Page:Studies in Lowland Scots - Colville - 1909.djvu/93

Rh went roaming about in search of a bite, till, when nature resumed her green mantle, they were "at the liftin'," like a corpse before burial, so, instead of the Englishman's "While the grass grows the steed starves" we have the Scots, "The auld aiver (nag) may dee waitin' for new grass." When the bairns protested too much at sight of their humble fare the thrifty housewife answered with a "Na, na; corn's no for staigs" (colts).

These were the days of small things, when to be near or grippy was not unpardonable, yet large-heartedness breathes in "Him 'at has a good crap may weel thole a wheen thistles." He may well put up with the sornin' (sponging) of poor relations. Table-love, however, was appraised at its true value: "Mony aunts, mony eems (Ger. Oheim, uncle), mony kin, few friens." True neighbourliness comes out in "A borrowed len (loan) should aye gang lauchin' hame." There was no worship of the baby then, for "Dawtet bairns dow bear little." The unwise fondling in dawted (dote) is a poor preparation for real life. This obsolete dow (can put up with, effect) was much used by Burns and Fergusson. A favourite word with Burns is heard in "A tarrowin' (grumbling) bairn was never fat." Its Orcadian meaning is "to take the dorts (tirran, cross, ill-natured)," from the expression tarre, an incitement to dogs to fight (cf. Ger. hetzen, and Shakspere's Hey!). Kindly indulgence for youthful wild oats was not awanting: "Royet (riotous, dissipated) lads mak' sober men." The Scot's dramatic faculty is deemed as weak as his appreciation of humour; but was pawkiness (a better word than knowingness) ever more neatly put than in "He's no sae daft as he let's on" (gives out, a favourite idiom); "Wark for nocht maks folks dead sweer" (unwilling, Ger. schwer); "Better fleech (flatter) fools than fecht them;" and "There's a time to gley (look awry) and a time to look straucht." Nor could there be a sounder appreciation of the personal reference than "Ye mett (measure) my peas by your ain peck." "Men are no to be mett (measured) by inches," and "Guid gear is little-booket" (of small bulk) are two views of the same situation. "Marriage is a lottery" appears as "She's a wise wife 'at wat (divined) her ain weird" (fate). And while the endurance of the ills we have is