SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 253 Title : The Mumps Author(s): Anna Blair Copyright holder(s): Anna Blair Text Just me in the wall-bed Getting' over the mumps A bit peely-wally Kinda down-in-the-dumps. Well, that's no' true really, It's nice to be here Happed up in the blankets The cold of the year. For it's winter outside there Black-dark in the hall, But in-here the fire's Making shapes on the wall. You see queer dark shadows That's made by the clo'es Hanging up on the pulley In four droopy rows. You've combies and bodices Flowery cretonnes And dangling like ghosts Pa's bow-leggèd long-johns. There's great whopping bloomers Stiff stays and brasseers And drawers in positions That's fright'ning and fierce. There's stockings, like eerie Black legs there that crawl, Sarks and chemises That dance on the wall. See, them forms in the firelight Plain things and yet weird, One dervish from Hell One a goat with a beard! I ken my own things And I'm no' feart for them But my Ma's and my Pa's clo'es Is no' just the same. So I lie and I look And I cannae but wonder What the two of them look-like In what they wear under. I've only seen ever Their faces and toes Have to guess from the pulley What they're like atween those. Wi' all your imaginin's Fancies and fears It's nice in the firelight, Ev'n with your sore ears. 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: 1 Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Year of composition: 1998 Word count: 251 Text setting Leisure/entertainment: Private/personal: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 127 Forenames: Anna Surname: Blair Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1920 Educational attainment: College Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Teacher/author Place of birth: Giffnock Region of birth: Glasgow Birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Glasgow Region of residence: Glasgow Residence CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Business Father's place of birth: Glasgow Father's region of birth: Glasgow Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Business Mother's place of birth: Glasgow Mother's region of birth: Glasgow Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Visits to France, correspondence Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: