Scottish Poetry Selection
- Ma Mither Tung

In this poem by Peter Whitock, he practices what he preaches and uses his "Mither Tung" to express the importance of "guid braid Scotch".


      Ma Mither Tung

Awa wi aw yer high-flown speech!
   Tho framed wi muckle airt,
A cannae thole its plishit soonds,
   They dinnae reach the hairt;
Gie me the straicht-oot feckfu crack
   Frae affectation free,
An deed it in the guid braid Scotch
   Ma mither tung for me!

An wha are they that caw it coorse,
   Nor fit for cultured ear?
It's accents speak o' Freedom's micht,
   An aw the hairt hauds dear;
Let aw gang wrang, an may ma hairt
   Wi dule an wae be wrung,
Gin A forget or lichtly speak
   O thee, ma mither tung!

Ma mither tung - ah, yes twas hers
   Wha bein gave tae me;
A'll mind her guid auld-farrant wards
   Until the day A dee.
Their hamely music thrills me thro,
   An maks me aince mair yung;
Nae wunder tho I lou it weel,
   Ma ain - ma mither tung!

When far awa fae Scotland's shore,
   Oot ower the saut sea faem,
Her mony wanderin sons aft think
   Upon their ain auld hame;
When nocht upon their weary ears
   But stranger speech is flung,
They lang tae hear the kindly sough
   O their ain mither tung.

An syne its sangs - oor ain Scots sangs,
   Nane may wi them compare,
For natur, an the passions aw,
   Are mirrored truly there;
May mony mair, as time rows on
   By Scotia's bairns be sung!
An sae like brithers mak us aw
   Wha lou oor mither tung.

Meaning of unusual words:
muckle airt=large part
thole=endure with patience, put up with
plishit=splash
straicht-oot feckfu crack=straight forward, effective talk
braid=broad
dule an wae=distress and woe
Gin=before, until
auld-farrant=old fashioned
saut sea faem=salt sea foam
syne=then, since

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