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Document 328

Growin auld (Wasterwick)

Author(s): Christine De Luca

Copyright holder(s): Christine De Luca

Text

Wasterwick, auld wife o da sea, worn
tae a beauty only age can bring. Du sits
straight-backed, airms reck oot
bi clett an stack. Dy sang is
da sang o sels an a thoosand shiftin shalls
is dey beach demsels. Da Waarie Gyo
is a secret fowld i dy skurt, whaar
a kittle o tang swills to an fro.

Du gies hooseroom tae a swap o scarfs,
lodgins ta mallies. A shjalder swanks
apo dy shooder, nest safe in a reffel
o trefoil an smora. Banks-flooers
mak a wavy aedge ta dy simmer hap.

We look on dee at's cradled grown men,
trace lines o kennin on dy wise repose.
Da wasterin sun at faas saaftly lays
a wild rose apo dy granite face.

___
da: the; clett: cliff, rock, crag; stack: column of rock in the sea; dy: your (familiar); shalls: shells; dey: they; demsels: themselves; gyo: steep, narrow inlet; fowld: fold; i: in; skurt: bosom; kittle: tickle; tang: seaweed; du: you (familiar); gies: gives; tae, ta: to; swap: a sudden beat or blow; scarfs: shags; mallies: fulmers; shjalder: oyster catcher; apo: on; shooder: shoulder; reffel: tangle; smora: clover; banks flooers: sea pinks; aedge: edge; hap: shawl; dee: you (familiar); at's: who has; kennin: knowing; faas: falls; saaftly: softly.


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APA Style:

Growin auld (Wasterwick). 2025. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 2 April 2025, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=328.

MLA Style:

"Growin auld (Wasterwick)." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2025. Web. 2 April 2025. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=328.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Growin auld (Wasterwick)," accessed 2 April 2025, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=328.

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

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2025. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 328

Growin auld (Wasterwick)

Text

Text audience

Adults (18+)
General public
Males
Females
Audience size 100+

Text details

Method of composition Wordprocessed
Year of composition 1995
Word count 214
General description From collection of poems

Text medium

Book

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Shetland Library
Publication year 1997
Place of publication Lerwick
ISBN/ISSN 0-904562-64-6
Edition 1st
Part of a longer series of texts
Name of series Wast wi da Valkyries

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 120
Forenames Christine
Surname De Luca
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 18
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Head of Assessment, Research and Development
Place of birth Bressay
Region of birth Shetland
Birthplace CSD dialect area Sh
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Edinburgh
Region of residence Edinburgh
Residence CSD dialect area Edb
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Headmaster
Father's place of birth Vidlin
Father's region of birth Shetland
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Sh
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Primary Teacher
Mother's place of birth Cunningsburgh
Mother's region of birth Shetland
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Sh
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes All
Scots No Yes No Yes Work, read Scots literature

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