SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 661 Title : Dipper: 49 - Stukkies Author(s): Dr James A Begg Copyright holder(s): Dr James A Begg Text Once upon a time, Town Councils throughout the land spent a great deal of time listening to "Pied Pipers" who claimed they could rid their Burghs of starlings; and a great deal of money paying them to do it - unsuccessfully - as this wee poem prophesied! Black snaw-flakes birlin oot the purple lift Like the whirlin spume o a blawin drift, Jinkin an weavin, joukin an divin, Twa or three leavin, thousans arrivin In endless procession frae miles aroun, Aa seekin the warmth o a freenly toun. Oot the getherin dusk o an Autumn sky Comes their bletherin sang an cheerfu cry, On windae-soles, ruif-taps, ledges an spires, A feathert clamjamfry o clatterin choirs Draws ticht aathegither, raw upon raw, Tae whustle an bicker the nicht awa. Tae toun-folks ablow they're nocht but a pest, Fylin their pavements an Sunday Best, Toun Council Committees dae whit they can Tae impose Man's solution - a total ban, But Nature juist lauchs at 'poleetical will', An the wee burds regairdless, come roostin here still! Tae a kintra-lad tho, they're a mindin o hame, As their gabblin sang - nae twa verses the same, Mimics the peesie, the whaup, an the speug, The sea-pie, the laverock, or even a dug; An weel daes he ken they dae mair guid than herm, Grubbin pests oot the meedaes, doun on the ferm. Sae mind yin an aa, afore ye condemn, There's mair tae this life than juist 'Us an Them', We aa hae oor pairt in the Web o Creation, Whether oot in the fields or in gran' Central Station, If yer heid gets sair splattert, juist coont it as lucky - There's room in this warld for baith us an the stukkie! ___ stukkie/starling clamjamfry/crowd, rabble clatterin/gossiping fylin/fouling speug/sparrow sea-pie/oyster-catcher laverock/lark 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. Information about document and author: Text Text audience General public: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Year of composition: 1984 Word count: 313 General description: Anthology of prizewinning and other Scots poems, and short stories in Ayrshire Scots. Text medium Book: Radio: Other: Audiocassette Text publication details Published: Publisher: Luath Press Publication year: 1991 Place of publication: Barr, Ayrshire ISBN/ISSN: 0946487227 Edition: First Part of larger text: Contained in: The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils: Tales and Poems in Ayrshire Scots Editor: Authors: Dr. J. A. Begg and J. Reid Page numbers: 124 Text setting Leisure/entertainment: Private/personal: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 623 Title: Dr Forenames: James Initials: A Surname: Begg Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Medical Practitioner Place of birth: New Cumnock Region of birth: S Ayr Birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Ayr Region of residence: S Ayr Residence CSD dialect area: Ayr Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Clerical Officer, NCB Father's place of birth: Sandbank Father's region of birth: Argyll Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Arg Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Primary Teacher Mother's place of birth: New Cumnock Mother's region of birth: S Ayr Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: Danish Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: A little Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home, socially, at work Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Holidaying in France Language: Norwegian Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: A little Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home, socially, at work