Wu’ll dandor an mooch ayont yon galloway, an tyek note o thi blee sky blent wi thi hills, see thi spuggies, an thi neuks bedighted wi eglantine. Fornenst thi cree an abeun thi hemmel, wu’ll hev wor bait, an batten worsels, time wu watch wor bollen bellies graa tiv i muckle, yarkin size. Then wu’ll tyek wor pipe an blin heor time thi reek gaans oot, an set wor dowps amaang thi pittleybeds an forgit aboot this bale world. An gyep it thi cuddies, an thi gobby, donnart craas wi thor feckless cries an thi lowpin yows an dunchin coneys i thi grass.
Thi bollen born hes corved i jud i thi stenchin clarts an sleck, as it lowps, reels an blethors an cowps its creels. Thi hoppin bords are aal agabbor, playin hitchy-dabbor, an skiddadlin doon thi swally i thi soft low. But thi larks are geeson.
Yon field is chockor wi yarkin bagies, wi tetties fornenst, seun ti be howked. Thi bumlors are stottin doon thi lonnen’s dyke, powkin thor snitches i thi pittleybeds. Thi musky yarbs smell kif. Thi aad chep on thi cracket, fishin, is tyekin i deek it thi bari morts, while chowin on ees yarries, an slorpin ees broon ale. Ee’s jist catched haalf i duzzin yarkin troot, off thi belt end, but ee’s ower stingey ti gis i one. So, when aa git hyem thi neet, for mi bait, aa’ll hev ti myek de wi me stotty cyek wiv i bit o drippin, an for me pud, a bit o spotty dick.
© 2000 Raymond Reed
You can hear this, and other works, on the CD in the shop
List of words
Aad – old
Abeun – above, beyond
Agabbor – making noises
Ayont – beyond
Bagies – turnips
Bait – a meal
Bale – evil
Batten – feed well
Bedighted – adorned, covered with
Blee – blue
Blent – blended
Blethors – talk without sense
Blin – to stop or stay
Bollen – swollen
Born – burn, stream
Broon – brown
Bumlors – bees
Chep – man
Chockor – full
Chowin – chewing
Clarts – mud
Coneys – rabbits
Cowps its creels – doing somersaults
Craas – crows
Cracket – small seat or stool
Cree – hut or shed
Cuddies – donkeys
Dandor – saunter
Donnart – fool, foolish
Dowps – bottom, posterior, bum
Dunchin – bumping
Eglantine – roses
Feckless – annoying, stupid
Fornenst – oppsite to
Galloway – horse
Geeson – scarce
Gobby – boastful
Gyep – gape, look at
Hemmel – open-fronted animal house
Hitchy-dabbor – hop-scotch
Howked – picked
Hyem – home
Jud – bend
Kif – good, sweet, attractive
Lairks – larks
Low – light
Lowpin – leaping
Marras – friends, mates
Mooch – slouch
Muckle – big
Neet – night
Neuks – nooks, crannies, corners
Off thi belt end – in succession\
Pittleybeds – dandelions
Powkin – poking
Pud – pudding
Skiddadlin – running haphazardly
Sleck – foul-smelling clarts
Snitches – noses
Slorpin – drinking
Spotty Dick – suet pudding with currants
Spuggies – sparrows
Stenshin – filthy-smelling
Stingey – mean, stingy
Stottin – bouncing
Stotty cyek – bread made without yeast
Swally – a depression in the ground
Tetties – potatoes
Thi bari morts – smart lasses
Troot – trout
Tyek i deek – take a look at
Tyek wor pipe time thi reek gaans oot – rest a while
Yarbs – herbs
Yarkin – big (can also mean a good hiding)
Yarries – eggs
Yon – that (thing over there)
Yows – ewes
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