{"id":573,"date":"2017-10-31T17:29:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T17:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/?guid=44696da698afe7771501831b5359e797"},"modified":"2017-10-31T17:29:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T17:29:00","slug":"happy-samhain-all-hallows-eve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/31\/happy-samhain-all-hallows-eve\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Samhain ~ All Hallows Eve"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Happy Halloween<\/h2>\n
by Robbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire<\/div>\n
(Modern English)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Upon that night, when fairies light<\/div>\n
On Cassillis Downans dance,<\/div>\n
Or over the lays, in splendid blaze,<\/div>\n
On sprightly horses prance;<\/div>\n
Or for Colean the route is taken,<\/div>\n
Beneath the moon’s pale beams;<\/div>\n
There, up on the cove, to stray and rove,<\/div>\n
Among the rocks and streams <\/div>\n
To sport that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Among the bonny winding banks,<\/div>\n
Where the river Doon runs clear,<\/div>\n
Where Bruce once ruled the martial ranks,<\/div>\n
And shook his Carrick spear,<\/div>\n
Some merry, friendly, country-folks,<\/div>\n
Together did convene,<\/div>\n
To burn their nuts, and pile their shocks of wheat,<\/div>\n
And have their Halloween<\/div>\n
Full of fun that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The lasses feet, and cleanly neat,<\/div>\n
More strong than when they’re fine;<\/div>\n
Their faces happy, full sweetly show,<\/div>\n
Hearts faithful, warm, and kind’<\/div>\n
The lads say true, with love knots,<\/div>\n
Well knotted on their garters,<\/div>\n
Some surprisingly shy, and some with chatter,<\/div>\n
Cause the girls’ hearts to get startin’<\/div>\n
Whiles fast at night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then, first and foremost, through the cabbage,<\/div>\n
Their stocks of wheat are sought at once;<\/div>\n
They touch their own, and grasp and choose,<\/div>\n
For very strong and straight ones.<\/div>\n
Poor fellow Will fell off the drift,<\/div>\n
And wander’d through the cabbage,<\/div>\n
And pulled, for want o’ better shift,<\/div>\n
A cabbage like a pigs-tail,<\/div>\n
So bent that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then, straight or crooked, earth or none,<\/div>\n
They roar and cry all throughout there;<\/div>\n
The very little children, toddling, run,<\/div>\n
With stocks out over their shoulders;<\/div>\n
And if the custard’s sweet or sour.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
With pocketknives they taste them;<\/div>\n
Thereafter cozily, about the door,<\/div>\n
With clever care, they’ve placed them,<\/div>\n
To lie that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The girls steal away from among them all<\/div>\n
To pull their stalks of corn:<\/div>\n
But Rab slips out, and plays about,<\/div>\n
Behind the very large thorn:<\/div>\n
He grabbed onto Nelly hard and fast;<\/div>\n
Loud screamed all the other girls;<\/div>\n
But the grain at the top of her stalk was lost,<\/div>\n
With him that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The old guidwife’s well-hoarded nuts,<\/div>\n
Are round and round divided,<\/div>\n
And many lads’ and lasses’ fates<\/div>\n
Are there that night decided:<\/div>\n
Some kindly cosily, side by side,<\/div>\n
And burn together trimly;<\/div>\n
Some start away, with saucy pride,<\/div>\n
And jumpout over the chimney<\/div>\n
Full high that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Jean slips in between with careful eye;<\/div>\n
What it was she wouldn’t tell;<\/div>\n
But this is Jock, and this is me,<\/div>\n
She says in to herself:<\/div>\n
He drunk over her, and she over him,<\/div>\n
As they would never more part;<\/div>\n
Till, puff! he started up the hide and seek,<\/div>\n
And jean had a sore heart<\/div>\n
To see’t that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Poor Willkie, with his little cabbage,<\/div>\n
Was stuck with prudish Mallie;<\/div>\n
And Mallie, no doubt, thought it rude,<\/div>\n
To be thought a match for Willie;<\/div>\n
Mall’s nut leaped out with prideful fling,<\/div>\n
And her own fit it, inpertinent;<\/div>\n
While Willie laughed, and swore by jing,<\/div>\n
‘Twas just the way he wanted<\/div>\n
To be that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Nell had the haystacks in her mind,<\/div>\n
She puts herself and Rob in;<\/div>\n
In loving bliss they sweetly join,<\/div>\n
Till white in ashes they’re sobbing;<\/div>\n
Nell’s heart was dancing at the view,<\/div>\n
She whispere’d Rob to look for it:<\/div>\n
Rob, stealthily, aprised her bonny mouth,<\/div>\n
Full cosy in the nook for it,<\/div>\n
Unseen that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But Merran sat behind their backs,<\/div>\n
Her thoughts on Andrew Bell;<\/div>\n
She leaves them chattering at their tales,<\/div>\n
And slips out by herself:<\/div>\n
She throught the yeard the nearest takes,<\/div>\n
And to the fire goes then,<\/div>\n
And in the darak grabbed for the box,<\/div>\n
And in the blue-spell throws then,<\/div>\n
Right afraid that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And yes she won it, and yes she swore,<\/div>\n
It was what she made no joking,<\/div>\n
Till something held within the pot,<\/div>\n
Good Lord! but she was quaking!<\/div>\n
But whether it was the devil himself,<\/div>\n
Or whether it was a shadow,<\/div>\n
Or whether it was Andrew Bell,<\/div>\n
She did not wait on talking <\/div>\n
To ask that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Small Jennie to her grannie says,<\/div>\n
“Will ye go with me, grannie?<\/div>\n
I’ll eat the apple at the glass<\/div>\n
I’ll get free of Uncle Johnnie.”<\/div>\n
She puffed her pipe with such a column of smoke,<\/div>\n
In anger she was so vapouring,<\/div>\n
She noticed it not, an cinder burned<\/div>\n
Her fine new worsted apron<\/div>\n
Out through that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“You little scolding woman’s face!<\/div>\n
I dare you try such sporting,<\/div>\n
As seek the foul thief any place,<\/div>\n
For him to spy your fortune.<\/div>\n
No doubt but you may get a sight!<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Great cause you have to fear it;<\/div>\n
For many a one has gotten a fright,<\/div>\n
And lived and died delirious<\/div>\n
On such a night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“One harvest before the Sherramoor, —<\/div>\n
I remember it as well as last night,<\/div>\n
I was a young girl then, I’m sure<\/div>\n
I was not past fifteen;<\/div>\n
The summer had been cold and wet,<\/div>\n
And stuff was very green;<\/div>\n
And yes a merry harvest home we got,<\/div>\n
And just on Halloween<\/div>\n
It fell that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“Our chief reaper was Rob McGreen,<\/div>\n
A clever sturdy fellow;<\/div>\n
His son got Eppie Sim with child,<\/div>\n
That lived in Achmacalla:<\/div>\n
 He got hemp-seed, I remember it well,<\/div>\n
And he made little fuss of it;<\/div>\n
But many a day was by himself,<\/div>\n
He was so sorely frighted<\/div>\n
That very night.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then up got fetchin’ Jamie Fleck,<\/div>\n
And he swore by his conscience,<\/div>\n
That he culd sow hemp-seed a peck;<\/div>\n
For it was all but nonsense.<\/div>\n
The old guidman reached down the bag,<\/div>\n
And out a handful gave him;<\/div>\n
Then asked him slip from among the folk,<\/div>\n
Some time when no one would see him,<\/div>\n
And try it that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He marches through among the stacks,<\/div>\n
Though he was something frightened;<\/div>\n
The dung fork he for a weapon takes.<\/div>\n
And hurls it at the buttocks of his horse;<\/div>\n
And every now and thee he says,<\/div>\n
“Hemp-seed, I saw thee, <\/div>\n
And her that is to be my lass,<\/div>\n
Come after me, and draw thee<\/div>\n
As fast this night.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He whistled up the Lord Lennox’s march<\/div>\n
To keep his courage cheery;<\/div>\n
Although his hair began to stand on end,<\/div>\n
He was so scared and eerie:<\/div>\n
Till presently he hears a squeak,<\/div>\n
And then a grown and grunting;<\/div>\n
He over his shoulder gave a peek,<\/div>\n
And tumbled with a stagger<\/div>\n
Out of that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He roared a horrid murder-shout,<\/div>\n
In dreadful desperation!<\/div>\n
And young and old came running out<\/div>\n
To hear the sad narration;<\/div>\n
He swore it was hobbled Jean McCraw<\/div>\n
Or hunchedbacked Merran Humphie,<\/div>\n
Till, stop! she trotted through them<\/div>\n
And what was it but a pig<\/div>\n
A’stir that night!<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Meg gladly would to the barn have fone,<\/div>\n
To win three measures of nothing;<\/div>\n
But for to meet the devil her alone,<\/div>\n
She put but little faitht in:<\/div>\n
She gives the herdboy a little nuts,<\/div>\n
And two red-cheeked apples,<\/div>\n
To watch, while for the barn she sets,<\/div>\n
In hopes to see Tam Kipples<\/div>\n
That very night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
She turns the key with quiet twist,<\/div>\n
And ovre the threshold ventures;<\/div>\n
But first on Sandy gives a call<\/div>\n
The boldly in she enters:<\/div>\n
A ratt rattled up the wall,<\/div>\n
And she cried, Lord, preserve her!<\/div>\n
And ran through gutter at the bottom of the dung hole,<\/div>\n
And prayed with zeal and fervour,<\/div>\n
Full fast that night;<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
They hoisted out Will with strong advice,<\/div>\n
They promised him some fine handsome one;<\/div>\n
It chanced the stack he fathomed three times<\/div>\n
Was timber-propped for twisiting;<\/div>\n
He takes a twisted, old moss-oak,<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
For some black grusome witch;<\/div>\n
And let a curse, and drew a stroke,<\/div>\n
Till skin in shreds came trailing<\/div>\n
Off his fists that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A wanton window Lizzie was,<\/div>\n
As cheerful as a kitten;<\/div>\n
But, oh! that night among the woods,<\/div>\n
She got a fearful settling!<\/div>\n
She through the furz, and by the grave,<\/div>\n
And over the hill goes careening,<\/div>\n
Where three lords’ lands met at a rivulet<\/div>\n
To dip her left shirt-sleev e in,<\/div>\n
Was bent that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
While ovre a waterfall the river plays,<\/div>\n
As through the glen it meandered;<\/div>\n
While round a jutting rock it strays;<\/div>\n
While in an eddy it dimpled;<\/div>\n
While glittered to the nightly rays,<\/div>\n
With bickering, dancing dazzle;<\/div>\n
While hidden underneath the slope of a hill,<\/div>\n
Below the spreading hazel,<\/div>\n
Unseen that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Among the brackens, on the slope,<\/div>\n
Between her and the moon,<\/div>\n
The devil, or else an unhoused cow,<\/div>\n
Got up and gave a moo!<\/div>\n
Poor Lizzie’s heart most leap out of her chest!<\/div>\n
Near lark-height she jumped;<\/div>\n
But mussed a foot, and in the pool<\/div>\n
Out-over the ears she falls in,<\/div>\n
With a plunge that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In order, on the clean hearth-stone,<\/div>\n
The porrigers three are ranged,<\/div>\n
And every time great care is taken,<\/div>\n
To see them duly changed:<\/div>\n
Old Uncle Johm, wanted wedlock joys<\/div>\n
Since Mar’s year (1715) did desire,<\/div>\n
Because he got the empty dish three times,<\/div>\n
He heaved them on the first fire<\/div>\n
In anger that night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
With merry songs, and friendly tales,<\/div>\n
I know they didn’t weary;<\/div>\n
And many tales, and funny jokes,<\/div>\n
Their sports were cheap and cheery;<\/div>\n
Set all their mouths a’stirring;<\/div>\n
Then, with a social glass of liquor,<\/div>\n
They parted off careening<\/div>\n
Full happy that night. <\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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Happy Halloweenby Robbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire(Modern English)Upon that night, when fairies lightOn Cassillis Downans dance,Or over the lays, in splendid blaze,On sprightly horses prance;Or for Colean the route is taken,Beneath the moon’s pale be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victoriasaccentiwrites.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}