Scots Poems From Mind Spaghetti Poem by Sheena Blackhall

The Deid are Bletherin
A fermer uncle at Yule, has feastit us in his hame
Oor stammachs raxxed, he blethers aboot
Corn an kye. His lowe roars up the lum

A widdaed aunt, her skin nut broon's a tinkler
Sits alane in her hoose. Her budgie reests
On her cheer back, wheeplin birdie-spikk

Ma fowk hae telt me o forbears, rapes an infanticides
In days afore the chemist shop doled oot
Bairn-stoppers like sweeties

The reets o the past bred drooths an singers
A clachan poet, fermers, the antrin sodjers
Marched aff tae daith in the glaur o Flanders Fields

I steek ma een an I sit bi Lake Ontario.
Danglin ma feet aff a pier, newsin
Wi a hauf brither, stepped intae the derk ower sune

Somewye I hae drapped ma family like a crystal bowl
Splintered into shards. Glentin up frae the smush
Ae son luiks up. I canna lippen tae him
Fearin the truith will drag its blade ben ma breist


Aiberdeen as an ice cream cone
The sweetness has dreepit doon tae the fit o the cone
The Dee, the Don, the shakkins o the Denburn

Abune thon, a kirn o granite biggins
Statues, spires, kirks, skyscrapers, schules

Tappit wi dauds o clouds, wi sprinkles o rain
An a stick o rock frae Rubislaw
Tae brakk yer teeth on.


Fit is it like tae be a cat?
Fit is it like tae be a cat?
Tae chaa yer wye throw a bird or moose
Tae clean yer dowp wi yer wee pink tongue
Tae hog the hairth in yer chusen hoose

Fit is it like tae be a cat?
Tae raik unstoppit, tae please yersel
Tae catch yer prey even tho ye weir
Yer maister'sgiftie a daft wee bell

Fit is it like tae be a cat?
Tae merk yer territory oot wi pee
An gin a trespassin moggie cams
Tae cleuk an scrat at its snoot an ee


Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 - 31 October 2020
The last o the dare-deil Hollywid breed
Superstar Scot on the siller screen
Sir Tam Sean Connery is deid
His parents struggled their bairns tae feed
A blythe bairnhood, tho his pooch wis teem
The spy fa's smeddum wis guaranteed

Aywis prood o his Scottish bluid
Stuntman, lifeguaird, sic jobs he'd taen
Coffin polishin, earned his breid

At fitbaa Connery did exceed
Sax fit twa in his stockin sheen
Set up a Trust fur Scots in need

Ikon o cinema, fowk tuik heed
Larger than life, on adrenaline
Sir Tam Sean Connery is deid


4 Doric Owersetts o poems bi Li Ch'ing Chao (1084-1151)
Li Ch'ing Chao(also known as Li Cingzhao or Li Qingzhao)lived at the time of the Song dynasty. Her family were "scholar-officials".

The Sun Sets in Meltit Gowd bi Li Ching Chao
The sun sets in meltit gowd.
The evenin clouds makk a jade disk.
Far is he?
Thick fite haar haps the sauchs.
A dowie flute plays "Faain Plum Flooers."
Foo mony Spring days are left noo?
This Feast o Lichts should be blythe.
The weather is calm an bonnie.
Bit fa can tell if it
Will be follaed bi win an rain?


Sorra o Departure bi Li Ching Chao
Reid lotus incense dwines on
The jewelled curtain. Autumn
Cams again. Douce I lowse
Ma silk dress an float alane
On the orchid boatie. Fa can
Takk a letter ayont the clouds?
Anely the wud geese cam back
An screive their picturs
On the lift unner the full
Mune that floods the West Chaumer.
Flooers, as is their wye, flichter
An skitter. Watter efter
Its natur, fin skailt last
Gaithers again in ae airt.
Craiturs o the same species
Lang fur each ither. Bit we
Are hyne apairt an I hae
Grown kennin in sorra.
Naethin can makk it dwine
An gae awa. Ae meenit,
It is on ma eebroos.
The neist, it weys on ma hairt


A Frien Sens Her Perfumed Cairriage bi Li Ching Chao
A frien sens her perfumed cairriage
An heich-bred shelts tae fetch me.
I turn doon the invite o
Ma auld poetry an wine fier

I mynd the blythe days in the tint capital.
We tuik ouo ease in the wumman's quarters.
The Feast o Lichts wis brawly celebrated -
Fauldit necklets, emerant hairpreens, lace girdles,
New sashes - we competit
Tae see fa wis maist smert riggit oot.
Noo I'm dwinin awa,
Win-blawn hair, fite hair.
I'd raither bide ahin the curtains,
An lippen tae spikk an lauchter
I can nae langer share.


He Is Gane bi Li Ching Chao
Win stoppit, the stoor is scentit
Wi the drappit flooers.
Tho day is weirin late, I'm ower trauchelt
Tae takk tent o ma hair.
Maitters bide the same, yet he's here nae mair,
An aa is feenished.
I lang tae spikk, bit tears faa first.
They say that at the Twin Burns
Spring is still braw.
I wint tae row a boatie thonner.
Bit I am feart that the wee boatie
On the Twin Burns
Couldnaethole the wechty load o ma wae


3 Doric owersetts o Poemsbi Bai Juyi:(772-846)
Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; Chinese) , courtesy name Letian (Chinese) , was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official.... He achieved fame as a writer of verse in a low-key, near vernacular style that was popular throughout China, in Korea and Japan.

Nicht Snaa: Bai Juyi
I wis bumbazed that ma quilt an bowster wir cauld,
I see that noo the windae's bricht again.
Deep in the nicht, I ken the snaa is thick,
Whyles I hear the soun as bamboo snaps


Camin Hame Late on Pingquan Road in Yuletide- Bai Juyi
The Ben road is hard gaun, noo the daylicht dwines
In a reeky clachan craas reest on cranreuch trees
Nivver myne that I dinna makk it bi nichtfaa
Three hett cups an I'll feel at hame
Girse- Bai Juyi
Frae year tae year, the wizzent girse
In aa its glory briers upon on the plain
Wud lowes burn bit dinnae trauchle us
Spring win blaws, an aince mair aa is green
A hyne aff perfume traivels the auncient road
An like a bricht emerant jynes the city waa
Dear frien, aince again ye are awa
An the braw girse is fu o fareweel

Li Yu (Chinese c.937- 15 August 978) , was the third ruler of the Southern Tangstate. He reigned from 961 until 976, when he was captured by the invadingSong dynasty armies which annexed his kingdom. He died by poison on orders ofEmperor Taizong of Song after 2 years as an exiled prisoner.

Doric Owersetts o 4poems bi LiYu

A Heivenly Woman's Jyled in the Palace
A heivenly wumman's jyled in the palace at Penglai Knowe,
Aa are seelent as she sleeps bi day in the peintit haa.
Her sheeny hair is spreid like cloud on the bowster,
Her embroidered claes weir a winnerfu perfume.
In secret I cam an draw the pearl snib back,
She's stertled frae her dwaum ahin the siller screen.
Her smilin face is reamin ower wi blytheness
We luik at each ither wi eynless luve.

Foo Mony Tears?
Foo mony tears rin ower yer chikks, rin ben yer face!
Dinna ettle tae spikk fin worry makks ye greet,
Nur play the flute fin it will bring yer tears,
Or sure eneuch, syne yer hairt will brakk.


Licht Haar Rowes up the Blearie Mune
Licht haar rowes the blearie mune an bricht flooers,
A perfeck nicht tae gae tae her dearie's side.
In stockin soles, she treids the perfumed steps,
An cairries in ae haun her gowd threided sheen.
They tryst bi the sooth side o the peintit haa,
An trimmlin faa intae each ither's arims.
"It's hard fur me tae creep oot like a skiffy,
Tae teach ma dearie the daftness o luve."


The Win Cams Back: Ma Wee Coortyaird is Green an Owergrown
The win cams back; ma wee coortyaird is green an owergrown,
The sauchs seem tae hae briered again this spring.
I lean fur a lang time on the railins; alane, wioot a wird,
The soun o bamboo an the new mune are jist like in days gane by.
The playin an singin hinna yet stoppit; the wine cups bide,
The ice on tap o the puil sterts tae thaw.
Bricht caunles an a feint perfume are deep in the peintit haa,
It's hard tae think I maun lat ma hair turn fite.