Alastair Howard Robertson
ken: know, understand
whaur: where
gae: go
ae: one
hairt: heart
gar: make, cause to
stane: stone
mak: make
yon: those (over there)
bricht: bright
evir: ever
pley: play
might: might
heid: head
a’: all
thocht: thought
siccar: surer
ain: own
sang: song
fa’: fate, destiny (also: fall)
fra’: from
lang: long
luv: love
wad: would
sae: so
thrang: close to, friendly with
cud: could
wurds: words
cauld: cold
warld: world
wurd: word
blaw: blow
ahint: behind
flourish: blossom
may: hawthorn
syne: since
I ken the way into the fire
Whaur gae’d the Greek lad wi’ his lyre
And found ae end o’ hairt’s desire
To gar the greit gray stanes ring out
And mak yon stairs bricht wi’ the sun
He sang as sure as he evir sung
And he pleyed as true as micht ranson Hell
But he pleyed the traitor to himsel’
Whaen a’ the pley was done.
For he turned his heid and he doubted a’
He thocht it siccar, whate’er he saw;
He doubted his ain sang and brocht his fa’;
And on yon stairs she danders aye —
His flesh, they rent it thigh fra’ thigh
His banes had nae kenned place to lie
When daith cam to him soon.
Think ye but pain wad sing sae lang?
Their luv wi’ time wad be sae thrang?
that ye cud thole the wurds she sang?
Caulder than the warld’s winds they blaw;
I hae heard them aye ahint the day,
they shear the flourish off the may,
And whit can ony luver say
Syne Orpheus was unstrung?