#plagueopoems

#plagueopoems

Daurkness Bi Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824) Pitten intae the Scots bi Dr Michael Dempster A haed a dream, thit wis no aw a dream. The bricht sun wis extinguisht, an the sters Did wanner daurklin in the eternal space, Rayless, an pathless, an the icy earth Swung blin an blackenin in the muinless air; Morn cam an went—an cam, an brocht nae day, An men forgot their passions in the dreid O this their desolation; an aw herts Wis chillt intae a selfish prayer fir licht: An they did live bi watchfires—an the thrones, The palaces o croont kings—the huts, The habitations o aw hings thit dwell, Wis burnt fir beacons; cities wis consumit, An men gaithert roon their bleezin hames Tae luik ance mair intae ilk ither's face; Happy wis thaim thit dwelt ithin the ee O the volcanos, an their moontain-torch: A feart howp wis aw the warld containt; Forests wis set on fire—bit oor bi oor They fell an fadit—an the cracklin trunks Extinguisht wi a crash—an aw wis black. The broos o men bi the despairin licht Wore a unearthly aspect, as bi fits The flashes fell upon them; some lay doon An hid their een an gret; an some did rest Their chins upon their clenchit hauns, an smilit; An ithers hurrieit tae an fro, an fed Their funeral piles wi fuel, an luikit up Wi mad disquietude on the dull sky, The pall o a past warld; an then again Wi curses cast them doon upon the dust, An gnasht their teeth an hoolit: the wild birds skreicht An, terrifeirt, did flutter on the grun, An flap their useless wings; the wildest brutes Cam tame an trimulous; an vipers crepit An twin'd theirsels amang the multitude, Hissin, bit stingless—they wis killt fir fid. An Waur, that fir a moment wis nae mair, Did glut hissel again: a meal wis bocht Wi bluid, an ilk sat sullenly apairt Gorgin hissel in gloom: nae luv wis left; Aw earth wis bit ae thocht—an that wis deith Immediate an inglorious; an the pang O famine fed upon aw entrails—men Dee’d, an their banes wis tombless as their flesh; The meagre bi the meagre wis devoorit, E’en dugs assailt their maisters, aw save wan, An he wis faithfu tae a coorse, an kept The birds an baists an stervin men at bey, Tae hunger clung them, or the drappin deid Lur'd their lank gams; hissel socht oot nae fid, Bit wi a piteous an perpetual mane, An a quick desolate craw, lickin the haun Thit answerit no wi a caress—he dee’d. The crood wis stervin bi degrees; bit twa O a enormous city did survive, An they wis enemies: they met aside The deein emmers o a altar-place Whaur haed been bingt a mass o haily hings Fir a unhaily uisage; they rikt up, An chitterin scrap'd wi their cauld skeleton hauns The shilpit eshes, an their shilpit breith Blew fir a wee tait life, an makkit a flame Thit wis a mockery; then they luftit up Their een as it grew lichter, an behaud Ilk ither's aspects—seen, an skreicht, an dee’d— E’en o their mutual hideousness they dee’d, Unkenin wha he wis upon whase broo Famine haed writ Fiend. The warld wis void, The populous an the pooerfu wis a lump, Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless— A lump o deith—a chaos o haurd cley. The rivers, lochs an ocean aw stuid stull, An naethin stirrt ithin their silent depths; Ships sailorless lay rottin on the sea, An their masts fell doon piecemeal: as they drapt They slept on the abyss ithoot a surge— The waves wis deid; the tides wis in their graves, The muin, their mistress, haed expirit afore; The winds wis withert in the stagnant air, An the cloods perish'd; Daurkness haed nae need O aid fae them—She wis the Universe.

Recordit for Hugh McMillan's A Plague of Poetry: 50 days of Poems and published on World Goth Day 2020. https://pestilencepoems.blogspot.com/2020/05/poems-from-backroom-67-michael-dempster.html?m=1 Ma Scots owersettin o Byron's Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull. Lines Inscribit Upon a Cup Formt fae a Skull George Gordon Byron – 1788-1824 Pitten intae the Scots bi Dr Michael Dempster Stert no—or deem ma spreit fleed:    In me behaud the ainly skull Fae whaur, no lik a livin heid,    White’er flows isnae e’er dull. A livit, A luvit, A quafft, lik thee:    I dee’d: let earth ma banes resign; Full up—thou cannae injure me;    The wurm his fouler lips than thine. Better tae haud the spairklin grape,    Than nurse the earth-wurm's slimy bruid; An circle in the goblet's shape    The drink o Gods, than reptiles' fuid. Where ance ma wit, perchance, haes shone,    In aid o ithers' let me shine; An when, alace! oor brains is gane,    Whit nobler substitute than wine? Quaff while thou kin—anither race,    When thou an thine lik me are speed, Micht rescue thee fae earth's embrace,    An rhyme an revel wi the deid. Hou no? since throu life's little day    Oor heids sic sad effects produce; Redeemt fae wurms an wastin cley,    This chance is theirs, tae be o uise.

The Scots language is a diverse and unique one, with a variety of local dialects and variations found across the country, from the rural villages in the north, to the bustling cities in the central belt. If you’ve not quite got the hang of Scotland’s patter just yet, stay tuned and we’ll give you all the inside info you need for your next trip to Scotland. Before you start your trip, you should know there are 4 main Scots dialects; Insular spoken in Orkney and Shetland, Northern uttered from Aberdeen all the way down to Angus, Central spoken everywhere from Glasgow to Dumfries and Argyll, and Southern which is heard in the Bonnie Borders. However, there are lots of sub-dialects within these to, so if you’re planning on touring across different regions and locations, you’re bound to come across a least a few of these unique dialects when chatting to the locals. A lot of Scots word are often light-hearted and fun to learn. Here are 5 examples to get you started: 1. Bahookie; ‘buttocks’ or ‘backside’ 2. Coorie; to snuggle or cuddle 3. Fankle; to entangle; a tangle; or confusion 4. Dook; to dip in liquid, especially water 5. Wheesht; to call for silence or to be quiet This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the incredible range of Scots words, phrases and sayings. If you are intrigued and want to learn more, why not head over to our website? http://www.visitscotland.com/blog/culture/scottish-words-meanings/ See more from VisitScotland: Subscribe on YouTube: https://goo.gl/v8Rfpp Visit our website: https://www.visitscotland.com/ Like our Facebook page: https://goo.gl/28ZRdn Follow us on Instagram: https://goo.gl/Mc3dFD Say hello on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VisitScotland