Christine De Luca
Christine De Luca (Pearson)
Born and brought up in Shetland, she is a prize-winning poet, with five collections written in both English and Shetlandic. Her most recent is North End of Eden (Luath Press 2010). She has had poetry published in many languages and a Selected won the poetry Prix du Livre Insulaire 2007. Click here for more information.
c 1920
for my cousin, Douglas Smith
A young ting o lass gied ta guttin in Lerrick,
her arles lang paid an da money laid by.
Shö wis trang wi a laad wha hed little tae offer
bit a haert at wis honest an a smile at wis shy.
Haand owre haand we wir haulin an hailin
affa Mousa, a catch a joy ta behold.
Da dimriv wis spreadin, wir backs dey wir brakkin
whin up i da net cam a brotch med o gowld.
He’d gien tae da sea an saved aa his penga
an bowt her a brotch med o amber an gowld.
Shö voo’d shö wid wear hit tae aa but da guttin
ivery day o her life til gyaain twafaald.
Ee nicht shö sat mendin da nets fae da drifters,
da preen cam undön, da brotch fell on her lap.
Unawaar o her loss i da glim o da colly
shö rowed hit awa i da haert o da net.
Shö wis greetin an gowlin whinivver shö tocht on
da laad at wis gien her da boannie gowld brotch.
Wid he tink her dat haandless fur lossin da mindin
he’d browt fae da sailin ta seal der lovematch?
But he loved her far mair as her boannie blue een
an her hair at shone amber as fine as could be.
Da brotch hit could geng tae da depths o da ocean,
fur his love wis as wide as da airms o da sea.
A fisherman waeled hit oot fae da herrin:
hit kinda gied owre him; he medna a soond
but browt hit back hame tae his boannie young dowter
gyaain tae da guttin whin neist saison cam roond.
Dat young ting o lass gied ta guttin in Lerrick,
her arles lang paid an da money laid by.
Shö wis trang wi a laad wha hed little tae offer
bit a haert at wis honest an a smile at wis shy.
Haand owre haand we wir haulin an hailin
affa Mousa, a catch a joy ta behold.
Da dimriv wis spreadin, wir backs dey wir brakkin
whin up i da net cam a brotch med o gowld.
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ting: little one;
gied: went;
arles: down-payment to secure seasonal worker;
shö: she;
trang: courting;
laad: boyfriend;
at: that;
wir: were, our;
hailin: pulling fishing lines;
affa: off;
dimriv: dawn;
brotch: brooch;
gien tae da sea: joined Merchant Navy;
penga: money;
bowt: bought;
voo’d: vowed;
gyaain: going;
twafaald: doubled up, cripple;
ee: one;
preen: pin;
undön: unfastened;
glim: gleam;
colly: small oil lamp;
rowed: wrapped;
greetin: crying;
gowlin: weeping loudly;
tocht on: thought of;
tink: think;
haandless: clumsy;
mindin: gift;
browt: brought;
mair is: more than;
een: eyes;
geng: go;
airms: arms;
waeled: sifted, selected;
gied owre him: unsettled him;
medna: did not make;
dowter: daughter;
neist: next
