick

Deevilick, deevilick far hae ye been?
Fae the birssle o Hades tae cauld Aiberdeen.

Did ye lowp in the Denburn tae frichten the fowk?
Na, tae cweel doon ma hornies, ma hochs an ma dowp.


6.Druid

Wirds war framed tae strikk a spark,
Tae licht man's thochts alang the dark,
Gods war ferlies fowk cud see:
Sun, and meen and fish and tree.

Roon the circle o a flame
Early hunters tied a name
Tae the speerits steerin by
Wid an watter, stane an sky.

In the dyew the ocean saw
Heiven in a wattergaw.
Shaddas raxx frae evil deen,
Like the drappin o a steen,
Deep inbye a lochan's pot
Ooto sicht, bit nae forgot.

In the mantra o the hairt,
Dreams an desolations stert,
Een an tongue an lug are gates,
Here pass mervels, myths an hates,

Ken them fur the stuff o play,
Masks an mummers fur a day.
Spittin wild cat, douce blue-bell
Fellow-traivellers like yersel.


7. The Dream

A dream cam teetin roon ma door,
'Can I come? ' said he,
I fixed him wi a glaissy ee,
An speired him questions three.

'Oh dae ye bring a happy dream
O bonnie simmer days?
Or dae ye bring a widden-dream
O bogies, ghaists, an waes?
Or dae ye bring a prophecy
Tae tell o roads I'll rin?
Oh tell me truly, chappin dream
Afore I let ye in! '


8. The Worry

A Worry the size of a midgie or flee, .
Creepit inno the bosie: o, Teenie McGee.
It grew through the nicht big 's a were-wolf sae furry,
Nae twa winks o sleep could she get for the Worry.

Next mornin, at brakkfaist, she drew up a cheer,
An saw, tae her horror, the Worry; sat there.
It treetled ahin her fin she wauked, tae class,
Sae big noo, the teacher could hardly win past.

Fariver she gaed it wid lowp like a troot,
Frae bus stop tae hame blottin as the warld oot!
She'd staun in the street 'I've a Worry! ' she'd yell.
Be quate' fowk roared back 'We've got Worries wirsel! '

Sae she gaed tae her granny, an grat on her lap.
(The Worry cam tae, big 's an elephant's bap) .
Granny tuik oot her glaisses, the Worry tae see,
Bit noo Teenie'd shared it, the Worry grew wee.

It shrank an it shrank till it dwinnlit awa
A Worry, eence shared's nae a Worry ava!