Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan (Penguin Classics) (29 page)
Read Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan (Penguin Classics) Online
Authors: Gordon Jarvie
Stevenson was brought up in Edinburgh, attending the city’s
Academy and University. He suffered much from ill-health, and as a boy was regularly sent to recuperate at North Berwick; so he knew the shoreline of East Lothian and its offshore islands very well. Indeed, the nearby island of Fidra is said to have been the model for his first novel,
Treasure Island
(1881), and he almost certainly also visited the Bass. His father or grandfather had built many of the lighthouses around this coast.
Betsy Whyte was born at Blairgowrie into a family of travelling folk, and her classic autobiography
The Yellow on the Broom
(1979) and its sequel,
Red Rowans and Wild Honey
(1990), tells with clarity and freshness the story of her childhood and growing up in this culture, moving around the farms of Perthshire. She gave up the travelling life when she married and had her own family to raise, but she continued to narrate her travellers’ stories at readings and ceilidhs until the end of her life. She was also a regular contributor to
Tocher
magazine.
‘The Man in the Boat’ is a recording of an oral folk tale, as told by Betsy to students at the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh University, in 1981. The idea that everybody should be able to tell a story to help pass an idle hour may seem strange in an age of instant canned entertainment, but it is a very old one that crops up in many world literatures. An older and more traditional version of the same topic is ‘Why Everyone Should Be Able to Tell a Story’, by John Lorne Campbell of Canna, on pp. 209–10 of this collection.
puddock
, frog.
dander
, stroll.
brownies
, spirits who were on the whole friendly and domesticated. They were associated with farms and steadings, and in some areas the householder would leave some food or milk – or even clothes – for them in order to gain their protection.
knowe
, hilltop.
a’
, all
gowd
, gold
gae
, go
nane
, none;
gaes
, goes
wad
, pledge, wager
kirtle
, skirt
aboon
, above
bree
, brow
hie
, go, speed
fand
, found
pu’d
, pulled
twa
, two
a’
, all
wand
, baton (symbolizing rule)
nae
, no
snooded
, bound
Aince
, Once;
amang
, among
ony
, any
spak
, spoke;
auld
, old
the night
, tonight
the morn
, tomorrow
ken
, know
mirk
, dark
maun bide
, must wait
ken
, know
unco
, unfamiliar
syne
, then
renoun
, privilege
kaim’d
, combed
thae’s
, these are
esk
, newt
ferlie
, a strange sight
ilka tett
, each tuft
siller
, silver
lowted
, bowed
Harp and carp
, play and recite (as a minstrel)
weird
, fate;
daunton
, daunt
Syne
, Thereupon, Then
maun
, must
taen
, taken
rade
, rode
gaed
, went
braid
, broad
leven
, lawn
gae
, go
aboon
, above
mirk
, dark
stem
, stars
pu’d
, pulled
wad gie
, would give
dought
, could
tryst
, market
gane
, gone
Black Art
, magic, the devil’s work. The devil was often referred to as ‘the black man’.
ceilidh
, Gaelic name for a social gathering, often involving dance, music, songs, storytelling and other entertainment.
pappies
, breasts.
claes
, clothes.
pit a glamourie ower him
, cast a spell over him.
chapman billies
, tradesmen laddies
drouthy
, thirsty
gate
, road
nappy
, ale
fou
, mellow;
unco
, very
slaps
, gaps (in the hedges)
fand
, found
skellum
, rascal
blellum
, noisy drunk
ilka melder
, every meal-grinding
naig
, horse;
ca’d
, shod
fou
, drunk
warlocks
, wizards
mirk
, dark
gars
, makes;
greet
, weep
bleezing
, blazing
reaming swats
, foaming new beer
Souter
, Cobbler
thegither
, together
rair
, roar
lades
, loads
maun
, must
black arch
, midnight
key-stane
, centrepiece
sic
, such
’twad
it would have
Deil
, Devil
skelpit
, hurried;
dub
, puddle
Whiles
, Sometimes
bogles
, goblins
houlets
, owls
smoor’d
, was smothered
birks
, birches;
meikle stane
, big stone
brak’s
, broke his
bairn
, child
abune
, above
ilka bore
, every chink
John Barleycorn
, Whisky
tippenny
, cheap (tuppenny) ale
usquabae
, whisky (Gaelic)
swats… ream’d
, beer so frothed
noddle
, head
car’d… boddle
, he didn’t care tuppence
vow
, wow;
unco
, extraordinary
Nae cotillion
, brand-new dance step
A winnock-bunker
, (On) a window-sill
towzie tyke
, dishevelled beast
skirl
, shrill
dirl
, clatter
presses
, cupboards
shaw’d
, showed
cantraip
, weird trick
haly
, holy
airns
, irons
span-lang
, hand-long
rape
, rope
stack
, stuck;
heft
, haft
cleekit
, linked hands
carlin
, witch;
reekit
, steamed
coost
, cast aside;
duddies
, clothes
wark
, work
linket
, went arm in arm;
sark
, vest
queans
, young lasses
flannen
, dirty flannel
seventeen-hunder
, fine-woven
breeks
, trousers
hurdies
, buttocks
Rigwoodie
, Wizened
wad spean
, would wean
Lowping
, Leaping
crummock
, walking-stick
fu’ brawlie
, quite well
winsome
, pleasant
wawlie
, nimble
core
, corps (de danse)
kend
, known
dead
, death
meikle
, much
bere
, barley
cutty sark
, short shift;
Paisley harn
, coarse cloth
vauntie
, proud (of it)
ken’d
, knew
croft
, bought
maun cour
, must cover
lap
, leapt;
flang
, kicked
hotch’d
, jerked
syne
, then
tint
…
theqither
, altogether took leave of
bizz
, bustle;
fyke
, fuss
herds
, herd-boys
byke
, hive
pussie’s
, the hare’s
eldritch
, horrible
hollo
, shout
fairin’
, just deserts
herrin’
, herring
key-stane
, top or mid-stone
The fient
…
, Never a tail
ettle
, effort
hale
, whole
claught
, clutched
soucht
, sought.
chairge
, custody.
kent the gate
, knew the way.
solans
, solan geese, gannets.
Forby
, moreover, besides.
Tod
, Fox (sometimes a nickname).
dwallin
, dwelling.
lang loan
, long street.
benorth
, to the north of.
uncanny
, eerie, creepy.
deevil’s cantrips
, devil’s tricks. Folklore had it that the Devil tried to shipwreck Anne of Denmark here, as she sailed to Leith in 1589 after her marriage to King James VI of Scotland in Oslo.
mirkest
, darkest.
kenned
, knew.
on the sneck
, unlatched, unlocked.
wabster
, weaver.
but
, kitchen.
creish
, tallow-fat.
gart me scunner
, made me sick.
cawed
, pulled, moved.
steeket
, stuck shut.
skirled
, yelled.
deid lug
, dead ear.
Nae mainner o service!
, Nothing doing!
dowp
, backside.
jimp
, hardly.
blythe
, happy.
fa’ into a bit dwam
, fall into a bit of a daydream.
stamach
, stomach.
crack
, chat.
twined
, parted.
brunt far
, burnt for.
sinsyne
, since then.
craigsman
, rock climber.
speldering
, sprawling.
craig face
, rockface.
hieest and steighest
, highest and steepest.
tenty
, watchful, attentive.
mindin for
, looking out for.
claught
, dragged.
swat
, sweat.
keeked
, looked.
muckle
, big.
pyking
, pecking.
by-ordinar
, extraordinary, unusual.
neb
, beak, nose.
unco
, (1) exceedingly, very; (2) strange, not right.
ae keek
, one look.
wroucht
, worked.
warstl’t
, wrestled.
dementit
, gone crazy.
brawly
, well.
birzing
, grinding.
crunkled
, wrinkled.
gaed
, went.
stend
, thrill.
spried
, spread.
straucht
, straight.
een
, eyes.
gart
, made.
laigher
, lower.
flegged
, flew.
