Hamethochts

Hamethochts

Braid Scotland haes nae peer the warld’s lenth lang,

For bonny ben or glen, for burn or sea,

Wide lochs an straths, laich park an shieling hie,

The lanesome muir an dinsome cities thrang;

For thesaury o pipe an dance an sang,

For wale o words an flouer o poesie,

Vieve checkit cleidin an proud history,

Themed heritage aa ither lands tae dang;

The pent-braw hames new made frae tume mills black,

The pitheid gear raired rustin tae the lift,

The wharves drained dry o ships whaur nae graiths bang,

The idle fowk made veicious by wark’s lack

Twined o a hame or thirled tae debt or thrift:

Braid Scotland haes nae peer the warld’s lenth lang.

Elaine Morton haes been scrievin aff an on for the feck o her life. Her daft days were misspent in lair o leids an music. She erst stertit scrievin hailly in Scots in 1998, muived tae it by the rich idiolects o friens in West Lothian an efter in East Lothian. She is, for instance, aye thankfu tae the chiel wha judged a photie-feenish atween twa rival dauncers wi the words “Ye’se are that close a pail o watter wadna pairt ye.” Mair dacent influences cam frae John Galt, Robert Louis Stevenson, an Hugh MacDiarmid. A muckle guddle o unfurthset scrievins awaits fowk tae come, or the council cowp.