Corsie Hill Houses.
| introduction | life | poetry | bibliography |
Read and listen to selected poems
The Prodigy
| Whan Alistair McAllister Was born at Corsie Hill The doctor said "Pit on his breeks And pack him off to sküle." |
And lang or his third year was by He plodded at the plew; Cairted the muck, and herded kye, And swack't the barley-brew. |
A ladle was his horne-spüne; A caudron was his plate: And aye the mair he stappit in The mair he liked his meat. |
| Whan but a loon he stüde attour The riggin o' the house; Wi' shüthers like a barn-door And a beard like a whin-buss. |
He'd mash a neep in ilka lüfe; A rackle was but tow; Ca' doun a stane-dyke wi' ae bowff, Or ae putt o' his pow. |
Wha'd seen him brak a birky tree Maist like a willy-wand Had little thocht that he wud be Brocht to sae puir an end. |
| Eftir a bowl o' pottit-hoch, Sweel'd doun wi' Athol-brose, He taen the hiccups unco roch And cudna mak them lowse. |
For saxty nichts and saxty days He bokit loud and sair: And was a bing o' banes and claes Whan liftit for the lair. |
The guidly folk o' Corsie Hill Were richt proud o' the loon: And thocht the Lord had düne them ill To tak him or fu' grown. |
Glossary
| breeks - trousers; | sküle - school; | plew - plough; | kye - cattle; |
| swack't - drunk | barley-brew - whisky; | stappit - stuffed; | loon - lad; |
| attour - above; | riggin - roof; | shüthers - shoulders; | whin-buss - gorse bush; |
| neep - turnip; | ilka - each; | lüfe - palm; | rackle - chain; |
| tow - rope; | ca' - knock; | bowff - blow; | putt - push; |
| pow - head; | birky - birch; | willy-wand - willow twig; | pottit-hoch - potted head; |
| sweel'd - swilled; | Athol-brose - whisky liqueur; | unco - very; | roch - rough; |
| lowse - stop; | saxty - sixty; | bokit - vomited; | bing - pile; |
| banes - bones; | claes - clothes; | lair - grave; | or - before. |
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