Curfew Row, Perth.
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Read and listen to selected poems
The Auld House
| There's a puckle lairds in the auld house Wha haud the wa's thegither: There's no muckle graith in the auld house Nor smeddum aither. |
It was aince a braw and bauld house And guid for ony weather: Kings and lords thrang'd in the auld house Or it gaed a' smither. |
| There were kings and lords in the auld house And birds o' monie a feather: There were sangs and swords in the auld house That rattled ain anither. |
It was aince a braw and bauld house And guid for ony weather: But it's noo a scrunted and cauld house Whaur lairdies foregather. |
| Let's ca' in the folk to the auld house The puir folk a' thegither: It's sunkit on rock is the auld house And the rock's their brither. |
It was aince a braw and bauld house And guid for ony weather: But the folk maun funder the auld house And bigg up anither. |
Glossary
| puckle - a few; | lairds - lords; | haud - hold; | wa's - walls; | thegither - together; |
| muckle - much; | graith - furnishings; | smeddum - spirit; | guid - good; | thrang'd - thronged; |
| or - until; | gaed - went; | smither - broken; | braw - fine; | bauld - strong; |
| scrunted - worn down; | lairdies - lordlings; | ca' - call; | puir - poor; | sunkit - sunk; |
| maun - must; | funder - demolish; | bigg - build. |
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