Circus: Poems In Scots Poem by Sheena Blackhall

In The Bazaars of Hyderabad
Owersett in Scots from a poem by Sarojini Naidu

Fit dae ye sell, O venders?
Richly yer trock's ootlaid.
Turbans o crammosie, siller,
Claes o poorple brocade,
Keekin glaisses wi amber,
Dirks wi haunles o jade.

Fit dae ye wey, O vendors?
Saffron, lentil an rice.
Fit dae ye grind, O lassies?
Sandalwid, henna an spice.
Fit dae ye cry, O pedlars?
Chessmen an ivory dice.

Fit dae ye makk, O gowdsmiths?
Bracelet, anklet an ring,
Bells fur the feet o blae doos,
Dweeble's a dragon-flee's wing,
Girdles o gowd fur dauncers,
Scabbards o gowd for kings.

Fit dae ye cry, O fruit venders?
Citron, pomegranate, plum.
Fit dae ye play, Omusicians?
Sitar, Sarangi, drum.
Fit dae ye chant, O magicians?
Spells for aeons tae cam.

Fit dae ye wyve, O flooer-quines?
Wi tossels o azure an reid?
Croons fur the broo o a bridegroom,
Chaplets tae garland his bed,
Sheets o fite flooers new-gaithered
Tae perfume the sleep o the deid.

The Curler's Coort
Hae ye heard o the Curler's Coort?
It's a Britherhood that's secret
An foo dae ye jyne it, ye say?
It's a secret. The curlers keep it!

Dae they bare their knees in the ice?
Dae they hae a Masonic goat?
Are they blinfauld in a haa
Wi a curlin stane roon their throat?

I've heard that drink is taen
Bit thon's aften the wye wi men
Did ye gyang through the Curler's Coort?
Gin I shook yer haun, wid I ken?


Furryboots City
I'm a native o Furryboots City
Far Winter is giein it laldy
The onding is smorin the cassies
Which is sair on the heid gin yer baldie

The scurries are dour an carnaptious
The doos are disjaskit an dour
Bit wyte till Spring lowses her kirtle
See Furryboots city in flooer

See the granite in siller glents skinklin
See the Dee an the Don reach the sea
Like twa airms raaxxin oot frae the kintra
A wattery bosie tae gie

O Embro has ghaisties an Ghoulies
An Glesga has boats on the Clyde
Bit in the North East we hae smeddum
A fine herbour… a bield frae the tide

Gin ye wauk doon the toon fur a daunder
Ye'll surely ken somebody ye meet
Preen yer lugs bank tae sook in the Doric
That's spukken in shoppies an street

Hear the scaffies teem bins blythely fusslin
Hear a waddin outside the toon haa
See the spires o heich kirks an cathedral
Wis there iver a city sae braa?



The Elphinstane Institute
Tune: A cuttie variant oThe Wee Cooper o Fife

The Elphinstane Institute's yetts ajee
25 years in the Varsity
O Aiberdeen, it's aye tae the fore
Tae giein a heist tae the North East lore
Wi studyin customs an myths galore

The Director body is Tam McKean
Ian Russell's anither that ye will ken
An here's a list o some PhDs
Fiddles an Immigrants, sang cds,
An Shamanismwi DVDs

Cullerie Wikkeyn an Toulmin enthrall
Wee Boaties, Smithsonian in the Mall
Fiona Jane in the Tourism Seat
Claire Needler wi Project o Hamecomplete
Wi Carley Williams on NAFCo's beat

Simon Gall's on Publicity
Veesit oor Buchan Library
Frances Wilkins' ethnomusicology
Alison Sharman's Elph's guarantee
That aa rins smeethly as smeeth can be

Paul Anderson and Pat Ballantyne
Evelyn Hood, Irene Watt combine
Wi Sheila Young an Les Wheeler tae makk
A rowth o lear that'll ay attrack
An David Northcroft, wi harns sae swack

There's Sheena Blackhall an Elaine Bradtke
Katherine Campbell, fa'll keep ye wrapt
Robert Young Walser an Traiveller lore
O Stanley Robertson tae explore
An gran field ootins held ooto o door

There's Colin Milton, the Elphinstane Kist
Lectures an trysts that's nae tae be missed
Sir Iain Torrance, oor patron presides
Ower aa oor ploys…read oor latest guide
We champion folklore wi grace an pride

James Porter stertit tae publish buiks
On matters o wirth frae oor Nor East Neuks
Frae gospel singers tae Carollers grand
Hardanger fiddlers an a flute band
The pick o music frae sea an land

Nicholas Le Bigre owerluiks th archive
The Friens o Elphinstane help us thrive
Buiks abootlullabies faith an fear
Fishin an fermin, ye'll finn them here
Gin ye wint tae veesit us, anely speir

Frae fowk an customs, the kilted Muse
Sic a rowth o collections fur ye tae choose
Frae cornkisters an drivin the bow
Frae Routes an Roots sic braws on show
Sic clishmaclvers frae Tam & Co


Ma bairn has nae nemme yet
A Scots Owerset o the poem bi the Korean Kim Nam-Jo

Ma bairn has nae nemme yet
Like a new-born chucken or a pup
Ma bairn isnae nemmed yet

Fit nummerless screivins I luiked ower
At daybrakk an night an evenin ower again
Bit nae wird did I fin
That is bonnie as the bairn

Starnie park o the lift
Or howpie o pearlins in the deep
Far can the neemme be fand? Foo can I?

Ma bairn his nae nemme yet
Like an unnamed bird or fite flooers
Frae the farrest lan tae the first
I hae name fur this bairn o oors


Gairden Veesitors
At daybrakk a tod cams snufflin in
Draws curtans o nettles back
On the scent o a moose or a mappie
On the gairden's girssy track

A futterat keeks frae a mowdie's hill
On the scran fur a bittie o meat
His een are bricht an his neb is weet
Sherp cleuks on his furry feet

Pyotsfecht owersuet an nuts
As fat's twa tubs o lard
Skreichin like fans at a festival
Wi the rooze o a pair o cyards

Squirrel an gled an pheasant braw
Mappie an yalla yeitie
Lowp an flee an skitter aboot
Wi jaikie, corbie, lintie

They aa help sweeten a Sizzon's day
Thon veesitors, feathered or furred
An flooers an trees aa need the heeze
O the incam o breet or bird


Le Passeur (The Ferryman)
Twa quines bide bi the side o the river Loing
The younger bairnie sprauchles on the seggs
Teetin inno the watter, tint in a bairnie dwaum
Far gloamin's shadda hings.
She's riggit oot in fite, fite cap, fite frock
Fite breekies an fite hose
Like a drappt angel fa has tint her wings

Twa bairnies bide bi the side o the river Loing
On the lip o wummanhood, the elder sister
Flat breistit still, luiks tae the ferryman
Hauns ahin her back, wi fingers twined thegither
The dwinin sunlicht sheenin on her broo
Her lang blaik pleat faas doon tae the tap o her dowp
Warm an wechtit wi aa the ploys o day
Her blaik pumps, weet wi dyew
Her frock, like forget me nots, is blue
She kens noo, life brings cheenges

The ferryman, like Charon's hyne aff yet
Foo faist the years'll pass
Till he moors his dowie boat on the derk ebb tide!

Naethin will bide o this scene
Bit watter, seggs an trees
The clouds that wyte an watch till the warld's daen


Music Haa
The Music Haa, the Music Haa
Doric Column an granite waa

Archibald Simpson'sAssembly Rooms
Wi public subscription an private means
Wi siller gaithered ahin the scenes
Helped bi Duke Gordon, an Skene o Skene

Freemasons laid the foundation stane
In full regalia in Aiberdeen
The Heivens opened, the rain poored doon
The sune tae be jewel in the Granite toon

By echteen twenty two, t'wis biggit
Inside an oot maist brawly riggit

Charles Dickens gied readins in ae room
Fowk pyed tae gawp at the dwarf Tom Thoom
John Anderson entertained an thrilled
The best magician in aa the warld

Thirty years passed, rebranded, braw
Renamed bi Prince Albert the Music Haa
Rooms fur Concerts, Lectures, Meetins,
A handsome ballroom, an exhibitions

Nellie Lind sang like a nightingale
An Clara Butt aye toppit the bill
Musical Recital an cinema
The Philharmonic Orchestra,

Fur the Dyce Bazaar in nineteen hunner
George Bridges turned the Haa tae a wunner
Rigged oot like a Montreal ice palace
Lichts like aurora borealis

Bocht bithe toon furthe ‘Common Gweed'
Fur prize givins, pet shows o ilkie breed
Budgies an cats, an flooers an singin
Sales o wirk, roller skatin, wrestlin

Bowie, Led Zeppelin trampit its boords
Emeli Sandé, gran days o awards
Programmes o classical, folk, rock, pop
Jaxx an kintra, an fiddle non stop
Seminars, art, craft, conferences
Graduations, genteel tea daunces

Categ'ry A, wi an input o cash
Like Phoenix it's risen again frae the ash
Fellow citizens, audience ane an I
I gie ye oor weel lued Music Haa!



Jute
Jute, jute, fit's it aboot?
Makkinshrouds fur the deid
Kits fur fin they're laid oot

Nae langer jist used fur as pyokes fur yer shoppin
Or espadrille soles fin Med.island hoppin
Jute's biodegradable, green as can be
It'll rot wi yersel in the green cemetrie

Fin buyin a coffin, takk tent o yer loot
Choose the pride o Dundee, vrocht in India, jute!


Blythe Yule in Aiberdeen
We hae a toun tae be prood o,
Frae the Mither Kirk sae fair
Tae the carollers in St Machar,
It shines in the frosty air

We hae a toun tae be prood o
Art Gallery, Music Haa
As guid as ye'd see in the warld
An parks that are lued bi aa

We hae a toun tae be prood o
Santy's favourite lair
Far else wid ye celebrate Xmas
Bit Marischal College Square?


Blythe
Here is a list o the blythest
O things that the Nor East sees
The Feuch far the salmon rises
The plaid o Balmoral's trees

The peesie that wheeps ower Garlogie
The spurgies that cheep in the sheugh
Far the sauchs wyve their airms in Strathbogie
For Nor-East fowk thon's mair than eneuch

The skirl o the pipes in the Garioch
The lowe o the kye bi Braemar
Twa lovers fas tryst is made cheery
Bi the sweet caller wins o Cromar

The fisher that wydes ben the watter
Bi Cluny, bi Ythan, bi Gairn
The lauch o the climmers fa yatter
Ower stinch Bennachie's muckle cairn

The towrists, angowfers fa frolic
The sattlers fa're new comin in
May they sune larn the rich, couthie Doric
That they'll hear, the braw spikk o oor kin