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Document 146

The Serpent's Sang

Author(s): Sheena Blackhall

Copyright holder(s): Sheena Blackhall

Text

For A Maker

Gin I wis ivy, I wid twine
Yon lang, lean limbs, unyieldin's stane,
Sear laggard thocht; a kinnelt vine,
Wi leaves o langin fill his een.

He'd learn tae loe me quick eneuch,
Gin he war bane, an I war bluid-
A flytin tide, I'd draw awa,
Leavin him pale, as I am reid.

I am the serpent in the stoor;
Though lower that the dust I lie,
I haud the knowledge o delicht,
O fa daur pass me by?
A thoosand-fauld they crush my heid,
I hissin rise an multiply.

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APA Style:

The Serpent's Sang. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=146.

MLA Style:

"The Serpent's Sang." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=146.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "The Serpent's Sang," accessed 24 April 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=146.

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 146

The Serpent's Sang

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 100+

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Word count 98

Text medium

Book

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Charles Murray Trust
Publication year 1995
Place of publication Aberdeen
ISBN/ISSN 0952114259

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 112
Forenames Sheena
Surname Blackhall
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 16
Upbringing/religious beliefs Brought up Protestant, now Buddhist
Occupation Writer and supply teacher
Place of birth Aberdeen
Region of birth Aberdeen
Birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Aberdeen
Region of residence Aberdeen
Residence CSD dialect area Abd
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Manager of Deeside Omnibus Service
Father's place of birth Aboyne
Father's region of birth Aberdeen
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Private Secretary
Mother's place of birth Aberdeen
Mother's region of birth Aberdeen
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Abd
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes
Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic Yes Yes Yes Yes Elementary. Gaelic choir. Poetry.
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes

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