TWO charming snippets in Scots from the Perth poet William Soutar, with the laverock (the lark) as the common denominator.

A LADDIE'S SANG

O! it's owre the braes abune our toun

Whan the simmer days come in;

Whaur the blue-bells grow, and the burnies row,

And gowden is the whin.

The gowk sings frae the birken-schaw,

And the laverock far aboon:

The bees bummer by, the peesies cry,

And the lauchin linn lowps doun.

gowk=cuckoo; peesies=plovers; watergaw=rainbow

LAVEROCK'S LILT

O! I hae the hert to sing;

And I hae a sang that's clear;

And I hae a whittery wing

To fluff me up in the air:

And wha wudna spirl wi' me

Skimmerin into the blue

And watch the world grow peerie-wee

Sae far awa doun ablow?

spirl=run about; peerie-wee=small