Scottish Poetry Selection
- Wee Peter At His Lesson
The author of this poem, Charles Nicol (1858-?) wrote many poems about everyday situations, often with a twinkle in his eye. Notice that Wee Peter in the poem is asked to spell "inattention"!
Wee Peter At His Lesson
"Peter, my man, whaur is your book?
Gae fetch it to me noo.
A' roun' the hoose ye hae to look-
Is't lost, an' it just new?""I've got it, faither." "Weel, that's richt
Your lesson noo, my man.
But wash your face, ye're like a fricht-
An' be as quick's you can.""Face whitened noo? weel come awa'-
Come 'tween your faither's knees-
Noo whaur's the place? Pit doon your ba'-
Hoots, man! Stan' at ease.""Noo spell this word." "What word is't, faither?"
"This lang ane - in-at-ten-tion."
"That's owre big, faither, I wad raither
Some wee'er ane ye'd mention.""So-so-what's that you say?
Come turn your head to me;
Just let me see what ye can dae,
An' then I'll let you free.""What's b-l-o-" "Your sleepin' faither,"
"Awa' you leein' brat.
What's b-l-----deed, I'm sleepy, raither;
That's plenty? - weel, we'll quat.""Peter, I see you've dune your best,
Try an' aye be as clever;
It's unco late, sae we'll to rest-
For better late than never."Meaning of unusual words:
Hoots, man!=an exclamation of dissatisfaction
quat=quit
aye=always
unco=very
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
