SCOTS
CMSW

Document 329

Lizzie Coutts' Knowe

Author(s): Christine De Luca

Copyright holder(s): Christine De Luca

Text

Oot o scöl on winter days, we'd sprit
across da fud ta Lizzie Coutts' Knowe
sledges nyiggin at wir heels lik aaber whalps.

Hills wirna better med fur sledgin:
low enyoch fur a quick bassel tae da tap;
steep enyoch ta taste da aedge
o danger; lang enyoch ta savour.

We'd pile on
twartree o wis
een on tap o tidder:
belly-gutsie fur da brave
nae trace o faer.
Da runk o iron apo ice,
snaa spindrifts smookin
i da face. A rummel
o scriechs is we swooshed
owre every bump
afore we cummelled.

Dan hame fur tae, glivs ice-matted,
haands red raw wi pooin apo kiarr.
Inbye fae da spunder o da nicht
wi haet tiftin anunder wir nails
an wir een blinded i da licht.

___
scöl: school; sprit: dash, race; fud: flat 'patches of fields'at voe head; nyggin: tugging; aaber: eager; whalps: puppies; wirna: were not; enyoch: enough; bassel: struggle; twartree: two or three; een: one; tidder: the other; belly-gutsie: sledging face-downwards; runk: resounding rhythm; apo: on; snaa: snow; spindrifts: (sea) spray; smookin: suddenly covering; rummel: (from verb) to collapse; scriechs: screeches; cummelled: turned upside down; tae: high tea; glivs: gloves; pooin: pulling; kiarr: coir rope; spunder: (from verb) to race; tiftin: throbbing; anunder: under; een: eyes.

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.

Close

Cite this Document

APA Style:

Lizzie Coutts' Knowe. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 14 October 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=329.

MLA Style:

"Lizzie Coutts' Knowe." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 14 October 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=329.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Lizzie Coutts' Knowe," accessed 14 October 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=329.

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.

Close

Information about Document 329

Lizzie Coutts' Knowe

Text

Text audience

Adults (18+)
General public
Males
Females
Audience size 100+

Text details

Method of composition Wordprocessed
Year of composition 1995
Word count 219
General description from collection of poems

Text medium

Book

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Shetland Library
Publication year 1997
Place of publication Lerwick
ISBN/ISSN 0-904562-64-6
Edition 1st
Part of a longer series of texts
Name of series 'Wast wi da Valkyries'

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 120
Forenames Christine
Surname De Luca
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1940
Educational attainment University
Age left school 18
Upbringing/religious beliefs Protestantism
Occupation Head of Assessment, Research and Development
Place of birth Bressay
Region of birth Shetland
Birthplace CSD dialect area Sh
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Edinburgh
Region of residence Edinburgh
Residence CSD dialect area Edb
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Headmaster
Father's place of birth Vidlin
Father's region of birth Shetland
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Sh
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Primary Teacher
Mother's place of birth Cunningsburgh
Mother's region of birth Shetland
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Sh
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes All
Scots No Yes No Yes Work, read Scots literature

Close