Another Scottish one

[something_different]

Christmas Carol

'Twas a cauld, cauld nicht i' the back o' the year;

The snaw lay deep, and the starns shone clear;

And Mary kent that her time was near,

As she cam to Bethlehem.

When Joseph saw the toon sae thrang,

Quo' he: 'I houp I be na wrang,

But I'm thinkin' we'll find a place ere lang;'

But there wasna nae room for them.

She quo', quo' she: 'O Joseph loon,

Rale tired am I, and wad fain lie doon.

Is there no a bed in the hail o' the toon?

For farrer I canna gae.'

At the ale-hoose door she keekit ben,

But there was sic a steer o' fremmyt men,

She thocht till hirsel': 'I dinna ken

What me and my man can dae.'

 

And syne she spak: 'We'll hae to lie

I' the byre this nicht amang the kye

And the cattle beas', for a body maun try

To thole what needs maun be,'

And there amang the strae and the corn,

While the owsen mooed, her bairnie was born.

O, wasna that a maist joyous morn

For sinners like you and me?

 

For the bairn that was born that nicht i' the sta'

Cam doon frae Heaven to tak awa'

Oor fecklessness, and bring us a'

Safe hame in the hender-en'.

Lord, at this Yule-tide send us licht,

Hae mercy on us and herd us richt.

For the sake o' the bairnie born that nicht,

O, mak us better men!

 

 

 

Meaning of unusual words:

starns=stars

thrang=crowded

quo'=said

loon=lad

fain=want

farrer=further

keekit ben=peeked through

sic a steer o' fremmyt men=such a crowd of strange men

ken=know

syne=since

kye=cow

thole=endure

strae=straw

owsen=oxen

bairnie=child

fecklessness=weakness, incomptence

hender-en'=latter days of life