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Document 137

Winter wooin

Author(s): Sheena Blackhall

Copyright holder(s): Sheena Blackhall

Text

Smoorichin saftly throw the fir,
A wooer in a silken veil
Is the sleety smirr;
The doon-scud i the burnie's dreel,
Dird-dirlin roon frae tap till tail
Is the fiddler's reel.

The birks staun ootlinned, chitterin cauld-
Quines clad in cassen claes
At a Ne'erday ball.

The blinterin, blichtit sun's a faithless lad,
Fas fickle favour blears ower hoose an ha;
Bracken's a glekit, feckless, tummelt lass,
Cowpt ower, roch-wooed, amang the secret sna.

O love's a bigsie burn that's naething blate-
Wormin its viper's wye till the brae's briest,
Or wild an wanton, terrible in spate,
Wad wed withoot the blessin o a priest.

As ice crack tinkles sherp afore the thaw,
So cauldrife winter brakks the simmer's lyre,
The clook within the eagle's sweengin claw;
Love's but a yowie, sneck't on barbit wire.

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The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document.

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APA Style:

Winter wooin. 2025. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 30 April 2025, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=137.

MLA Style:

"Winter wooin." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2025. Web. 30 April 2025. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=137.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Winter wooin," accessed 30 April 2025, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=137.

If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2025. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

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Information about Document 137

Winter wooin

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 100+

Text details

Method of composition Handwritten
Word count 151

Text medium

Book

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Rainbow Publishing
Publication year 1986
Place of publication Aberdeen

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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