LL-L "Traditions" 2008.05.10 (03) [E?S]

Sat May 10 18:20:37 UTC 2008

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L O W L A N D S - L - 10 May 2008 - Volume 03
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2008.05.07 (01) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Traditions
>
> Elsie and all,
>
> The three oldest of us were born at home, too, assisted by our local
> midwife -- German Hebamme (lit. "lifting nurse/nanny"), Low Saxon
> Moder/Mudder Griepsch (lit. "Mother Grab"). Those were the olden days
> when a midwife was more than a midwife: she would periodically check
> on the children for years, sometimes until they hit puberty, or she
> would stop you in the street and interrogate you. I remember ours with
> a large, black bag on a large, black bicycle -- a tough old bird.

I was more of a technobaby, not being able to get me out at one
hospital, they moved my mother to Edinburgh where they had more advanced
equipment. And yet my baby cards still showed a stork delivering a baby,
unlike these days where a card with a DVD of the actual birth is
considered more appropriate  :)

In Scots the word for midwife is "howdie". The Scottish National
Dictionary says origin unknown, but it seems to have arisen in Edinburgh
around the year 1700 as some sort of nickname or cant.

It was then taken up in literature, from whence it became more commonly
known. Here's the country doctor and observational poet David Rorie on
the subject:

THE HOWDIE

'Twas in a wee bit but-an-ben
She bade when first I kent her,
Doon the side roadie by the kirk
Whaur Andra was precentor.

An a' the week he keepit thrang
At's wark as village thatcher,
Whiles sairly fashed by weemen folk,
Wi "Hurry up an catch her!"

Nae beuks e'er ravel't Tibbie's harns,
Nae college lear haed reached her,
An a' she kent aboot her job
Her ain experience teached her.

To this cauld warld in fifty year
She'd fosh near auchteen hunner.
Losh keep's! When a' thing's said an duin,
The cratur' was a won'er!

A' gate she'd traivelled day an nicht,
A' kin o orra weather
Haed seen her trampin on the road,
Or trailin' throu the heather.

But Time haed set her pechin sair,
As on his wey he birled;
The body startit failin' fast
An gettin' auld an nirled.

An syne, to weet the bairnie's heid
Ower muckle, whiles, they'd gie her;
But noo she's deid-ay, mony a year-
An Andra's sleepin wi her.

The custom of "weetin' the bairn's heid" consisted of drinking a glass of
raw whisky in honour of the child's safe arrival. Anyone not so doing was
held "to tak' awa the bairn's luck."

'twas: it was (poetic affectation, not Scots)
but-an-ben: two-room cottage
bade: stayed
kent: knew
doon: down
roadie: narrow path, usually between two walls, fences or hedges.
kirk: church
whaur: where
Andra: Andrew
precentor /pr@'zE:n?@r/: person who leads the singing in church, "cantor".
a': all
keepit thrang: kept busy
at's wark: at his work (noun)
whiles: sometimes
sairly: sorely, very, "sehr"
fashed: bothered, hassled
weemen folk: womenfolk
wi: with
nae: no
beuks: books
ravel't: tangled, confused
Tibbie: a woman's name, short for "Isabel"
harns: brains
lear: learning
haed: had
an: and
ain: own
cauld warld: cold world
fosh: fetched
near auchteen hunner: nearly eighteen hundred
Losh keep's!: "Lord keep us!"
duin: done
cratur: creature (referring to Tibbie)
won'er: wonder
a' gate: everywhere
traivelled: walked (a long distance)
nicht: night
a' kin o orra weather: all kinds of severe weather
pechin /'pE:xIn/: panting for breath
sair: an intensifier, "sehr"
his wey: his way (refering to Time)
he birled: he spun (refering to Time)
the body: the person (refering to Tibbie)
auld: old
nirled: gnarled
syne: then
weet the bairnie's heid: wet the child's head (to take a drink as a
celebration of the birth)
ower muckle: too much
gie: give
deid: dead
ay: yes
mony: many

Sandy Fleming
http://scotstext.org/

•

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