The Cooper - A Poem By Isabel Salmon
11th October 2011
The Cooper Isabel (mckay) Salmon.
If ye lived ower in Poltney Toon
Way back in '22
An' yer faither wis a cooper
An' he wisna on ae "broo"
Then ye can hould yir head up high
An' walk wi' honest pride
For ae copper wis a journeyman
An expert at his trade
Ae coopers they depended
Upon ae fishing crew
Till catch ae bonnie herring
An' keep ae barrels fu'
Ae fisher girls were ready
Wi' gutting knife in hand
To dress the "silver darlings"
For export to a foreign land
Those days are gone for ever
Yet may history relate
Tales of Wick in all its glory
With the herring in full spate.
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There is wealth of poetry and writing in Caithness dialect if you can find it. Often of nostalgic nature looking back to happy days of childhood or memories of events or ways of doing things that have past or are passing out of memory.
AE "GROAT" by Isabel (mckay) Salmon. Ae "Groat" id cam' oot long time ago since, An' wi' ids weel kent face Brought tales o' joy an sorrow, And did id all wi' grace, For iss wir weekly paper Takes us back o'er land and sea A link wi' bonnie Caithness, Where we ever long tae be..
Home Rule Isabel (mckay) Salmon. Oh tell me fit yir mammy said When ye cam oot tae play She said "ye'll keep yir peeny claen Ids no ma washin' day" Then tell me fit yir mammy said When ye geed aff tae school She said "mind fit yir teacher says An' dinna act ae fool" So tell me fit yir mammy said When ye went till yir work She said "Mind ye get there on time An' see ye dinna shirk" Now tell me fit yir mammy said When ye brang hon' yir pay She said "ye'll get a sixpence noo Ae rest on new year's day!".
Wick Gala Isabel (mckay) Salmon. Div ye ae Week o' long ago Or no 'at long id seems When ae Gala id took pleyce in style Doon on ae bleaching green Ae processiom aye geed through ae toon And up Kinnairdie Gran' We thocht id wiss ae finest sicht Ere seen in all ae lan' Wey had all ae herrin' lassies oot, An' ae owld box kert besides, Boot ae "Dennis"wis ae best o' a' She truly wis oor pride.