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Document 624

Dipper: 12 - The Auld Yowe

Author(s): Dr James A Begg

Copyright holder(s): Dr James A Begg

Text

The auld yowe lay as I gaed by,
Speldert on the saun,
She didnae rise an rin awa,
She widnae even staun.

Tentless o man an win an rain,
Fou laich on the river bank,
Frae oot her auld black grizzlt heid
Her een stared dim an blank.

Her droukit fleece ris up an doun
Wi shalla souchin braith,
An I thocht the puir forfochen beast
Wis gey near untae daith.

Syne my hert gied a lift whan I luikit back
An saw her on her feet,
- Awa ye go, ye daft auld yowe,
An hae a bite tae eat!

- But gin anither oor had passed,
My grief I scarce cuid hide,
Whan I fand the auld beast stiff an cauld,
Cowpt ower on her side.

Alane she de'ed by the watter's edge,
Founert wi June's fell rains,
An niver a blink o simmer sun
Tae warm her tired banes.

The auld yowe nou bereft o life
Lay sprauchlt on the grun,
Her edders fou o mither's milk,
Tho her mither's wark wis dune -

- For oot on the holm, twa hafflin lambs
Thegither crappt the grass,
Wi ne'er a thocht in their wee horned heids
On whit had come tae pass.

___
speldert/stretched out
laich/low
droukit/soaked
souchin/sighing
forfochen/exhausted
founert/chilled to the bone
sprauchlt/sprawled
edders/udders
hafflin/half-grown

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APA Style:

Dipper: 12 - The Auld Yowe. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 30 October 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=624.

MLA Style:

"Dipper: 12 - The Auld Yowe." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 30 October 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=624.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Dipper: 12 - The Auld Yowe," accessed 30 October 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=624.

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

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2024. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 624

Dipper: 12 - The Auld Yowe

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 1000+

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Year of composition 1983
Word count 231
General description Anthology of prizewinning and other Scots poems, and short stories in Ayrshire Scots.

Text medium

Book
Radio
Other Audiocassette

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Luath Press
Publication year 1991
Place of publication Barr, Ayrshire
ISBN/ISSN 0946487227
Edition First
Part of larger text
Contained in The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils: Tales and Poems in Ayrshire Scots
Editor Authors: Dr. J. A. Begg and J. Reid
Page numbers 25-27

Text setting

Leisure/entertainment
Private/personal

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 623
Title Dr
Forenames James
Initials A
Surname Begg
Gender Male
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Medical Practitioner
Place of birth New Cumnock
Region of birth S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Ayr
Region of residence S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area Ayr
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Clerical Officer, NCB
Father's place of birth Sandbank
Father's region of birth Argyll
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Arg
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Primary Teacher
Mother's place of birth New Cumnock
Mother's region of birth S Ayr
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Ayr
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
Danish No No No No A little
English Yes Yes Yes Yes Home, socially, at work
French Yes Yes Yes Yes Holidaying in France
Norwegian No No No No A little
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes Home, socially, at work

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