Scottish Poetry Selection
- A Mither's Lecture Tae Her Ne'er-dae-weel Son
It is easy to picture a Scots mother wagging the finger at her grown-up son and giving him a lecture when he comes back home, the worse for a wee drink (or two or three) in the days when mothers perhaps had more influence over the actions of their offspring than they do today! This poem is by Charles Nicol (1858-?) who often wrote light-hearted verses about every-day incidents.
A Mither's Lecture Tae Her Ne'er-dae-weel Son
Ye thochtless tyke, what time o" nicht
Is this for tae come hame?
Whan ither decent fouk's in bed -
Oh! div ye no think shame?
But shame's no in ye, that I ken,
Ye drucken ne'er-dae-weel!
You've mair thocht for the dram-shop there -
Aye, that ye hae, atweel!Ye drucken loon, come tell me quick
Whaur hae ye been, ava?
I'm shair it's waefu' that frae drink
Ye canna keep awa.
An' bidin' tae sic 'oors as this,
When you should be in bed;
I doot there's something in this wark;
Come, tell the truth noo, Ted?Can ye no speak? What's wrang wi' ye?
Ye good-for-naething loon,
Yer gettin' juist a fair disgrace,
An' that ye'll be gey soon.
Noo, dinna stan' there like a mute -
The truth I want tae ken,
Sae tell me noo the truth for aince,
It's nae too late tae men'.You've been wi' twa-three bosom freens
At Bob Broon's birthday spree;
Aweel, aweel, if that's the case,
You this time I'll forgie.
But mind, sic wark as this, my man,
Will never, never dae;
Ye maun gie up that waefu' drink,
Aye, frae this very day!Meaning of unusual words:
tyke=dog
div=do
ken=know
drucken=drunken
loon=boy
ava=at all
gey=very
maun=must
waefu'=woeful
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
