SCOTS
CMSW

Document 1370

Tryst

Author(s): David Purves

Copyright holder(s): Prof Geoffrey F Dutton: Published in Camp One, Macdonald, 1978, David Purves

Text

ye’l cum alang the road the-nicht
for ordnar an we’l gang
no bi the wattir doun til the brig, but up
the brae. it’s tyme ye lairnt
astronomie. Ah’l pynt

Andromeda an ye can lean
agin ma shouther, we’l
gae throu the gal;axies an Ah’l be braw
i the whuff o yeir hair, haillskart
frae the lichtyears. bi the yett
the-day Ah saw a leveret deid,
its een pyk’t oot. the craws
gledged frae abuin. its paws war streik’t afore it.
thay war reid
wi tryin ti birze awa pitmirk.

This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document.

Close

Cite this Document

APA Style:

Tryst. 2026. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 10 February 2026, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1370.

MLA Style:

"Tryst." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2026. Web. 10 February 2026. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1370.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Tryst," accessed 10 February 2026, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1370.

If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2026. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

Close

Information about Document 1370

Tryst

Text

Text audience

Adults (18+)
General public
Informed lay people
Audience size 100+

Text details

Method of composition Wordprocessed
Year of composition 1999
Title of original (if translation) tryst
Author of original (if translation) G F Dutton
Language of original (if translation) English
Word count 101

Text medium

Periodical/journal

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Lallans

Text setting

Leisure/entertainment

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 17
Forenames David
Surname Purves
Gender Male
Decade of birth 1920
Educational attainment University
Age left school 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Retired Biochemist
Place of birth Selkirk
Region of birth Selkirk
Birthplace CSD dialect area Slk
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Edinburgh
Region of residence Midlothian
Residence CSD dialect area midLoth
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Master Grocer
Father's place of birth Selkirk
Father's region of birth Selkirk
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Slk
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Housewife
Mother's place of birth Selkirk
Mother's region of birth Selkirk
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Slk
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes All circumstances
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes

Close