THREE poems in Scots, the first two with the same leitmotif. They come from William Hershaw’s Stars Are The Aizles, Selected Poems in Scots 1976-2016. (Neep Heid Press.)

SURGO IN LUCEM

I wad be a whaup

wheeplan ower the grun,

I wad be a mavis

singan tae the sun.

I wad be a maggie

thrang in the siller birch,

I wad be wee reid rab

chirtin in the larch.

I wad be a sparrae

on a hummel buss,

I wad be a swalla

and flee ben aa a rush.

But I wadnae be a houlet

in the pit-mirk nicht,

I fain wad be a laverock

and rise intil the licht.

THE CLEIR WHITE LICHT

Orange is a fairin

that’s wi an aipple sib,

purpour’s the god-bairn

wha’s greetan in his crib.

Gowden is the gift

the Muin gies tae the Airth,

Sea-blae’s for a mither

jaupit by a birth.

Pine green is for guid luck

and needles that dounpour,

siller is an angel

or a fish left at the door.

Ruid is for a hearth

that lowes like a kind hert,

white is for the licht outby,

the licht that wales our airt.

GOD (IN THE IMAGE O A MINER)

God is a miner,

for aye is his shift,

heezan his graith, he howks in the luift.

God is a miner,

thrang at his work,

stars are the aizles he caws in the mirk.