Secrets(Scots Poems) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Secrets (Scots Poems)

Scrapehard
Alastrean, Jubilee Wid, Muirton & Glendeskry
Pittenderich & Pressindye, Leys Wid, Tomnaverie

Gallows Hill, Drummy Wid, Balnastraid, Kincraigie
Bogmore, Craskins, Culsh, Coull, Corrachree & Migvie

Wast Knoweheid, Langfauld, Burnside, Mains o Pronie
Dounside,Steenyford, Tom Dubh,Titaboutie

Hopwell, Millheid, Lazy Wells & Wind's ee
Cromar, the D'auch, Meikle Tom, Scrapehard, Knockargety

*Scrapehard, Scrapehard, wis life there unca hard?
Scapehard, Scrapehard, gien ower tae whin an cyard

3 Doric Owersetts ofpoems byAbraham Sutzkever(1913-2010)

Written on a slat of a railway car:
Gin whyles somebody should fin pearlins
threided on a bluid-reid towe o silk
that, near the thrapple, rins aa the thinner
like life's ain path til it's gaen
somewye in a haar an canna be seen—

Gin somebody should fin thon pearlins
lat him ken foo—cauld, prood—they lichit up
the eichteen-year-auld, reistless hairt
o the Paris dauncin quine, Marie.

Noo, rugged throwe unkent Poland—
I'm haivin ma pearlins throwe the grate.

Gin they're fand bi a young cheil—
lat thon pearlins bonnifee his dearie.
Gin they're fand bi a quine—
lat her weir them; they belang tae her.
An gin they're fand bi an auld bodach—
lat him, fur thon pearlins, recite a prayer.


Yer Corp's Reid Bricks
Yer corp's reid bricks-ye dinna mynd the hoose they biggit,
ye nae langer mynd its nummer in the lantern licht, nur yer street.
A cloud bides in a makk-takkin, a molt,
in myndin o a simmer there bides a yalla leaf.
Ye nae langer mynd the young physog o the first rain,
the address o yer doo an the cherm on her wee beak.
The lea, far as ane ye lay thegether,
his bin etten awa bi pitch an sulphur.
Ye nae langer mynd yer fowk. Fa gaed birth tae ye?
The same aisse frae lowe an its sacrifice, ye dinna ken fas.
Bit ye ken in yer hairt: the derkest an clearest
wird o aa wirds hisnae stoppit its steer: truith.
Bit ye ken in yer hairt: thon glimmrin principle
is strang as iver an wi it ye can cut throwe
the shaddae-warld, sae the bitticks can be played on fiddles
an soothe the sorra o anither in ye.


Myndin o Pasternak
Myndin o Pasternak: The yird o the lock o hair on his broo-
in caller Moscow snaa. A reid scarf roon his thrapple.
Jist as Pushkin wid hae cam… It hid taen him ower.
The snaa hidnae thawed.
His haun in mine, as gin he wir entrustin a key
o fingers tae me. An his physog, nearbye me: baith frichtened
an strang: Read on, I unnerstaun the wirds, souns.
The snaa hidnae thawed.
I read the aisse I saved frae hell: "A meenit
drapt like a starnie"*- he unnerstude the wirds, aa
except "a meenit." Wisnae able tae reach it.
The snaa hidnae thawed.
In his weety pupils o polished blaik merble
thon meenit glentit back. An a meenit
hid likewyse hung a yalla starnie on the Russian bard.
The snaa hidnae thawed.


Owersetts in Scots of 3 Malay Poems.

Rain: Muhammad Haji Salleh
O a suddenty it cam, the mid-year paddy doonpish,
Drappin sidie-wiseamang the dried lalang
An intae the branch-sheuchs o the broon canals;
The on-ding draps faain at their ain rhythm
Becam the owercamin soun o a stottin tempo.

It wakkent up the bairn in the sarong cradle
An the auld doverin faither.
Watter hid cam. He luikit oot intae the sheet o rain
Drappin alang the atap eaves.
The riveries cairriet the flattened strae
And the stoor o the drucht,
In their derk grey rinnin threids
Slidderin tae the dunts in the grun.

Skinnymalink dry dyeuks quacked
Splooshed bi the fey rain
An chuckens ran frae unner the trees.

It wis the stert o a repon,
Pak Usin's derk skinned muscles wummled.
Rain skelped the leaves an booed the young coconuts,
Shook the drucht o its daith-stoor
An swypit the lave o hairst middens.

Fur this sizzen they collecktit hopes again,
Cairriet them unner haps frae the heat tae this day,
The rain drappitan wat their prayin thrapples.


Seeds: Muhammad Haji Salleh
Thon seeds in the hope-bowl o ma palms
I wat wi the new watter o the new sizzen.
In ma grup I fin their skins burst an skelp ma hauns,
Their yalla sheets creepin inno ma bluid stream.
Noo as I lat them drap singly inno the hett yird
They are already plants inbye me,
Growin an feedin on ma bluid an ma swyte-satt.
An as I tentily wyte fur them tae breenge oot
Frae the nicht o the yird-wame,
I fin the youth o ma bluid return tae ma limbs
An I re-live this sizzenal luv affair:
The gloamins an the foreneens swacken me,
An I growe wi them,
O a suddenty again, breirin fruit
An lowpin back intae life,
Sae repeatin the life-cycle o ma bluid.


Schule's Ower:Muhammad Haji Salleh
The latchy bell skreiched roostily
Intae dweeble bairnie's lugs
Lippenin tae their noon-dwaums
An wannerin plans
Fur the schuleless efterneen.
I wis wytin fur the bell as weel
(Quately bann the new office loon)
Raxxin an ideal hame
Intae harns that hae steekit their yetts
The bell wis life-gier,
God o freedom,
And life floodit intae the limbs
O heat-trauchelt bodies
O a suddenty, cheers
Wir heistit on desks
Wid ontae wid, puin
The hinmaist skirps o the day doon.
Bit I maun wyte,
See them leave
Fit they hidna winted,
The dreich classie,
Weet frae the heat
I stude ahin the brod,
Oot o the wye o the breengin forrit
O loons rinnin tae catch
Friens frae ither classies,
Frae the elbucks an feet
O thon newly alive.
The meenits tuik them
Awa, awa ahin the biggins,
Tae the roads.
The quines smeethed their hair
Secretly luikin intae some keekin-glaiss
Steekit in Shakespeare or usman awang
In their buik creels
I stude wytin fur them tae gae
Fey-like keekin at them
Kecklin an fusperin.
They wauked oot
Puckles lassie-like, puckles bairn-like,
Thankin me.


Owersett of the poem Alone by Hayyim Nahman Bialik (Israeli)

Alane
Win blew, licht drew them aa.
New sangs rekinnle their mornins.
Anely masel, smaa birdie, am forhooied
unner the Shekhina's wing.

Alane. I bide alane.
*The Shekhina's brukken wing
trimmlit ower ma heid. Ma hairt kent hers:
her fleg fur her anely loon.

Driven frae ilkie rig -
ae dowie neuk left -
in the Hoose o Larnin she hides in shaddae,
an I alane ken her pain.

Trappit aneth her wing
ma hairt langed fur the licht.
She beeriet her physog on ma shouder
an a greet drappit on ma page.

Dumbly she claucht an grat.
Her brukken wing happit me:
"haived tae the fower wins o heiven;
they are gane, an I am alane".

It was an auncient coronach
a priggin greet I heard
in thon tint an seelent keenin,
an in thon burnin tear.

Bairn-play Villanelle
Feetikins pammer an littlins skirl
Thon's the wye the bairnies play
Hug yer lugs they're like tae dirl

Watch wee quinies daunce an birl
Skirts are fleein an hairs' agley
Caa the ropies plain an purl

Here's the loon wi the cruikit curl
Plays his lane near ilkie day
He has tyke that likes tae gurl

Watter's warm, the waves they furl
Dookin's braw in the hett sun's ray
A paiddlin laddie pykes his scurl
Here's a cairt…d'ye wint a hurl?

Intae the lan far aathin's fey
Is thon a draigon? A skytie squirrel?
Thon's the wye the bairnies play

Owerset of a poem from the Japanese by Akahito
I wish I wis as nearhaun
Tae ye as the weet skirt
O a satt quine tae her corp
I think o ye aywis

I've Lived tae Beery Ma Desires
frae a poem bi Alexander Pushkin

I've lived tae beery ma desires
An see ma dwaums roost oor bi oor
Noo aa that's left are smuchterin lowes
That burn ma teem hairt intae stoor

Strukk bi the storms o a coorse Weird
Ma croon o simmer bloom is sere
Alane an wae I watch an wyte
An winner gin the eyn is near

As dinged doon bi the last cauld air
Fin Yule cams fusslin in the win
Alane upon a branch that's bare
A trimmlin leaf is left ahin


A Green Laighlan o Pianies
Frae a poem bi Jerzy Harasymowicz

In the evenin
As far's the ee can see
Herds o blaik pianies

Up tae their knees in the dubs
They lippen tae puddocks

They gurgle in watter wi chords o blitheness

They are chermed
Bi puddocky, meenish ootpoorins

Eftir the holiday
They cause stooshies in the concert haa
In the mids o the artistic milkin
O a suddenty
They l; ie doon like coos

Luikin uncaring at the fite flooers o the audience
At the wyvin o the ushers


Tarland Show
Yowes and goats in the birsslin heat
Trample intae the girse their pirls o dung
Fairmers news ower the backs o hefty nowt
Sunlicht glents on the heids o auld an young

A loon, his hair new cuttit bi a shears
Brakks frae his mither, rinsaff tae the swings
Naebody here luiks shilpit orpeely wally
A dandelion clock fin blawn, takks wings

Cup cakes, hame bakes, saften in the heat
Pugglit grannies news in bonnie weather
Cheils sweel beer straicht frae the bottle's neck
Fuskey in plastic glaisses iles the blether

Curls stukken tae his swyty heid in sleep
A dreamin littlin sprauchles in a buggy
Ithers in fancy dress stot roon the ring
An pets are judged an merked, the day turns muggy

A tint feart quinie's greetin fur her ma
Tears straik her chikks ben sunburn, stew an snotter
The dauncers haimmer the brodin a Sean Triubhas
Lowpin like puddocks, someboy's son or dother

The piper's chikks are puffed like twa balloons
A shelt, smeeth as a conker, an as broon
Neighs an shakks its tail tae sweesh aff flees
Rosettes fur best o show an haundit roon

Trucks an vintage tractors hotter, birrin
The tug o war brings ae side tae its knees
At night, the marquee, far the Howe gaes coortin
Anither Tarlan show day's memories