Poetry in Scots
Poetry in the Scots language began to be written down in the 14th century, beginning with John Barbour’s ‘The Brus’, and continuing through the makars of the 15th and 16th centuries. The poetic revival of the 18th century led to the work of Robert Burns, and many others, and Scots poetry has continued to be composed in both general and regional forms down to the present day. Poetry probably remains the most common medium by which most Scottish people experience the fullness of Scots as a language and as a written, literary tradition. This section of the website contains articles related to the various traditions of writing poetry in Scots and, in particular, our Poem of the Month, as recommended by the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh. The Scots Language Centre has a growing collection of audio and video material related to poetry in Scots, so please check it out.
Poem of the Month
Pangur Ban
Pangur Ban ma cat an me
Tis a sim’lar darg we dee
Huntin moosies, his delicht
Huntin wirds I sit aa nicht
Better than men’s praise tae pree
Tis tae screive wi buik on knee
Pangur, likewise, nae upstert,
Lives tae cairry oot his airt
Tis richt blythe oor lives tae see
Aboot oor darg, fu eidently
Fin we hae, in generous meisur
Ploys that gie us oors o pleisur
Whiles a moosie frae a neuk
Rins near Pangur’s raxxin cleuk
Whiles, ma harns will grup an get
A hale new meanin in its net
Agin the waa he sets his ee
Fierce an faist an sherp an slee
Agin the waa o wyceness, I
Aa ma pouers o kennin, try
Fin the moose lowps intae sicht
Fu is Pangur o delicht!
Aa the warld can gyang tae wrack
Fan a puzzle I can crack!
Sae thegither, we agree
Pangur Ban, ma cat an me
In oor hairts we finn oor bliss
I hae mine an he has his
Practice makketh cat an man
The perfect hunter, pangur Ban
I win wyceness day an nicht
Turnin derkness inno licht.
Sheena Blackhall
Anonymous Irish 8th century poem translated into English by Robin Flower and into Scots by Sheena Blackhall. Selected by the Scottish Poetry Library.
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Scots Language in Scotland's Census 2011 | Shetland and Orcadian Scots dialect | Caithness Scots dialect | North East Doric Scots dialect | East central Scots dialects | Angus and Tayside Scots Dialect | Galloway Scots Dialect | West Central Scots Dialect | Borders Scots Dialect | Ulster Scots Dialect | Scotch language | Scots leid | Scottish Language | Ulster Scots Dialect |