The Aal Waal

'Come oot o 'aat, ye puddlin vratch,'
Skraichs the girnie wife at me.
'Ye'll tummle in an droon yerself,
Ye'll catch yer death o caal.
Losh, quine, fit div ye get to watch
In at aal waal?'

Fit div I watch? See yon spoot?
Hear the water trinklin oot?
Kep some in yon roosty mull.
Naebody badders gin ye spull,
Doon b' the aal waal.

I'm feart at yon dark nesty place
Laich ower ere, at the back,
Faar green an slivvery tangles dreep
An emmerteens an gollachs creep,
An poddicks lowp an slaters craal
Roun the eezins o the waal.

Bit I like at place far it's shinin blue
The colour o the sky;
Far little pansy-faces teet
Atween the steens, an prood an tall
Pink foxgloves boo to see themsels
In their lookin-gless, the waal.

An fyles on a stull hairst efterneen --
Nae braith o win to stir
The smaa fite deukie's fedder curlt
Roun the dry carl-doddie flooer --
I see doon ere the Muckle Furth twaa-faal,
Clood, fleein bird an the toozy heid at's me,
The big warl in a little warl, the waal.

'Come oot o 'aat, ye puddlin vratch,'
Skraichs the girnie wife at me.
'Come awa fae at aal waal,
Ere's naethin ere to see.'
Says she.

waal: well. puddlin: messing about with water. vratch: wretch. skraichs: screeches. girnie: ill-tempered. spoot: spout. kep: catch. roosty mull: rusty tin. badders: bothers. laich: low. emmerteens: ants. gollachs: beetles. poddicks: frogs. eezins: eaves. teet: peep. fyles: occasionally. hairst: harvest. fite deukie's: white duck's. carl-doddie: ribgrass. twaa-faal: twofold; mirrored. toozy: towzled.