Somersault
For Dan.
One isn't really meant to quote poems in their entirety, but the Penguin Selected Poems by Hugh McDiarmid seems to be out of print, so what the fuck. Probably appropriate on this parliamentary election day, anyway.
Somersault
I lo'e the stishie
O' earth in space
Breengin' by
At a haliket pace.
A wech o' hills
Gangs wallopin' Owre,
Syne a whummlin' sea
Wi' a gallus glower.
The West whuds doon
Like the pigs at Gadara,
But the East's aye there
Like a sow at farrow.
You need a Lallans glossary with McDiarmid. It's deliberate. It's a constructed language, only loosely based on anything actually spoken by Scots. The idea is that you can read for the rythm, or slow down to catch the meaning.
(these translations are only approximate):
stishie = stir
breengin = hurtling
haliket = giddy
syne = then, and then
whummlin' = tumbling
wecht = weight
gallus = reckless
aye = always
1 comment:
Well now, imagine that! A entire Bonobosphere, a cosmos unto itsownself. And poetry to boot!
Not having a 'home' computer I'll not be able to bookmark this site so I hope there'll be a link at your hootoo space I can copy to my h2g2 homepage.
Also just noticed that below this dialog box is a 'choose an identity' section which has by default named me ~jwf~. I don't recall having to log on here, and I just came here from an h2g2 link, so I am at a loss to know how it already knows who I am.
But I'm not gonna get all paranoid about it because I am an open and honest man who learned years ago that there is no point in in any form of deception or subtrafuge. If 'they' wanna getcha, they will getcha, so ya mights well go down as yourownself.
peace
~jwf~
Post a Comment