SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 729 Title : The Retour o Troilus Author(s): Tom Hubbard Copyright holder(s): Tom Hubbard Text Ill-thriven laund, eenou ti me sae deir, Cauldrife an courin fae the daithlie drow: Lang-cowpit waas, owre mony ghaists ablow; An yit I mynd the bluid-reid wine flowed here. Why suid my youth feel auncient as thir stanes, Why suid my prieven virr sae faa fae me, Why suid my een, aye vieve efter the years o cruellest sains o fechtin, cryne fae this sicht? Here at the burn that mirrors me throu time I leuk upo mysel as yince I wis, Like faither ti a son, leevin ti daid, The past o Troy an Troilus. In this glen I cam late ti manheid: she, the forehand o aa the queans that ti my breist hae won, The rare Cresseid; she, whase flichterin hairt Felt delicat as ony timorsome mavie That liltit owre oor heids; she, whase quick muivement In guidin me ti a neuk, wis sib ti the con Wha derts athort the pad, then vainishes ... Here at the sacrit crag upon whase brou Oor forefowk biggit the dun an steidit Troy, We were twa glaikit bairns: the merest smitches That an ever-twynin linn Kests on the seg as, tentless, it hauds forrit. Aye bydes the auld Troy fir Troilus. In this cave A queen made her orisons, an we oor luves; Whaur noo it's daurk, then glintit my leman's een, Whaur noo it's foustie, then fufft her body's scent, Whaur noo hing cobwabs, she cleikit me in her hair. Thon wis the folly that first made me wyce, Chynged the heich-heidit halflin wha kent aa - Or sae he thocht - aboot the courss o the state, The macklik policies o peace an weir, Wha laucht at ither men whase caa ti airms Wis ti the airms o a mere paramour: This wis your Troilus, buirdliest chiel o the land, The rival o the gods, an no yit twinty! I staun the day, at the hinner-en o youth, Amang the wrack o a kinrik an its fowk: Ithers hae peyed mair deirlie nor mysel Fir weivin o mishanter an mistak, That skufft us fae oor umwhile eminence Ti the untentit airts ayont the port: Rickle o bleckened banes in the aise-midden Or gruggilt beauty i the lazar-houss ... Cuid I but see the thristin o new life Up throu the cleavin o the palace flair, Ti spreid o emerant in the simmer sun - Yit I maun leave, an come here nevermair. But I can hear this ferlie: a deid-bell. There's mair come back ti murn here nor mysel, Aa wabsters, an the last o their trade in Troy, In slaw processioun: Yin o their feres is ti by yirdit sune. Nane sall gang pairt o the road and then gie owre, Nane but sall cairry the corp, or else attend it, Ti the kirkyaird aa the wey. Abune us nou the crummlin temple floats upon the haar. Owre mony ghaists, fir me ti gang my lane; Owre mony ghaists, the kinrik's, an my ain. 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. Information about document and author: Text Text audience General public: Audience size: 100+ Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Word count: 508 Text medium Book: Magazine (e-zine): TV: Other: Scotsoun cassette tapes; SCRAN audio resource Text performance/broadcast details Where performed/broadcast: Many performances since 1988, at home and abroad Text publication details Published: Publisher: Aberdeen University Press Publication year: 1988 Place of publication: Aberdeen ISBN/ISSN: 0-08-036417-9 Edition: 1st Part of larger text: Contained in: Four Fife Poets Page numbers: 110-111 Text setting Leisure/entertainment: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 232 Forenames: Tom Surname: Hubbard Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1950 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 18 Upbringing/religious beliefs: N/A Occupation: Academic, librarian and writer Place of birth: Kirkcaldy Region of birth: Fife Birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Kirkcaldy Region of residence: Fife Residence CSD dialect area: Fif Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Caterer Father's place of birth: Dysart Father's region of birth: Fife Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Caterer Mother's place of birth: Dysart Mother's region of birth: Fife Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Everyday Language: Italian Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Work, holiday, fluency fluctuating Language: Polish Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: Smattering. Work, holiday Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Everyday. Scots spoken in relaxed circumstances