SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 130 Title : Scots Haiku II Author(s): Mr Bruce Leeming Copyright holder(s): Mrs Dorothy Leeming Text Scots Scots is now mainly a literary language, although the rudiments of its vocabulary and particular idioms are today being taught in many Scottish schools. Drawing on several origins - the Inglis of the Northumbrian Angles, the tongues of the Picts, the Celtic Gaels and the Scandinavian Norsemen, as well as, later, Dutch and the French of the Auld Alliance - Scottis was at one time the principal language at the Scottish court and used in legal documents. It was quite distinct from the English of the period (13th-16th centuries). Great literature in Scots was produced by writers like Barbour, Henryson and Dunbar, the 'Makars'. A revival took place under Ramsay, Ferguson and Burns, then again in the time of Walter Scott. During the Scottish Literary Renaissance in the first half of the 20th century Hugh MacDiarmid, Douglas Young, Maurice Lindsay and others once more recreated the art of writing in Scots, referring to their lexis as 'Lallans'. Scots speech lives on all over Scotland in lively dialectal versions which show marked regional variations, particularly in pronunciation. My poems are cast in a literary register of the Auld Leid. The English translations are as near literal as possible. There is debate over a standard Scots orthography. I have tried to follow the emerging modern consensus by, for example, representing the oo sound, as in loom, by the letters ou: so trout is written thus in preference to troot. It follows that, say, the word for leap is written as lowp and not loup. Haiku THis form of poetic expression, deriving from ancient Chinese models, was perfected by Matsuo Basho in Japan during the 17th century. The Imagists first introduced it to the West early in the 20th century. Today haiku are being composed in the United States and all other English-speaking countries, in France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Croatia and Romania, in the Philippines, China, India and of course Japan. They are also being written in fringe languages such as Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and now Scots. The Haiku is restricted to three lines in a maximum syllabic pattern of 5-7-5, frequently divided by a caesura. However, this framework provides for certain Japanese linguistic devices - for example, our word 'rain' would contain three 'syllables' by Japanese reckoning - and so haiku in other languages tend to a shorter length. There is no rhyme or metrical requirement. Usually a seasonal or nature reference is incorporated. Haiku are untitled. This is a deceptively simple poetry. It aims to keep personal feelings largely submerged and eschews 'poetical' words, similes or metaphors, preferring to deal in concrete elements, tastes, smells, sounds and textures. Its true endeavour is to capture fleeting epiphanies, 'haiku moments', insights into the heart of things, animate or inanimate. A poem's meaning may be obvious, pictorial perhaps, even gently humorous, but not uncommonly intimations of a profound character will arise, intensified by the compression of the words and, sometimes, by an unexpected internal comparison. Moods typical in haiku are humility, compassion, serenity, paradox, acceptance, joy in nature and the company of others of like mind, paradox, wonder. It is never a vehicle for epigrams, squibs, self-referential statements or, least of all, critical moralizing. Edinburgh, December 1999 BL Wair Spring Laverocks tweedlin: twa weans vizzy the lift gowpin Larks singing: two children study the sky gaping Mairch blouster: warslin corbies stertit bi a fliein news March gale: struggling rooks startled by a flying newspaper Yon muckle dug sneevlin - scauldit bi a thrie year bairn That great dog whining - scolded by a three year old Throu the haar a waik sin - fowk pass talkin sma Through the sea fog a weak sun - people pass speaking quietly Doun i the haugh dwammy wi haw fume - a wumman greitin Down by the river bank languid with hawthorn scent - a woman weeping In Glesca toun a piper sterts - the stuckies depairt In Glasgow town a piper starts up - the starlings depart Gloamin: the yalla puppies steikin Dusk: the yellow poppies closing Simmer Summer Caller broun trout skirlin for brakefast - leevin is cantie! Fresh brown trout frying for breakfast - life is pleasant! Sweltrie morn ilkane thrang: the auld cheet steiks her een Sweltering morning: everyone busy: the old cat closes her eyes Throu the Grampians a jet skreichs: faur abuin an earn fidderin Through the Grampians a jet screams: far above an eagle hovering Yon fou gangrel - doverin on a bink in new baffs! That drunk tramp - dozing on a bench in new slippers! Aw day yon gowk has cawed eesomelie: a weirdlie soun All day that cuckoo has called seductively: a sinister sound Butterie drounin i the dub: shuin pass tentless Butterfly drowning in the puddle: shoes pass heedless This bonnie wee wick o saun an sprots - claggit wi plastic wrack This pretty little cove of sand and reeds - clogged with plastic rubbish At Lochranza une het: plowtin our feet i the jeel caul burn At Lochranza oven hot: plunging our feet in the ice cold stream I the mirknin paurk heilant beasts staun: gaffs frae the change In the darkening field highland cattle stand: loud laughs from the inn Dayset: watterclearers sketchin Nightfall: waterboatmen skating Hairst Autumn The lammer burn lowpin: hou wechtie the bouders The amber stream leaping: how solid the boulders Up bi Glencorse quait kintra: i the hedder tuim airmy bullets Up by Glencorse quiet country: in the heather spent army bullets Hairst onding: the tawie kye stauns droukit Autumn downpour: the obedient cattle stand soaked Computer rowp: outside a larrie laidit wi neeps Computer sale: outside a lorry loaded with turnips Back-end efternuin lown: ane leaf birls doun slaw Autumn afternoon utterly still: one leaf spins slowly down Owre Embro at een the lift emerant Over Edinburgh at dusk the sky green Halloween: neep lantrens - skellie-ee'd! Halloween: turnip lanterns - cross-eyed! Peat reik straught frae the lane biggin - he's leevin yet Peat smoke straight from the lonely cottage - he's still alive Near Spean Brig caur rummle kemps wi rowtin herts Near Spean Bridge car noise competes with roaring stags Graybacks lowpin slee: hou quait the sprots Autumn run salmon leaping stealthily: how still the reeds Wunter Winter Rimie morn laddies sclyin - an auld chiel smirks Frosty morning boys sliding - an old man smiles Cranreuch: the lest oor o sin - windaes smouderin Hoar frost: the last hour of sun - windows smouldering Janwar gowsts: the maw paurliament stane-still January winds: the gull parliament stone-still At Tarbet ilka day the snawline a bittock nether At Tarbet each day the snowline a little lower Sin passin doun the linn skinkles reid: a scoukin tod gawks Setting sun the waterfall sparkles red: a skulking fox stares In Aiberdein a tuim maw ettlin ti eat yon guttie die In Aberdeen a hungry gull trying to eat that rubber toy Sowpin usque wi twa friens - bidin the snaw Drinking whisky with two friends - waiting for the snow Muinlicht: athort the frozent loch a lassie kecklin Moonlight: across the frozen loch a girl chuckling 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 Adults (18+): Children (under 13s): Teenagers (13-17): General public: Specialists: Males: Females: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: N/A Year of composition: 1995 Word count: 1175 General description: Second collection of Haiku in Scots with an English version. Text medium Book: Text publication details Published: Publisher: Thistle Press Publication year: 2000 Place of publication: Edinburgh ISBN/ISSN: 0 9537727 0 5 Edition: 1st Text setting Education: Leisure/entertainment: Private/personal: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Other: Collection of poems. Author Author details Author id: 539 Title: Mr Forenames: Bruce Surname: Leeming Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1930 Educational attainment: Highers/A-levels Age left school: 18 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Retired businessman and writer Place of birth: Glasgow Region of birth: Glasgow Birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Edinburgh Region of residence: Midlothian Residence CSD dialect area: midLoth Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: General Manager Father's place of birth: Nottingham Father's region of birth: Nottinghamshire Father's country of birth: England Mother's place of birth: Port Glasgow Mother's region of birth: Renfrew Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Renfr Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Work and daily living Language: Malayalam Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: Basic level. Lived in Far East for 14 years Language: Scots Speak: No Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Literary language