Document 329

Lizzie Coutts' Knowe

Author(s): Christine De Luca

Copyright holder(s): Christine De Luca

Oot o scöl on winter days, we'd sprit
across da fud ta Lizzie Coutts' Knowe
sledges nyiggin at wir heels lik aaber whalps.

Hills wirna better med fur sledgin:
low enyoch fur a quick bassel tae da tap;
steep enyoch ta taste da aedge
o danger; lang enyoch ta savour.

We'd pile on
twartree o wis
een on tap o tidder:
belly-gutsie fur da brave
nae trace o faer.
Da runk o iron apo ice,
snaa spindrifts smookin
i da face. A rummel
o scriechs is we swooshed
owre every bump
afore we cummelled.

Dan hame fur tae, glivs ice-matted,
haands red raw wi pooin apo kiarr.
Inbye fae da spunder o da nicht
wi haet tiftin anunder wir nails
an wir een blinded i da licht.

___
scöl: school; sprit: dash, race; fud: flat 'patches of fields'at voe head; nyggin: tugging; aaber: eager; whalps: puppies; wirna: were not; enyoch: enough; bassel: struggle; twartree: two or three; een: one; tidder: the other; belly-gutsie: sledging face-downwards; runk: resounding rhythm; apo: on; snaa: snow; spindrifts: (sea) spray; smookin: suddenly covering; rummel: (from verb) to collapse; scriechs: screeches; cummelled: turned upside down; tae: high tea; glivs: gloves; pooin: pulling; kiarr: coir rope; spunder: (from verb) to race; tiftin: throbbing; anunder: under; een: eyes.

Information about Document 329

Lizzie Coutts' Knowe