Tempora Mutantor

Tempora Mutantor

Milne, J.C.

As I gaed doon by Memsie
I heard an aul' man speir,
'Faur's the bonnie dialect
That aince wis spoken here?

And faur's the weel-faurt fairm
Wi a'thing snod and ticht,
The steadin doors new pintit,
The harness shinin bricht?

The strappin foreman billy
That chawed the Bogie-Roll?
The hame-owre Memsie menners
Oor gentry cou'dna thole?

The swack and swuppert baillie?
The banie plooman chiel?
The cadger wi his cairtie?
The fishwife wi' her creel?

The steady fine-gyaun pairie?
The bonnie straucht-plooed rig?
The willin weel-shod sheltie?
The spring-cairt and the gig?

The gweed God-fearin fairmer,
Wi' weel-worn wincey sark,
Wha nivver missed a sermon
For widder or for wark?

The gude-wife in her gran'eur,
Wi' a'thing in its place,
The floories in her bonnet,
Her gartens and her lace?

The brose-caup and the skimmer?
The milkin-steel? The quine
That rose afore the mornin
And beddit efter nine?

The hame-made mealy puddins
Ma mither used to mak?
The wifie wi' the besoms?
The mannie wi' the pack?

The grauvit and the dickie?
The weel faurt fuskert face?'
The double-breestit watch-chine?
The gweed lang Sunday grace?

The sowens and sautie-bannocks?
The neep-brose and the kale
The deece? the aul' melodeon?
And faur's the meal-an-ale?

The moggens and the moleskins?
The bonnie biggit stack?
The baals and barn dances
That gart the riggin shak?

The weel-kent cornkister?
The dam-brod and the cairts?
And faur's the lowe o' learnin
That made the lad o' pairts?

The birn o' barfit bairnies
That cam to Memsie skweel
Fae smiddy, craft and fairm,
And cotter-hoose as weel?

Ay, faur's the Memsie mither
That gart the cradle rock?
The man o' Gweedly learnin
That cam to see her flock --

The peat fire in the parlour,
The littlins in a raw,
The muckle aspidistra
The maisterpiece o' a'?

O faur's the aul' religion
That keepit kirk and toun?
And faur's the deid soo's bledder?
Dyod, faur's the orra loon?'