Snawdraps

The blintert snawdrap can manage wi’oot
thae dowless flooers yirdit wi doot;
fir it can match Orion’s pooers
richt throu the skinklin wee sma oors;
sae up it cams, an mebbe gies
thae laggard bauchles, bi degrees,
smeddum frae shame ti cam up tae
intil the air an the sin’s ray;
but it’s the yin that sterts the spring.
It sets the sin abune aa thing.

This song celebrates the natural charm of the Snowdrop flower.
Translations of the scots words within the song are as follows:
blintert: blown by boisterous gusty wind
dowless: feeble, lacking instrength or energy
yirdit: buried
skinklin: sparkling
bauchle: untidy or clumsy person
smeddum: spirit, energy, drive
sin: sun

The words of the song were written by Poet Gerry Cambridge and feature in his book of Scottish Nature in poems, photographs and prose 'Nothing but Heather!'.
For more information about Gerry's work see www.gerrycambridge.com
The music was written a number of years ago when myself and Gerry were playing around the folk circuit combining my voice and bouzouki melodies with his poems and harmonica playing. More info at www.neilthomson.co.uk