Robert Burns: How To Know Him Part 27

He roar'd a horrid murder-shout, In dreadfu' desperation!

An' young an' auld come rinnin' out, An' hear the sad narration: He swoor 'twas hilchin Jean M'Craw, [halting]

Or crouchie Merran Humphie, [hunchbacked Marian]

Till stop! she trotted thro' them a'; An' wha was it but grumphie [the sow]

Asteer that night! [Astir]

Meg fain wad to the barn gane [have gone]

To winn three wechts o' naething;[15]

But for to meet the Deil her lane, [alone]

She pat but little faith in: [put]

She gies the herd a pickle nits, [herd-boy, few]

And twa red-cheekit apples, To watch, while for the barn she sets, [sets out]

In hopes to see Tam Kipples That very night.

She turns the key wi' cannie thraw, [cautious twist]

An' owre the threshold ventures; But first on Sawnie gies a ca', [call]

Syne bauldly in she enters; [Then]

A ratton rattl'd up the wa', [rat]

An' she cried 'Lord preserve her!'

An' ran thro' midden-hole an' a', [dunghill pool]

An' pray'd wi' zeal an' fervour Fu' fast that night

They hoy't out Will, wi' sair advice; [urged]

They hecht him some fine braw ane; [promised][measured with It chanced the stack he faddom'd thrice[16] outstretched arms]

Was timmer-propt for thrawin': [against leaning over]

He taks a swirlie auld moss-oak [gnarled]

For some black gruesome carlin; [beldam]

An' loot a winze, an' drew a stroke, [uttered a curse]

Till skin in blypes cam haurlin' [shreds, peeling]

Aff's nieves that night. [Off his fists]

A wanton widow Leezie was, As cantie as a kittlin; [lively]

But och! that night, amang the shaws, [woods]

She gat a fearfu' settlin'!

She thro' the whins, an' by the cairn, [gorse, stone heap]

An' owre the hill gaed scrievin'; [careering]

Where three laird's lands met at a burn,[17]

To dip her left sark-sleeve in, [s.h.i.+rt-]

Was bent that night.

Whyles owre a linn the burnie plays, [Waterfall]

As thro' the glen it wimpled; [wound]

Whyles round a rocky scaur it strays; [ledge]

Whyles in a wiel it dimpled; [eddy]

Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays, Wi' bickering, dancing dazzle; Whyles cookit underneath the braes, [peeped]

Below the spreading hazel, Unseen that night.

Amang the brackens on the brae, [ferns, hillside]

Between her an' the moon, The Deil, or else an outler quey, [unhoused heifer]

Gat up an' gae a croon: [gave a low]

Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool; [almost leapt, sheath]

Near lav'rock height she jumpit, [lark high]

But miss'd a fit, an' in the pool [foot]

Out-owre the lugs she plumpit, Wi' a plunge that night.

In order, on the clean hearth-stane, The luggies[18] three are ranged; And every time great care is ta'en, To see them duly changed: Auld uncle John, wha wedlock's joys Sin' Mar's year did desire, [1715 Rebellion]

Because he gat the toom dish thrice, [empty]

He heav'd them on the fire In wrath that night.

Wi' merry sangs, an' friendly cracks, I wat they did na weary; [wot]

And unco tales, an' funny jokes,-- [strange]

Their sports were cheap and cheery; Till b.u.t.ter'd sow'ns,[19] wi' fragrant lunt, [smoke]

Set a' their gabs a-steerin'; [tongues wagging]

Syne, wi' a social gla.s.s o' strunt, [Then, liquor]

They parted aff careerin'

Fu' blythe that night.

FOOT-NOTES TO HALLOWEEN

[The foot-notes to this poem are those supplied by Burns himself in the Kilmarnock edition.]

[4] Is thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings, are all abroad on their baneful, midnight errands: particularly, those aerial people, the fairies, are said, on that night to hold a grand anniversary.

[5] Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the Earls of Ca.s.silis.

[6] A noted cavern near Colean-house, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Ca.s.silis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt of fairies.

[7] The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great Deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.

[8] The first ceremony of Halloween is pulling each a _stock_, or plant of kail. They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and pull the first they meet with: its being big or little, straight or crooked, is prophetic of the size and shape of the grand object of all their spells--the husband or wife. If any _yird_, or earth, stick to the root, that is _tocher_, or fortune; and the taste of the _custoc_, that is, the heart of the stem, is indicative of the natural temper and disposition. Lastly the stems, or to give them their ordinary appellation, the _runts_, are placed somewhere above the head of the door; and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings into the house, are, according to the priority of placing the runts, the names in question.

[9] They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three several times, a stalk of oats. If the third stalk wants the _top pickle_, that is, the grain at the top of the stalk, the party in question will want the maidenhead.

[10] When the corn is in a doubtful state, by being too green, or wet, the stack-builder, by means of old timber, etc., makes a large apartment in his stack, with an opening in the side which is fairest exposed to the wind: this he calls a _fause-house_.

[11] Burning the nuts is a favourite charm. They name the lad and la.s.s to each particular nut, as they lay them in the fire; and according as they burn quickly together, or start from beside one another, the course and issue of the courts.h.i.+p will be.

[12] Whoever would with success try this spell must strictly observe these directions. Steal out all alone to the kiln, and darkling, throw into the pot, a clue of blue yarn: wind it in a new clue off the old one; and towards the latter end, something will hold the thread: demand, _wha hauds_? i.e., who holds? and answer will be returned from the kiln-pot, by naming the Christian and surname of your future spouse.

[13] Take a candle and go alone to a looking gla.s.s: eat an apple before it, and some traditions say you should comb your hair all the time; the face of your conjugal companion to be will be seen in the gla.s.s, as if peeping over your shoulder.

[14] Steal out; unperceived, and sow a handful of hemp seed; harrowing it with anything you can conveniently draw after you. Repeat, now and then, "Hemp seed, I saw [sow] thee, Hemp seed, I saw thee; and him (or her) that is to be my true-love, come after me and pou thee." Look over your left shoulder, and you will see the appearance of the person invoked, in the att.i.tude of pulling hemp. Some traditions say, "come after me and shaw thee," that is, show thyself; in which case it simply appears. Others omit the harrowing, and say, "come after me and harrow thee."

[15] This charm must likewise be performed, unperceived and alone. You go to the barn, and open both doors; taking them off the hinges, if possible; for there is danger that the Being about to appear may shut the doors, and do you some mischief. Then take that instrument used in winnowing the corn, which, in our country-dialect, we call a wecht; and go thro' all the att.i.tudes of letting down corn against the wind.

Repeat it three times; and the third time, an apparition will pa.s.s thro' the barn, in at the windy door, and out at the other, having both the figure in question and the appearance or retinue, marking the employment or station in life.

[16] Take an opportunity of going, unnoticed, to a bear-stack, and fathom it three times round. The last fathom of the last time, you will catch in your arms the appearance of your conjugal yoke-fellow.

[17] You go out, one or more, for this is a social spell, to a south-running spring or rivulet, where "three lairds' lands meet," and dip your left s.h.i.+rt sleeve. Go to bed in sight of a fire, and hang your wet sleeve before it to dry. Lie awake, and sometime near midnight, an apparition having the exact figure of the grand object in question, will come and turn the sleeve, as if to dry the other side of it.