James Fisher

On Halloween

1.
The sun was neulins doun the lift,
	The ky bun i’ the byre,
While chiels did sit in gay gude tift,
	Wi hizzies roun’ the fire; –
To crack broun nits was a’ their thrift,
	Until their teeth did tire,
An’ nows an’ thans, there cam’ a drift
	O’ younkers through the mire,
			To them that night.
	
2.
When ance a gay wheen chiels were met,
	Quoth Jock, wha was right vandy,
I think I will burn gaussie Bet,
	Alang wi’ neighbour Sandy:
Twa nits then i’ the ingle set:
	Quoth a’ that’s just the dandie;
She puss’d, when she grew gay an’ het,
	At him; she’ll be a randie,
			Quoth a’ that night.
	
3.
A gaitling unto Saney said,
	She’ll be a sulky kimmer, 
Gif ye get her ye will be laid,
	I doubt, to use the timmer.
Wheesh’t! to the waen, then quoth its dad,
	Ye little gabin limmer, 
Or I’se soon sen’ ye to your bed,
	As I did ance a simmer; –
			D’ye min’ that night?
	
4.
At burning pairs right lang they wrought;
	But ane Meg Graham had hech’d, 
Gif she were spar’d, as sure as ought,
	To see that lucky night,
She to the barn wad gang, she thought,
	An’ tak’ wi’ her a weight, 
An’ there wad winnow three times nought;
	To do this she gaed straight,
			Alane that night.
	
5.
What she saw there I dinna ken, 
	But I think she repented
That she gaed there, for sic an en’, –
	Her cheeks right white were painted;
She cam’ in wi’ an unco sten, 
	An’ near had gaen demented,
An’ glow’rd, an’ shook, as she cam’ ben,
 	An’ very nearlins fainted
			Clean out that night.
	
6.
Her fearfu’ gapes, and glowrin een, 
	Did fley auld Madge her mither,
Wha met her i’ the trance that e’en. 
	As she cam’ wi’ a fither:
She thought a spectre she had seen,
	Sae roun’ her a’ the gither 
She drew a score, an’ cry’d, bideen!
	Avoid ye! – come na hither
			Pale ghost! this night.
	
7.
Kate wha was drapping in an egg,
	’mang water in a kitty, 
An’ looking at the same fu’ gleg,
	To see her house sae pretty,
Soon heard the noise an’ wi’ a fleg,
	To hide did rin some bittie; 
But in cam’ Madge, alang wi’ Meg,
	An’ cry’d, it’s but your tittie, –
			Lass – dinna fright!
	
8.
After this hurry a’ was by,
	A younker said right keen, 
I think our fortunes we will try,
	Wi’ water foul an’ clean; –
Then kinkins twa accordingly,
	Wi’ ilk they got bideen, 
An’ eke ane toom, and then did tie
	Wi’ napkins ithers een,
			Fu’ close that night.
	
9.
Some plung’d their hands amang the clean, 
	An’ thought they were fu’ luckie;
Next cam’ a taylor fidgin keen, 
	An’ daubled like a deucky
Amang the foul; an cry’d, I ween, 
	Nae maidenhead for Jocky,1
A weel, quoth he, the like has been,
	I dinna care a buckie
			For that this night,
	
10.
Some blinlans to the yard were led
	That night, to pu’ kail runts, 
Some pu’d lang straught anes, an’ were glad,
	An’ some pu’d wee boul’d bunts.
A chiel wha was na owr weel bred,
	On Kate pass’d some affronts, 
Syne she slipt in an’ gaed to bed,
	For she had taen the drunts
			Fu’ fair that night.
	
11.
Some at a corn stack, neist did draw
	Three straes, by ane at aens, 
To see how mony they ava
	Wad ever hae o’ waens:
An’ some to winnocks gaed awa’, 
	To hear their sweethearts names;
But Jean Gun got a filthy fa’ 
	Amang the dirt an’ stanes,
			Upo’ that night.
	
11.
Meg Simm she next to try her lot,
	Steal’d out a clue o’ yarn, 
Sae straught gaed to a deep kiln pot,
	Her fortune for to learn:
Within the same she made it slot,
	An’ wall’d sae weel her arm. 
That on the greesh she maist it broke,
	Whilk did her meikle harm,
			For mony a night.
	
12.
Twa neighbour cats that liked fun, 
	There, watch for mice were laying,
Sae wi’ the thread that she did win, 
	Did quickly fa’ a playing:
She thought to had he was begun,
	Sae this she fell a-saying, – 
Wha hads my thread, that was weel spun?
	By ran a black tip maying,
			Whilk did her fright.
	
13.
The cats too faught, an’ gaed great squeels,
	From a whilk she did gather, 
What hel’ her thread was nought but de’ils;
	Sae light like ony feather
She ran, the tip close at her heels, 
	Wha loose was frae his tether,
An’ wi’ his horns lent her gude reels, 
	Upo’ her backside leather,
			Gaen hame that night.
	
14.
The door she cam’ in like a fool,
	An’ flang’t to wi’ a blatter, 
Her heart did nearly burst the hool,
	When she cam’ to to clatter;
O firs, quoth she, the ghost o’ Cool2 
 	Has gi’en me mony a batter!
An’ tald the gate – then frae their stool, 
	Scarce ane to mak’ his water
			Durst rise that night.
	
15.
Auld Halbert jied his wig aside,
	An’ seriously said, Meggy, 
On’ Andra Johnston3 did he ride,
	Wha ser’es him for a naggie?
Quoth she, to look I did na bide,
	But, fast as I coud leggie, 
I ran, yet wae did me betide,
	He lent me mony a fleggie,
			Fu’ fair this night.
	
16.
Sunket then at the door did reel, 
	Ilk’s heart lap like a pliver –	
Meg rumish’d owr the spinning wheel, 
	An’ swarf’d clean a’ the gither.
Ilk wee bit wean fu’ lowd did squeel, 
	An’ clasp’d about its mither;
An’ scarce a hizzie or a chiel, 
	Durst part frae ane anither,
			Till fair clay light.