Frae the big stack, weel-winnow’t
on the hill,
Wi’ divets theekit frae
the weet and drift,
Sods, peats, and heath’ry trufs
the chimley fill,
And gar their thick’ning
smeek salute the lift;
The gudeman, new come hame, is blythe
to find,
Whan he out o’er the
halland flings his een,
That ilka turn is handled to his mind,
That a’ his housie looks
sae cosh and clean;
For cleanly house lo’es
he, tho’ e’er sae mean.
Weel kens the gudewife that the pleughs
require
A heartsome meltith, and refreshing
synd
O’ nappy liquor, o’er a bleezing
fire;
Sair wark and poortith downa
weel be join’d.
Wi’ buttered bannocks now the girdle
reeks;
I’ the far nook the
bowie briskly reams;
The readied kail stands by the chimley-cheeks,
And hauds the riggin het wi’
welcome streams;
Whilk than the daintiest kitchen
nicer seems....
Then a’ the house for sleep begin
to grien,
Their joints to slack frae
industry a while;
The leaden god fa’s heavy on their
een,
And hafflins steeks them frae
their daily toil;
The cruizy too can only blink and bleer,
The restit ingle’s done
the maist it dow;
Tackman and cottar eke to bed maun steer,
Upo’ the cod to clear
their drumly pow,
Till waukened by the dawning’s
ruddy glow.
Notes.—Ingle, chimney-corner. Gloming, twilight; keeks, peeps; ca’s, drives (lit. calls); owsen, oxen; byre, cow-house; sair dung, sorely tired; steeks, shuts; dighting, winnowing; bangs fu’ leal, defeats right well; gars, makes; _-tappit_, crested; dowie, melancholy; fley’d, frighted; poortith, poverty.
Divets, turfs; theekit, thatched; weet, wet; sods, peats, and heath’ry trufs, various turf fuels; chimley, fire-place; gar, make; smeek, smoke; lift, sky; halland, partition forming a screen; een, eyes; ilka, each; cosh, cosy; lo’es, loves.
Kens, knows; meltith, meal-tide, meal; synd, wash-down, draught; nappy, heady, strong; downa, cannot; bannocks, cakes; girdle, hot-plate; reeks, smokes; bowie, cask, beer-barrel; reams, foams; readied kail, (dish of) cooked greens; by, beside; hauds... het, keeps... hot; riggin, roof over the open hearth; whilk, which.
Grien, yearn, long; hafflins steeks, half shuts; cruizy, oil-lamp; bleer, bedim (the sight); restit ingle, made up fire; dow, can; tackman, lease-holder, farmer; cod, pillow; drumly pow, confused head.
NORTHERN (ENGLAND); Group 2: WESTMORELAND.