Bonie Scotland

My mom recently returned from a trip to England, Scotland, and France. A cousin who lives in the area of Aberdeen, Scotland invited any of her first cousins to her Scotland home for two weeks, and the ones who could go decided to add visits to London and Paris, as well.

We had information about the church that Brent's great grandparents were married at before crossing the pond with their first-born (and only child at the time) and eventually landing in Iowa. The village the church was in turned out to be about an hour from Mom's cousin's home and so a few of them ventured there one day. Now we have a small photo album of the church, village and surrounding area. What a treat!

Mom also surprised me with a couple of poetry books she bought from a used book vendor at some Highland game competitions they watched. One is by Scotland's own poet, Robert Burns.

Today I enjoyed my first reading of some of the poems. Here's a short one:

Ye Flowery Banks

Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, (o' - of, bonie - pretty)
How can ye blume sae fair; (sae - so)
How can ye chant, ye little birds,
And I sae fu' o' care! (fu' - full)

Thou'll break me heart thou bonie bird
That sings upon the bough;
Thou minds me o' the happy days
When my fause luve was true. (fause luve - first love)

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird
That sings beside thy mate;
For sae I sat, and sae I sang,
And wist na o' my fate.

Aft hae I rov'd by bonie Doon, (Aft - oft, hae - have)
To see the wood-bine twine,
And ilka bird sang o' its love, (ilka - every)
And sae did I o' mine.

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
Frae aff its thorny tree, (Frae - from, aff - off)
And my fause luver staw the rose, (staw - stole)
But left the thorn wi' me.