The Laird O Udny's Feel (A Ballad) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

The Laird o Udny's Feel

The laird o Udny's feel wis born
The year twis seventeen thirteen
In a wee craftie at Longside
An unca craitur tae be seen

He'd a fey heid, his hair straicht up
The laird o Udny liked him weel
At Knockhaa castle he wis kept
As goose an kye herd, and as Feel

‘Are ye the laird o Udny's Feel? '
They speired at Jamie mockinly
An his repon cam quick's a flash-
‘Tell me true…fa's Feel are ye? '

At herdin geese his darg wis hard
Bit Jamie Fleeman niver dauchlet
He tied strae raips aroon their necks
Dumfounert fin the geese wis thrapplit

‘Fit ails the geese? ' his maister speired
‘It's nae my wyte', oor Jamie leed
‘Bit I hae brocht them aa hame hale
They ett ower muckle noo they're deed'

Ae day he fand a horse's shee
He speired the meenister, ‘Fit's thon? '
‘A feel wid ken a horse's shee! '
The meenister made quick repon

‘Foo dae ye ken it's nae a meer's?
Quo Jamie, giein tit fur tat
The meenister wis fair bumbazed
Tae hear a pauper spikk like that

Fin Knockhaa castle brunt wi fire
The Feel's tyke bowfed tae gar him list
Fleeman tae makk his maister rise
He brakk a windae wi a kist

An saved the laird an aa his kin
Forby, he helped the Lady Hay
Coontess o Erroll, in her ploy
In bringin Jacobites tae play

Fleeman ran ower the kintraside
Wi messages, her courier
An naebody thocht a Feel like him
Wid hae sic smeddum, speed an virr

Noo in a nicht o dreidfu rain
Sair hurtit, echt mile frae langside
Drookit an seek it tuik a day
Fur him tae win back hame tae bide

Wi'in twa days the Feel wis deed
Laired like a breet…an unmerked grave
Fin near a hunner year won bye
He got his heidstane, like the lave

George Donaldson o Aiberdeen
Sculpit a stane in Jamie's name
Fair rich in luve, tho puir in wealth
He weel deserves his bit o fame