Scottish Poetry Selection
- Granny's Gairden

This poem by George P Dunbar is of fond memories of a grand-parent's garden - and of the old folk themselves.


Granny's Gairden

Oh, weel yet div I min' on't
In days lang, lang gane bye,
The dear aul' ramblin' gairden
Sae clear in memory's eye;
There a'jist mixter-maxter
The sweet aul' favourites grew,
The roses an' the aul' maids' pride,
Rosemary, thyme an' rue.

The honeysuckle clim't the wa',
An' aye at early morn
A guff o' sweetness creepit in
Tae tell o' day new-born;
An' through it a' was marjoram,
Fite bells an' mappie-moo,
An' mony ithers dear tae me
O' ilka shade an'hue.

Anaith the thrawn aul' aipple tree
The aul' fowk aft wad sit,
An' grandad there wad smoke an' dream,
An' granny eest tae knit;
They were pairt o' that aul' gairden,
An' tho' lang since awa'
They linger fondly in my he'rt,
The best lo'ed o' them a'.

Meaning of unusual words:
div=do
mixter-maxter=jumble
guff=smell
Fite bells=white bell-flowers
mappie-moo=literally rabbits mouth (antirrhinum/snapdragons)
ilka=every
Anaith=beneath
thrawn=stubborn, obstinate
eest


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