 | CHAPTER XII A FEW SPECIMENS English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day |  |
SCOTTISH (Group 8): EDINBURGH.
The following stanzas are from The Farmer's Ingle, a poem by Robert Fergusson (1750-1774), a native of Edinburgh.
Whan Batie ca's his owsen to the byre,
Whan Thrasher John, sair dung, his barn-door steeks,
And lusty lasses at the dighting tire:
What bangs fu' leal the e'enings coming cauld,
And gars snaw-tappit winter freeze in vain,
Gars dowie mortals look baith blythe and bauld,
Nor fley'd wi' a' the poortith o' the plain;
Begin, my Muse, and chant in hamely strain.
Wi' divets theekit frae the weet and drift,
Sods, peats, and heath'ry trufs the chimley fill,
And gar their thick'ning smeek salute the lift;
The gudeman, new come hame, is blythe to find,
Whan he out o'er the halland flings his een,
That ilka turn is handled to his mind,
That a' his housie looks sae cosh and clean;
For cleanly house lo'es he, tho' e'er sae mean.
A heartsome meltith, and refreshing synd
O' nappy liquor, o'er a bleezing fire;
Sair wark and poortith downa weel be join'd.
Wi' buttered bannocks now the girdle reeks;
I' the far nook the bowie briskly reams;
The readied kail stands by the chimley-cheeks,
And hauds the riggin het wi' welcome streams;
Whilk than the daintiest kitchen nicer seems....
Their joints to slack frae industry a while;
The leaden god fa's heavy on their een,
And hafflins steeks them frae their daily toil;
The cruizy too can only blink and bleer,
The restit ingle's done the maist it dow;
Tackman and cottar eke to bed maun steer,
Upo' the cod to clear their drumly pow,
Till waukened by the dawning's ruddy glow.
Notes.--Ingle, chimney-corner. Gloming, twilight; keeks, peeps; ca's, drives (lit. calls); owsen, oxen; byre, cow-house; sair dung, sorely tired; steeks, shuts; dighting, winnowing; bangs fu' leal, defeats right well; gars, makes; -tappit, crested; dowie, melancholy; fley'd, frighted; poortith, poverty. Divets, turfs; theekit, thatched; weet, wet; sods, peats, and heath'ry trufs, various turf fuels; chimley, fire-place; gar, make; smeek, smoke; lift, sky; halland, partition forming a screen; een, eyes; ilka, each; cosh, cosy; lo'es, loves. Kens, knows; meltith, meal-tide, meal; synd, wash-down, draught; nappy, heady, strong; downa, cannot; bannocks, cakes; girdle, hot-plate; reeks, smokes; bowie, cask, beer-barrel; reams, foams; readied kail, (dish of) cooked greens; by, beside; hauds... het, keeps... hot; riggin, roof over the open hearth; whilk, which. Grien, yearn, long; hafflins steeks, half shuts; cruizy, oil-lamp; bleer, bedim (the sight); restit ingle, made up fire; dow, can; tackman, lease-holder, farmer; cod, pillow; drumly pow, confused head.
| CHAPTER XII A FEW SPECIMENS English Dialects From the Eighth Century to the Present Day | |