SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 728 Title : Mephistophelean Ballant-Scherzo on ane Fife Legend Author(s): Tom Hubbard Copyright holder(s): Tom Hubbard Text - See that boy Faust? He scunners me, The toffee-nebbit cratur; Aye on at me ti dae the wark That’s richt agin my natur. Says I, ‘You’re fir the warkin fowk – Fine words, Faust! I’ll be blunter: Thae schemes o yours are faur abune The heid o your avrage punter. ‘Time wis, a stair that wad unrowe As you’d gang up or doun; A walin o my pliskiest deils Paradin throu the toun; ‘Time wis, that saired the masses weill – Christ! Hit wis aa they kent! They’re better aff, but still they want The-day’s equivalent. ‘Like bairns that, gie thaim wine or juice, Be shair they’ll tak whit’s sweetest; It’s as it wis and aye’ll be! Faust, son, you’re an élitist!’ I tak the doktor doun the shore And scoop intil his haund Whit’s cheengeless as the fowk theirsel – And common tae – the saund. ‘Leuk there’, says I, ‘fir nae twa grains ‘ll ever byde thegither; Ilkane will think itsel unique Though we canna tell ane frae the t’ither.’ This Faust says I’m a clever deil; Mony a ferlie I’ve wrocht; Is there some darg I canna dae? He canna think o ocht. ‘I’m shair that Mephistopheles Is the dabbest o dab haunds At makkin me the finest raip Frae the grains o Scotlan’s saunds.’ Weill! Hit’s eneuch ti gar the deil Defect as last ti Gawd: I wove, and still I better wove, But the stuffie wadna haud. Hit gars an honest deil ti wish He’d bade at hame in Hell! - Sae if Faust still wants his raip o saund, He can dae’t his bluidy sel. 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: 100+ Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Word count: 288 Text medium Book: Other: Ceilidh performance and various poetry readings Text performance/broadcast details Where performed/broadcast: Scottish Ceilidh in Luxemboug, June 1991 Performed/broadcast by: Author, and Jamie Reid Baxter Text publication details Published: Publisher: Kettillonia Publication year: 2004 Place of publication: Newtyle ISBN/ISSN: 1-902944-18-6 Edition: 1st Part of larger text: Contained in: Scottish Faust: Poems and Ballads of Eldritch Lore Editor: Author, Tom Hubbard Page numbers: 5-6 Text setting Leisure/entertainment: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 232 Forenames: Tom Surname: Hubbard Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1950 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 18 Upbringing/religious beliefs: N/A Occupation: Academic, librarian and writer Place of birth: Kirkcaldy Region of birth: Fife Birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Kirkcaldy Region of residence: Fife Residence CSD dialect area: Fif Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Caterer Father's place of birth: Dysart Father's region of birth: Fife Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Caterer Mother's place of birth: Dysart Mother's region of birth: Fife Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Fif Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Everyday Language: Italian Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Work, holiday, fluency fluctuating Language: Polish Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: Smattering. Work, holiday Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Everyday. Scots spoken in relaxed circumstances