Sadly, Christmas is coming fast. All over the world children will soon be writing letters to Santa Claus, asking for things which they may, or may not, get.
A couple of years ago (2008), my youngest daughter came up with her usual Santa wish list, and in a reflective moment, I wondered what an old Shetland man, like me, would ask Santa for. This poem was the result.
Dear Santa
Wir peerie bairn wis sittin ben,
heed bent low ower paper an pen,
writin oot her Santa list,
an hit wis wirded sometin laek dis.
"Dear Santa I have been good all year
and never shed an angry tear,
so here’s the things that you can bring me,
when you sneak in through our chimney.
Nintendo DS with a game,
pyjamas printed with my name,
a singing Kettle DVD,
and new pink slippers, in size three.
A Mouse Trap game for me to play,
and paints and brushes on a tray.
A great big, cuddly, fluffy dog,
and a mobile ringtone, the Crazy Frog
The latest CDs in the charts,
a doll that burps, pees, and farts.
Lots of sweeties and lots more toys,
ones for girls, not for boys.
So Santa I’ll ask for nothing more,
and enjoy what you bring for ever more.
I’ll even leave you some cake to eat,
and get Dad to leave you a dram as a treat."
Weel whit shö wrat med me tink dis,
geen da chance, whit wid I wis?
So I set mesel doon an wrat me a list,
an hit wis wirded sometin laek dis.
Auld Santa me boy du haes de a wark,
fae du gets up at Yöl an hauls on de sark,
bit here’s whit I’d laek, if du sud come,
asumin du fin’s dee wye doon wir lum.
Me auld rubber böts ir laekin a bit,
a’m been feelin some weet upö me left fit.
So a pair o new Argyls atil size eleven,
dan muckin da byre will just be laek heeven.
A twartree new tedders ta fasten da rams,
an a new pair o pliers fur libbin da lambs.
Mebbe a brand new bled fur da sye,
an a bucket ta ös whan milkin da kye.
New piltock flees wid be awful fine,
an a box o new heuks fur wir auld haddock line.
An if du tocht ta fin dy wye clear,
new airs fur da yoal, dir been dön since last year.
Bit dir’s wan peerie ting dat I fairly wid laek,
ta fill in a slap atil lifes rummeled daek.
Ta add tae da bed, fur da wife an me,
Loard bliss de, we’d laek a new dreultin tree.
Auld Rasmie (Gamle Rasmus)
As usual, if anybody wants a translation of any words, just ask. With the possible exception of "Dreultin Tree". I'm finding it really hard to come up with an explanation of that in English, but suffice to say that it is one of the most famous 'trees' in Shetland, likely the most used, and without a doubt the most useful.
Onywye, yun's aa fir enoo.
BUT....
Thanks to the wonders of the internet thingy,, here's a rare video recital of this poem by yours truly, Da Auld Een.
A couple of years ago (2008), my youngest daughter came up with her usual Santa wish list, and in a reflective moment, I wondered what an old Shetland man, like me, would ask Santa for. This poem was the result.
Dear Santa
Wir peerie bairn wis sittin ben,
heed bent low ower paper an pen,
writin oot her Santa list,
an hit wis wirded sometin laek dis.
"Dear Santa I have been good all year
and never shed an angry tear,
so here’s the things that you can bring me,
when you sneak in through our chimney.
Nintendo DS with a game,
pyjamas printed with my name,
a singing Kettle DVD,
and new pink slippers, in size three.
A Mouse Trap game for me to play,
and paints and brushes on a tray.
A great big, cuddly, fluffy dog,
and a mobile ringtone, the Crazy Frog
The latest CDs in the charts,
a doll that burps, pees, and farts.
Lots of sweeties and lots more toys,
ones for girls, not for boys.
So Santa I’ll ask for nothing more,
and enjoy what you bring for ever more.
I’ll even leave you some cake to eat,
and get Dad to leave you a dram as a treat."
Weel whit shö wrat med me tink dis,
geen da chance, whit wid I wis?
So I set mesel doon an wrat me a list,
an hit wis wirded sometin laek dis.
Auld Santa me boy du haes de a wark,
fae du gets up at Yöl an hauls on de sark,
bit here’s whit I’d laek, if du sud come,
asumin du fin’s dee wye doon wir lum.
Me auld rubber böts ir laekin a bit,
a’m been feelin some weet upö me left fit.
So a pair o new Argyls atil size eleven,
dan muckin da byre will just be laek heeven.
A twartree new tedders ta fasten da rams,
an a new pair o pliers fur libbin da lambs.
Mebbe a brand new bled fur da sye,
an a bucket ta ös whan milkin da kye.
New piltock flees wid be awful fine,
an a box o new heuks fur wir auld haddock line.
An if du tocht ta fin dy wye clear,
new airs fur da yoal, dir been dön since last year.
Bit dir’s wan peerie ting dat I fairly wid laek,
ta fill in a slap atil lifes rummeled daek.
Ta add tae da bed, fur da wife an me,
Loard bliss de, we’d laek a new dreultin tree.
Auld Rasmie (Gamle Rasmus)
As usual, if anybody wants a translation of any words, just ask. With the possible exception of "Dreultin Tree". I'm finding it really hard to come up with an explanation of that in English, but suffice to say that it is one of the most famous 'trees' in Shetland, likely the most used, and without a doubt the most useful.
Onywye, yun's aa fir enoo.
BUT....
Thanks to the wonders of the internet thingy,, here's a rare video recital of this poem by yours truly, Da Auld Een.
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