by Robert Burns
That sense and worth, o’er a’ the earth
Shall bear the gree, an’ a’ that;
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s comin yet for a’ that,
That man to man the world o’er,
Shall brothers be for a’ that.
Kirkcudbright Grace
Some have meat and cannot eat,
Some cannot eat that want it:
But we have meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.
Charlie He’s My Darling
’Twas on a Monday morning,
Right early in the year,
That Charlie cam to our town,
The young Chevalier.
An’ Charlie he’s my darling,
My darling, my darling,
Charlie he’s my darling, the young Chevalier.
As he was walking up the street,
The city for to view,
O there he spied a bonie lass
The window looking thro’. – An’ Charlie &c.
Sae light’s he jimped up the stair,
And tirled at the pin;
And wha sae ready as hersel,
To let the laddie in. – An’ Charlie &c.
He set his Jenny on his knee,
All in his Highland dress;
For brawlie weel he ken’d the way
To please a bonie lass. – An’ Charlie &c.
It’s up yon hethery mountain,
And down yon scroggy glen,
We daur na gang a milking,
For Charlie and his men. – An’ Charlie &c.
Glossary
a’: all
aboon: above
agley: aslant, wrong
aiblins: perhaps
ain: own
airn: iron
aith: oath
aits: oats
ane: one
asklent: askew, awry
auldfarran: sagacious, prudent
ava: at all, of all
awnie: bearded
ayont: beyond
baith: both
bane: bone
banie: big-boned, muscular
bear the gree: to win the victory
beese: vermin
ben: in
benmost: innermost
bicker: wooden dish
bien: prosperous, comfortable
big: to build
bill: bull
billie: fellow, comrade
birk: birch
birkie: clever fellow
birsies: bristles
bizz: bustle
blate: bashful
blather: bladder
bleezan: blazing
blellum: babbler, idle-talking fellow
bleth’ran: talking idly
blink: a while, moment
blue-boram: English slang for syphilis
boddle: old copper coin (worth two Scottish pennies)
bogle: hobgoblin
bonie (bony): bonny, beautiful
bonnock: thick cake of bread or oatmeal
boord: board
boord-en’: head of the table
boortries: shrub-elder
bore: small hole
botch: angry tumour
bousing: drinking
brae: slope of a hill, river bank
braid: broad
brash: sudden, brief illness
brats: small pieces, rags, children
brattle: short race, hurry
braw: handsome, finely dressed
breeks: breeches
brunstane: brimstone
buckler: helmet strap
bumman: humming
burnewin: blacksmith
buskit: well dressed
butt an’ ben: kitchen and parlour
byke: beehive
cadie: messenger
callor: fresh, cool
cantharidian: of cantharides, Spanish fly (aphrodisiac)
cantie: cheerful, lively
cantraip: spell, charm
cape-stane: copestone, keystone
carlin: stout old woman
cauld: cold
caup: wooden cup
cesses: taxes
chantan: chanting
chapman billies: pedlar fellows
chow: to chew
chuffie: fat-faced
claes (claise): clothes
claithing: clothing
clatter: an idle story
claymore: sword
cleekit: linked together
clinkumbell: church bell-ringer
cog: wooden dish
collieshangie: quarrelling
cood: cud
coof: blockhead, ninny
cootie: wooden dish
cotter: inhabitant of a cottage
coulter: iron blade at front of a ploughshare
countra: country
cour: fold, duck down
cranreuch: hoar-frost
craps: crop
creeshie: greasy
croose: proud, cocksure
crowdie: oatmeal with water, or milk
crowdie-time: breakfast-time, mealtime
crowlan: crawling
crummock: crooked-horned cow
crump: hard, brittle (of bread)
curchie: curtsy
cushat: dove or wood pigeon
daffin: merriment
dail: plank
daimen-icker: occasional ear of corn
daur: to dare
daut: to fondle, caress
dawd: large portion
dawtet: fondled
deave: to deafen
deil: devil
dight: to wipe
ding: to excel, surpass
dinna: do not
ditty: reproof
dool: sorrow
dorty: saucy
doup-skelper: bottom-slapper
douse: sober, wise, prudent
dow: can
dowff: lacking in spirit
dowie: sad, lonesome
doylt: stupid, crazed
droddum: breech, backside
droukit: soaked, drenched
drumlie: muddy
dub: pool, puddle
duds: rags
dung: worsted, subdued
dunts: blows
durk: dagger
dyvors: bankrupts
e’e: eye
een: eyes, evening
eldritch: frightful
Embro: Edinburgh
ettle: to try, intent
fa’: fall
faem: foam
fairing: desserts, present from a fair
farl: cake of bread or oats
fash: trouble, care
fatt’rels: ribbon ends
fausont: decent
fechtin: fighting
feck: many, plenty, the greater bulk
fell: keen, biting
ferlie: wonder, to marvel
fient: fiend
flaffan: flapping
flainen: flannel
foggage: coarse grass grown for winter feed
fou: full, drunk
frae: from
fu’: full
furm: form, wooden bench
furr: furrow
fyke: to fret, in a fuss
gaed: went
gane: gone
gar: to make, to compel
gash: wise
gat: got, received
gate: way, manner
gaunt: to yawn
gawsie: jolly, large
gaylies: adequately, pretty well
gear: goods, wealth
get: a child, issue
gie: to give
gill: Scots measure
gin: if, by, against
gizz: face
glaikit: foolish
glib-gabbet: smooth-talking
glintan: shining briefly
glunch: to frown
gowan: daisy, dandelion
gowd: gold
grain: to groan
graith: harness, equip
ment
greetan: weeping
greives: farm overseer
groat: small coin
grozet: gooseberry
grutten: wept
gude-willie-waught: a drink with great good will
guid: good
guidman: master of the house
guidwife: mistress of the house
ha’: hall
haffet: side of the head, temple
hafflins: halfway
hald: hold, resting place
hallions: rascals, rogues
hame: home
hap-step-an’-loup: hop, skip and leap
harn: coarse linen
haughs: low-lying meadow
hawkie: cow
hearse: hoarse
herriet: robbed
het: hot
heugh: hollow
hirplan: creeping, limping
histie: dry, barren
hizzy: hussy
hoast: cough
hoddan: hobbling
hodden: coarse grey woollen cloth
houghmagandie: fornication
houlet: owl
howcket: digged
howe: hollow, dale
hurdies: hips, buttocks
ilka: each, every
jad: jade, worthless nag
jaup: to splash
jink: to dodge
jinkan: dodging
jo: sweetheart
kae: jackdaw
kebbuck: cheese
keek: to peep
keekit: peeped
ken: to know
kent: knew
ket: fleece
kintra (kintry): country
kintra cooser: travelling stallion
kirk: church
kirn: churn
kittle: to tickle
knowe: hillock
kyte: belly
laith: loath
lanely: lonely
lave: the rest, the others
lav’rock: lark
lear: learning
leeze me: a phrase of congratulation or endearment
leuk: to look
libbet: castrated
linkan: tripping
linket: tripped
loof: palm of the hand
lough: lake
lour: look threateningly, impending
lowan: flaming
lowe: flame
lowp: to leap
lug: ear
luggies: wooden dish with handles
lyart: grey
mailen: farm
maist: most
manteele: mantle
mashlum: mixed corn
maukin: hare
maun: must
mell: to meddle
melvie: to soil with meal
mense: manners, decorum
mim: prim
moil: labour
mony (monie): many
mou: mouth
muckle: great, big
mutchkin: English pint
na: not
nane: none
nappy: ale
neist: next
neuk (newk): nook, corner
nieve: fist
nit: nut
nowt: cattle
ony (onie): any
owrehip: overarm hammer strike
painch: stomach
pattle: plough spade
penny-wheep: small beer
phiz: face
pirratch: porridge
plack: old Scottish coin (worth one third of a Scottish penny)
plackless: penniless
pleugh-pettle: plough-staff
pliskie: trick
poin’d: to seize
poortith: poverty
pou’d: pulled
pow: head
queir: choir
raep: rope
raible: to talk nonsense
rass-buss: bush of rushes
rattlan: rattling
raucle: rash, fearless
rax: to stretch
ream: to froth
reaming: brimful, frothing
reck: to heed
rede: to advise, counsel
red-wud: stark mad
reek: to smoke, smoke
reekan: smoking
reekit: smoked
reestet: scorched
remead: remedy
rigwoodie: coarse, tough
rin: to run
rive: to burst
roupet: hoarse, with a cold
rowe: to roll, to wrap
rowth: abundance
rozet: rosin
rung: cudgel
runkl’d: wrinkled
sae: so
sair: sore
sairly: sorely
sark: shirt
saunt: saint
saut: salt
scaud: to scald
scaur: to scare
sconner: to loathe, loathing
scrievin: gliding gleefully
shoon: shoes
sic: such
simmer: summer
skellum: worthless fellow
skelp: slap, to run
skelpan: walking quickly, often barefoot
skelpit: hurried forward
skinking: watery, thin soup
skirl: to shriek
sklentan: slanted
slae: sloe
slap: gate
sma’: small
smeddum: medicinal powder
smoutie: smutty, sooty
snawy: snowy
sned: to cut off
snell: bitter
snick-drawing: trick-conniving
snool: to cringe, sneak, submit
