The Happy Mother

..I've twa bonny bairns the fairest of a',
They cheer up my heart when their daddie's awa';
I've ane at my foot, and I've ane on my knee,
An' fondly they look, an' say, "Mammy" to me..

Alexander Laing, The Ballads of Bairnhood, 1913 (first published 1894)

Do you need a translation?

Alice by John Fullerton from Ballads of Bairnhood

I have a very special book - Ballads of Bairnhood, edited by Robert Ford. First published in 1894 and reprinted in 1913. It was passed to me from my mother's side of the family. Although the binding of my copy is a little worse for wear, almost all of the pages are fresh and clean. I can tell which poems were favorites with my ancestors, for those pages bear the marks of loving hands. Many of the poems relate to the loss of little ones, and many others are written in the Scots dialect and might make no sense to most of my readers. I've therefore chosen to share with you tonight, a poem that, while not one of my favorites, is enjoyable and hopefully understandable to any parent.

ALICE.

Where the sunshine lingers long,
Where the birds sing merry lays,
Where the brook the ferns among
Slowly steals, there Alice strays,
Culling here and there a flower
Blooming in the greenwood bower.

There is sunshine in her face
Brighter far than in the skies;
As I gaze, it's light I trace
Beaming in her deep blue eyes;
There's a song within her heart -
May that glad song ne'er depart.

Happy, free from grief and care;
O'er the meadows fair she roams,
Breathing fresher, purer air
Than to pent up city comes:
Seeing sights that pleasure bring -
Butterflies and birds a-wing.

John Fullerton

Brought to you in association with Amazon.com - lots of poetry and Scottish stuff.

Going to a Fish Fry

Mmmm... what could be nicer than freshly fried fish and what could be more special than friends who spend their precious leisure time fishing then save up the fish they catch to share with friends and family? I've lived here for over 10 years now, but last year (2007) was the first time I tasted deep-fried freshwater fish. All this time I'd been very sad over the loss of fish ala fish and chips from a Scottish fish and chip shop. What a wonderful thing to discover the delights of being invited to a Fish Fry. Mmmm... I only have the pleasure once a year, twice a year if I'm lucky -- it's worth waiting for.