Ae Mair Hairst

Ae Mair Hairst

Garry, Flora

She promised weel aneuch -- a heavy crap.
Bit a dull, mochy Simmer it wis, wi afa little drooth.
Some o's, ye'll min', gey forcey, cuttit ower green,
An syne the widder broke.
Caul', roch shooers drave doon on a nor'east win'.
The cattle oot on the girss
Wannert wi their backs up roun' the dykes,
Nivver ristin'.
Aye the onding, aye the clorty dubs.
I' the howe a Ythan week efter weary week
The stooks steed tasht an water-loggit.
Mornin efter mornin yon fite haar
Cam' blawin in fae the coast.

Bit ae foreneen the win' swang roun' to the west,
The cloods were heich an licht,
The sky wis blue-er gin we'd seen't a Simmer.
The howes firmt up. The strae began to reeshle.
Shaef efter shaef, we turn't the stooks wi wir han's
In tull the face a a strong sunshiny breeze
I' the cornyards, the smell o the ripened grain.

We workit hard, fyles by the licht o the meen,
Fyles on the Sabbath day,
An we got aff the grun', ae mair hairst!
An noo fae Mormond Hill as far's Bennachie,
The raikit stibble parks lie teem an quaet,
Wytin' for the ploo.

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The Estate of Flora Garry 1995
Flora Garry's Collected Poems are available from Steve Savage Publishers Ltd.
http://www.savagepublishers.com