What do you think of this poem to me a Scot, I thought it was funny what do other Scots or anyone else think?

Scottish Poetry Selection

- A Mither's Lecture Tae Her Ne'er-dae-weel Son





It is easy to picture a Scots mother wagging the finger at her grown-up son and giving him a lecture when he comes back home, the worse for a wee drink (or two or three) in the days when mothers perhaps had more influence over the actions of their offspring than they do today! This poem is by Charles Nicol (1858-?) who often wrote light-hearted verses about every-day incidents.





A Mither's Lecture Tae Her Ne'er-dae-weel Son

Ye thochtless tyke, what time o" nicht

Is this for tae come hame?

Whan ither decent fouk's in bed -

Oh! div ye no think shame?

But shame's no in ye, that I ken,

Ye drucken ne'er-dae-weel!

You've mair thocht for the dram-shop there -

Aye, that ye hae, atweel!

Ye drucken loon, come tell me quick

Whaur hae ye been, ava?

I'm shair it's waefu' that frae drink

Ye canna keep awa.

An' bidin' tae sic 'oors as this,

When you should be in bed;

I doot there's something in this wark;

Come, tell the truth noo, Ted?



Can ye no speak? What's wrang wi' ye?

Ye good-for-naething loon,

Yer gettin' juist a fair disgrace,

An' that ye'll be gey soon.

Noo, dinna stan' there like a mute -

The truth I want tae ken,

Sae tell me noo the truth for aince,

It's nae too late tae men'.



You've been wi' twa-three bosom freens

At Bob Broon's birthday spree;

Aweel, aweel, if that's the case,

You this time I'll forgie.

But mind, sic wark as this, my man,

Will never, never dae;

Ye maun gie up that waefu' drink,

Aye, frae this very day!



Meaning of unusual words:

tyke=dog

div=do

ken=know

drucken=drunken

loon=boy

ava=at all

gey=very

maun=must

waefu'=woeful

What do you think of this poem to me a Scot, I thought it was funny what do other Scots or anyone else think?
Yeah I like it and love the auld mithir tongue, It's a shame alot of these words are lost now. Reminds me of ma grannie!
Reply:I loved it! I'm just glad that you weren't here to listen to me say all that out loud. Chuckles for you!!
Reply:I liked it! It reminds me a little of Robbie Burns!
Reply:I'm not a Scot but my sense of humor knows no borders as long as I can half understand the language.Thanks for the hints.
Reply:i love it,,coz,,i was born in bonnie scotland..mary.c.cheers hen.
Reply:It,s absolutely timeless,and applies as much today as it did when it was written.
Reply:Sorry Suzie - even with a translation for some of the words - I could not understand it. Thanks for trying! Hugs CJ
Reply:I can hear my father reading this...it's a lot like poetry he read me as a child. Brings tears to my eyes as well as a laugh. I like your contributions, Suzie, keep 'em coming.
Reply:I like it, you're right about the times gone by too!
Reply:brilliant..it put me in mind of my wee granny when she went off on one
Reply:Brilliant and funny.