‘Dandelions an tha Ulstèr-Scotch’            

Ye’r no beauty – A maun alloo
But an honest face ye sure hae grew
An sae ye’ll hae a sang
A like thon braw, big yella heid
Tha mair ye’r but an ugly weed
Less fowks caa ye wrang.
 
In scotch we caa ye ‘Pish-tha-bed’
A doot o ye e’en waur gets said
Nae matter flooer or weed
Tha same oor tongue is aye miscaa’d
Dialeck, slang an lainguage fraud
Makin burns on ilka leid.
 
But, weed or no, yin thing A ken
Thar’s muckle ye can lairn iz men
Less A be gye mista’en
Ye dinnae greet owre sair rebuffs
Ye tak’ a thoosan sneds an cuffs
An growe up fresh agane.
 
Ye like, nae doot, tha best o grun
Quhaur valued flooers is maistle fun
But quhan it can’t be had
Ye mak tha best o quhit ye hae
An growe in roacks or saun or clay –
Thar’s naethin ye coont bad.
 
An quhiles tae thaim as wud ye kill
Ye thole it wi unsen ill-will
It’s milk ats in yer veins
Revenge ye never tak fur wrang
Nae thirstle-point nor pussion-strang
Thon form o yours contains.
 
Ye keep maist reg’ler ‘oors, the say
An dinnae turn tha nicht til day
Wi warkin efter dairk
Ye shuts yer een as sin gans doon
An apens quhan ye hear he soon
O early risin lark.
 
O dear, auld, ugly, yella bloom
A shudnae grudgeye elbaw room
Fur life fur you is reuch
An quhan ye’r auld yer heid is grey
Jist like oor ain maun be yin day
Gin we leeve lang eneuch.

© Philip Robinson and The Ulster-Scots Language Society/The Ulster-Scots Academy