Anster Fair, and Other Poems By William Tennant. With A Prefatory Memoir of the Author and his Writings |
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THE TANGIERS GIANT. |
 | Anster Fair, and Other Poems |  |
THE TANGIERS GIANT.
In Tangiers town, as I've been tauld,
There liv'd intill the times of auld
A giant stout and big,
The awfuest and the dourest carl
That on the outside o' this warl'
E'er wallop'd bane or leg.
There liv'd intill the times of auld
A giant stout and big,
The awfuest and the dourest carl
That on the outside o' this warl'
E'er wallop'd bane or leg.
When he was born, on that same day,
He was like other weans, perfay,
Nae langer than a ladle,
But in three days he shot sae lang,
That out wi's feet and head he daug
Baith end-boords o' his cradle.
He was like other weans, perfay,
Nae langer than a ladle,
But in three days he shot sae lang,
That out wi's feet and head he daug
Baith end-boords o' his cradle.
And when the big-baned babe did see
How that his cradle, short and wee,
Could haud him in nae langer,
His passion took a tirrivee—
He grippit it, and garr'd it flee
To flinders, in his anger.
How that his cradle, short and wee,
Could haud him in nae langer,
His passion took a tirrivee—
He grippit it, and garr'd it flee
To flinders, in his anger.
Ere he was spain'd, what beef, what bane,
He was a babe o' thretty stane,
And bigger than his mither;
Whan he for 's parritch grat at morn,
Men never heard syn they were born
A yowl sae fu' o' drither.
He was a babe o' thretty stane,
And bigger than his mither;
Whan he for 's parritch grat at morn,
Men never heard syn they were born
A yowl sae fu' o' drither.
When he'd seen thretty years or sae,
Far meikler was his little tae
Than meikle Samuel's shouther;
When he down on a stool did lean,
The stool was in an instant gane,
And brizz'd clean down to pouther.
Far meikler was his little tae
Than meikle Samuel's shouther;
When he down on a stool did lean,
The stool was in an instant gane,
And brizz'd clean down to pouther.
When through the streets o' Tangiers town
He gaed, spaziering up and down,
Houses and kirks did tremmle;
O' his coat-tail the vera wap
Rais'd whirlwinds wi' its flichterin' flap,
And garr'd auld lum-heads tummle.
He gaed, spaziering up and down,
Houses and kirks did tremmle;
O' his coat-tail the vera wap
Rais'd whirlwinds wi' its flichterin' flap,
And garr'd auld lum-heads tummle.
Had ye been ten mile out o' town,
Ye might hae seen his head aboon
The highest houses towrin'.
Ilk awfu' tramp he gave the ground,
Garr'd aik-trees shake their heads a' round,
And lions rin hame cowerin'.
Ye might hae seen his head aboon
The highest houses towrin'.
Ilk awfu' tramp he gave the ground,
Garr'd aik-trees shake their heads a' round,
And lions rin hame cowerin'.
To shaw his pow'r unto the people,
Ance in his arms he took the steeple,
Kiss'd it, and ca'd it brither;
Syne from its bottom up it wrung,
And in the air three times it swung,
Spire, bell, and a' thegither!
Ance in his arms he took the steeple,
Kiss'd it, and ca'd it brither;
Syne from its bottom up it wrung,
And in the air three times it swung,
Spire, bell, and a' thegither!
And when he'd swung it merrily,
Again upon its bottom he
Did clap it down sae clever,
Except a sma' crack half-way round,
The steeple stood upon its found,
As stout and straucht as ever!
Again upon its bottom he
Did clap it down sae clever,
Except a sma' crack half-way round,
The steeple stood upon its found,
As stout and straucht as ever!
Ae king's ‘birth-day, when he was fu',
Twa Tangier chaps began to pu’
His tails; when, on a sudden,
Ane by the richt leg up he grippit,
The tither by the neck he snippit,
And sent them skyward scuddin'.
Twa Tangier chaps began to pu’
His tails; when, on a sudden,
Ane by the richt leg up he grippit,
The tither by the neck he snippit,
And sent them skyward scuddin'.
On earth they ne'er again cam down;
Ane in a tan-pit i' the moon
Fell plump, and breath'd his last;
The tither ane was jammit ticht
'Tween twa stars o' the Pleiads bricht,
Whair yet he's sticking fast.
Ane in a tan-pit i' the moon
Fell plump, and breath'd his last;
The tither ane was jammit ticht
'Tween twa stars o' the Pleiads bricht,
Whair yet he's sticking fast.
Ae day, when he stood near the sea,
A fleet o' Tyrian ships in glee
Was sailing gawey by—
He gript ae frigate by the mast,
And frae the deep wi' powstie vast
He rais'd her in the sky:
A fleet o' Tyrian ships in glee
Was sailing gawey by—
He gript ae frigate by the mast,
And frae the deep wi' powstie vast
He rais'd her in the sky:
And then the great ship up he tumml'd—
Her mast was down, her hulk up-whumml'd,
Her keel high i' the lift;
Captain and cargo down cam rummlin',
Marines, and men, and meat, cam tummlin'
Down frae her decks like drift.
Her mast was down, her hulk up-whumml'd,
Her keel high i' the lift;
Captain and cargo down cam rummlin',
Marines, and men, and meat, cam tummlin'
Down frae her decks like drift.
He had a mammoth for his horse,
Whairon wi' michty birr and force
He rade baith up and down;
My certy! whan on him he lap,
For hill nor tree he didna stap—
For tower, nor yet for town.
Whairon wi' michty birr and force
He rade baith up and down;
My certy! whan on him he lap,
For hill nor tree he didna stap—
For tower, nor yet for town.
From Calpe to the Chinese wa'
He travell'd in a day or twa;
And as he gallop't east,
The tower of Babel down he batter'd—
For five miles round its bricks were scatter'd,
Sic birr was in his beast!
He travell'd in a day or twa;
And as he gallop't east,
The tower of Babel down he batter'd—
For five miles round its bricks were scatter'd,
Sic birr was in his beast!
But whan he cam to Ecbatan,
A terrible strabusch was than;
He soucht na street nor yett,
But hurly-burly, smash, smash, smash,
Through wa's and roofs he drave slap-dash,
Down-dundering a' he met:
A terrible strabusch was than;
He soucht na street nor yett,
But hurly-burly, smash, smash, smash,
Through wa's and roofs he drave slap-dash,
Down-dundering a' he met:
What wi' his monster's thunderin' thud,
And what wi' brusch, and smusch, and scud,
O' rafters, slates, and stanes,
Ten thousand folk to dead were devell'd
Ten thousand mair were eirthlins levell'd,
Half-dead wi' fractur'd banes.
And what wi' brusch, and smusch, and scud,
O' rafters, slates, and stanes,
Ten thousand folk to dead were devell'd
Ten thousand mair were eirthlins levell'd,
Half-dead wi' fractur'd banes.
He travell'd, too, baith north and south,
Whiles for his hunger, whiles for drouth
At Thebes he brak his fast;
And at the far Cape o' Good Houp,
He took his denner, and a stoup
O' wine for his repast.
Whiles for his hunger, whiles for drouth
At Thebes he brak his fast;
And at the far Cape o' Good Houp,
He took his denner, and a stoup
O' wine for his repast.
He tried, too, on his fearsome horse,
His way up to our Pole to force
To spy its whirlin' pin;
Up to the arctic ice-ribb'd flood
Nicherin' he cam, as he were wud,
Wi' dirdom and wi' din.
His way up to our Pole to force
To spy its whirlin' pin;
Up to the arctic ice-ribb'd flood
Nicherin' he cam, as he were wud,
Wi' dirdom and wi' din.
As north he rode, he didna wait
To mak a brig ower Helle's strait,
Like Persia's pridefu' king;
He loupit from Abydos' strand,
And thwack! on Sestos' beach did land,
Makin' hail Europe ring.
To mak a brig ower Helle's strait,
Like Persia's pridefu' king;
He loupit from Abydos' strand,
And thwack! on Sestos' beach did land,
Makin' hail Europe ring.
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As up through Thrace his beast did scour,
He kick'd up sic ane cloud o' stour
From his gambadin' hoof,
The king o' Thrace, where he in's ha',
Sat dinin' wi' his princes braw,
Was chokit wi' the stoof.
He kick'd up sic ane cloud o' stour
From his gambadin' hoof,
The king o' Thrace, where he in's ha',
Sat dinin' wi' his princes braw,
Was chokit wi' the stoof.
But when he reach'd Siberia's shore,
His monster wi' a grousom roar,
Down sank amang the snaw;
The beast was smor'd, and ne'er gat out;
The rider, wi' ane damnet shout,
Sprang aff, and spreul'd awa!
His monster wi' a grousom roar,
Down sank amang the snaw;
The beast was smor'd, and ne'er gat out;
The rider, wi' ane damnet shout,
Sprang aff, and spreul'd awa!
His end was like his lawless life;
He challeng'd Atlas in some strife,
T'uphaud heiv'n on his head;
He tried the starry heiv'n t'uphaud—
Down cam the lift, and wi' a daud,
It smor'd the scoundrel dead!
He challeng'd Atlas in some strife,
T'uphaud heiv'n on his head;
He tried the starry heiv'n t'uphaud—
Down cam the lift, and wi' a daud,
It smor'd the scoundrel dead!
MORAL.
From this dour giant we may see
How little, michty limb and thie,
The human race bestead;
A wee bit man wi meikle sense,
Is better than ane carle immense
Wi' nonsense in his head!
How little, michty limb and thie,
The human race bestead;
A wee bit man wi meikle sense,
Is better than ane carle immense
Wi' nonsense in his head!
For this giant of ninety feet or more, we have somewhat like classical authority. “Gabinius, the Roman historian, makes mention of the sepulchre of Antalus, near Tingi [or Tangiers], as also of a skeleton sixty cubits long [some better copies have six], which Sertorius disinterred and again covered with earth.” —Strabo lib. 17, cap. 3.
An enormous animal of the Mammoth class was disclosed by the melting of the snow in 1801, upon the snow-buried confines of Siberia. How the monster got there—how it was entombed there—appeared inexplicable to the philosophical inquirers of that period, and is only, and to our satisfaction, explained by the story of the text.
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