SCOTS
CMSW

Document 330

Hallowe'en hansel

Author(s): Christine De Luca

Copyright holder(s): Christine De Luca

Text

A boannie nicht for castin kale:
a fat mön vaegin owre Sannis,
a hale gadderie o laads an lasses.

A spree i der blöd,
laads loupit dykes
purled kale-stocks
iggit een anidder on
ripe da rigs
hunse fur hens
whit a stramash
an dan da dash
tae a porch door
lift da sneck
ball in da booty
rin like da mellishon
dunna look back.

But dee an me
pooskered wi da bassel
fell ahint ta draa breath,
taste wir first smoorikin.
But aa I can mind is da mön
gaffin at me in mi cöttikins
wis ahint a uncan barn
an dy blate hansel
anunder a kendlin o starns.

___
hansel: gift to mark an inaugural occasion; boannie: bonnie; castin kale: the childhood Hallowe'en tradition of stealing croft produce such as cabbages and throwing them in doorways; mön: moon; vaegin: wandering, travelling; owre: over; hale: whole; gadderie: gathering; spree: jollification; i: in; der: their; blöd: blood; loupit: jumped; purled: poked about; kale-stocks: cabbages; iggit on: incited; een anidder: one another; to ripe: to harvest; rigs: fields; hunse: rummage; fur: for; whit: what; stramash: commotion; dan: then; tae: to; sneck: latch; ball: throw; rin: run; the mellishon: the devil; dunna: do not; dee: you (familiar); pooskered: exhausted; wi: with; bassel: struggle; ahint: behind; draa: draw; wir: our; smoorikin: kiss; aa: all; mind: remember; gaffin: laughing; mi: my; cöttikins: ankle socks; wis: us; uncan: unfamiliar; dy: your (familiar); blate: shy; anunder: under; kendlin: live coals; starns: stars.

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:

Hallowe'en hansel. 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 28 March 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=330.

MLA Style:

"Hallowe'en hansel." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=330.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Hallowe'en hansel," accessed 28 March 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=330.

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 330

Hallowe'en hansel

Text

Text audience

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

Text details

Method of composition Wordprocessed
Year of composition 1995
Word count 255
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