SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 336 Title : A shuttle o soonds Author(s): Christine De Luca Copyright holder(s): Christine De Luca Text At da time at folk namit da nort end o Eden a moothfoo o soonds gied frame tae da laand every bicht, every knowe a wird pictir in Norn. Dey hed böddies o wirds for da varg o da crofter soonds o da crö, da crub an da hill: some lost on da wind owre da flakki o years. An a kyist-foo o soonds for aa kinds o sea wark wi a hoidy-hol for queer luckin wirds stowed far fae wir hearin ta keep herm awa. Da Norn is lang gien, but hit's left a waageng at keetchins a tongue at can hadd ony haert can rowe up wir feelings, unreffel wir tochts. For every haand's turn still a mird o wird patterns lik an allover gansey, a wirkin man's sark med ta be worn, no laid up for best. We man savour wir wirds is dey tirl on da tongue lik snorie-ben, sneester an skaddyman's heid wird laalies fur aabody, no jöst fur bairns. Fur dey mak da warp in a pattern o livin, while da weft comes fae places ootbye da Sooth Mooth. Dey can blend i da waeve wi wir shuttle o soonds. Da garb o wir language is pitten dagidder in a wye at maks room fur da new an da auld baith pipeline an paet-bank; rap artist an skald. ___ böddies: straw basket for carrying over the shoulder; varg: messy work; crö: sheep-fold; crub: small, circular, dry-stone enclosure for plants; flakki: straw mat over which corn was winnowed; kyist-foo: kist-full; hoidy-hol: hiding place; luckin: enticing; Norn: a variant of Old Norse spoken in Shetland until 17th century; waageng: aftertaste; hadd ony haert: sustain anyone; rowe up: wrap up; unreffel: untangle; haand's turn: a stroke of work; mird: swarm, throng; allover gansey: jumper with Fair Isle patterns all over; snorie-ben: a toy made from bone and string with a twist which makes a snoring noise; sneester: a private chuckle; skaddyman's heid: sea urchin; laalies: playthings; Sooth Mooth: the south entrance to Lerwick harbour; pitten: put; dagidder: together; auld: old 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 Adults (18+): General public: Males: Females: Audience size: 100+ Text details Method of composition: Wordprocessed Year of composition: 1997 Word count: 362 General description: from collection of poems Text medium Book: Text publication details Published: Publisher: Shetland Library Publication year: 2002 Place of publication: Shetland ISBN/ISSN: 0-904562-70-0 Edition: 1st Part of a longer series of texts: Name of series: Plain Song 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: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: All Language: Scots Speak: No Read: Yes Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: Work, read Scots literature