Document 622

Dipper: 10 - Aippleringie

Author(s): John Reid

Copyright holder(s): John Reid

Based upon 'The Herd's Tale', an old Galloway folk story, as told in “A Forgotten Heritage” (pp.131-133), edited by Hannah Aitken, Scottish Academic Press, 1973.

"Ringan" was the Scots form of Ninian, hence the name of the herb (southernwood) connected with the saint and traditionally carried to church between the leaves of Bibles. Appelez Ringan - pray to Ringan - became first Appleringan, then Appleringie.

It fell upon a Yule-tide nicht
That I heard a tale by the peat-fire licht
Frae a herd, as we sat by his warm hearthstane
-An auld, auld tale frae days lang gane.

It tauld o a herd lad left his lane,
His maister tae a Yule-Fair gane,
Wi the yowes still oot on the hillside cauld
Tae be brocht, ere the mirk, tae the bield o the fauld.

An bring them he did, aa but for ane,
An he beddit them doun, then by licht o the mune
He scourit the heather, the whins an the flowe,
The briers an the breckens, but fand na the yowe.

Disjaskit an dowie, sat doun tae his kail,
He thocht o Sanct Ringan, o kind sancts the wale,
Whase task is tae help tae fin ocht gane amissin,
Sae he prayed tae the sanct for his help an his blessin.

An he tuik his cogie o guid kail full
Tae Sanct Ringan's well at the fuit o the hill,
An he laid it doun on the braid well-stane
Tae serve its turn as the guid sanct's kain.
'It's braw thick kail, though the cogie's wee,
But it's aa that I hae, sae it e'en maun dae.'

Midnicht was near, an his hert was sair
As he turned tae seek the yowe aince mair,
But he luikit back, an there by the well
Wi cogie an spune was a gangrel chiel.

'He's nae sanct yon,' young Jamie said,
'Gin he was, I doot he'd be better cled.
Puir sowl, he'll walcome kail an pease.
A sanct micht weel be waur tae please.

Said the fremit man, ‘A fair guid-een,
But ye're worrit, lad. Whit hae ye dune?'
'I've tint a yowe, oot on the muir,
A yowe that was lippent tae my care.

'Hoots,' quo the man, 'Nae fash ava!
The yowe is nae sae faur awa.
Ye'll fin her fast in the brammle bushes
Doun by the saugh tree, yont the rashes.'

'But,' said the lad, 'That's havers, man!
I trampit thae bushes before ye cam,
Frae end tae end, an I fand nocht'.
Said the man, 'Lat's see whit time has wrocht.'

Sae doun they went, an fand her there,
Leevin still, but founert sair.
But the gangrel pit her ower his back
Like a chapman liftin a hauf-tume pack,
An back at the fauld they happit her weel
Wi clean bere strae in the best o the bield.

'Will ye bide the nicht?' the wee herd said.
'Ye're walcome tae baith brose an bed.'
'Fain wad I, but I've faur tae gang.
Eenou I've taigled here ower lang.'
'But whaur can ye gang sae late at nicht?'
'Whaur else but Bethlehem, ere licht.'

The laddie turned, but the man was gane,
An Jamie saw, neath the Yuletide mune
A thing he'd never seen before -
A yaird-high buss nearhaun the door .
As he stuid dumfounert, we een a-stare,
The scent o aippleringie filled the air.

___
his lane/alone
yowes/ewes
bield/shelter
flowe/bog
disjaskit/downcast
dowie/sad
kail/vegetable broth
wale/choice,the best
ocht/anything
cogie/wooden stool
kain/rent,tribute
maun/must
gangrel chiel/vagabond fellow
fremit/strange,foreign
lippent/entrusted
fash/trouble,bother
ava/at all
saugh/willow
havers/nonsense
fand nocht/found nothing
founert sair/sorely exhausted
chapman/packman
happit/covered,wrapped
bere/barley
brose/dish of oat- or pease-meal
fain/willingly
eenou/at the present time
taigled/delayed
buss/bush
dumfounert/amazed,thunderstruck

Information about Document 622

Dipper: 10 - Aippleringie