LL-L "Folklore" 2002.08.17 (02) [E/S]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 17.AUG.2002 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Superstitions"

Charles Nicol (born 1885, Pollokshaws) is quite a well-known
minor poet who is particularly famous for his nursery poems.
Reading through book of his poetry lately I came across the
following lullaby:

HUSHIE BAA.

(A MITHER'S SANG.)

HUSHIE baa, my bonnie wean,
    Try an steek yer ee
Or Jenny wi the lang pock,
    She will come to ye,
An tak ye awa wi her,
    Frae yer da an ma;
Sae lie there noo fou cosy,
    In yer beddie baa.

Really, are ye up again?
    Oh! dear, dearie me;
I'll get nae wark duin the day
    Plainly I can see.
Whist noo, or _she'll_ come to ye,
    _Then_ what will ye dae?
Sae try an sleep noo tottie,
    Ye've slept nane the day.

Eh! that's the clever lassie,
    There she's sleepin noo;
Sae Jenny wi the lang pock,
    We dinna want _you_.
It's only bad wee lassies,
    That you tak awa;
An my wee lass _noo's_ asleep,
    In her beddie baa.

We've discussed a few bogey men such as the Sandman on
Lowlands-L, but who's this "Jenny wi the Lang Pock"
(Jenny with the Long Sack)? I've never heard of her.

There's some further enlightenment in another poem later
in the book, as far as the "pock" is concerned:

CUDDLE DOON.

CUDDLE doon, my bairnie,
    An sleep noo if ye can;
If ye dinna you'll be shuir
    Tae see the boo-man.

He's comin noo up the stair,
    Tae tak this lass awa;
Sae cuddle doon, my bairnie,
    Beside yer ain Ma.

Whist, noo, there he's comin,
    An as shuir as yer there,
He'll pit ye in his black pock,
    An tak ye doon the stair.

Yer sleepin noo, bonnie lass-
    Weel, I'm shuir that's richt;
See gang awa oot boo-man,
    You'll no get her the nicht.

So now we have the "boo-man" with a "black pock" -
and we see what the pock is for!

Does anyone know any more about this kind of "bogle"?

Glossary:

hushie baa: hush-a-bye
bonnie: pretty
wean: little one
steek: close
ee: eye
pock: bag
da an ma: father and mother
tottie: little one
wee: little
stair: staircase
bairnie: small child
ain: own
whist: hush
shuir: sure

Pronunciation Guide (fairly standard Central Scots dialect):

'hVSI bQ:

V 'mID at rz sa:N

'hVSI bQ: mV 'bonI we:n
    tra:i @n stik jIr i:
or dZE:nI wI D@ la:N pok
    SI wVl kVm tI ji:
@n ta:k ju: @'wQ: wI h at r
    fI jIr da: @n ma:
sI la:i De:r nu: fu: 'ko:zI
    In jIr 'bE:dI bQ:

'rilI Vr jI Vp @'ge:n
    o: di:r 'di:rI mi:
Vl gI? ne: wa:rk dIn D@ de:
    ple:nlI a: kIn si:
WISt nu: or Se:l kVm tI jI
    DE:n WQ? wVl jI de:
sI tra:i @n slip nu: 'to?I
    jIv slE:pt ne:n D@ de:

e: Da:?s D@ 'klIv at r 'la:sI
    De:r SIz 'slipIn nu:
sI dZE:nI wI D@ la:N pok
    wI 'dInI wQ:n? ju:
I?s 'o:nlI ba:d wi: 'la:sIz
    D@? ju: ta:k @'wQ:
@n ma: wi: la:s nu:z @'slip
    In h at r 'bE:dI bQ:


'kVd=l dun

'kVd=l dun mV 'be:rnI
    @n slip nu: If jI kIn
If jI 'dInI yu:l bi: Se:r
   tI si D@ bu: ma:n

Iz 'kVmIn nu: Vp D@ ste:r
    tI ta:k DIs la:s @'wQ:
sI 'kVd=l dun mV 'be:rnI
    b@'s at id jIr e:n ma:

WIst nu: De:r Iz 'kVmIn
    @n Iz Se:r Iz jIr D at r
Il pI? jI In Iz bla:k pok
    @n ta:k jI dun D@ ste:r

yIr 'slipIn nu: 'bonI la:s
    wil Vm Se:r Da:?s rIxt
sI ga:N @'wQ: u? bu: ma:n
    jIl no: gI? hIr D@ nIxt

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'

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