Smeddum

Gin I wis brees’t tae a stour wi my hert still in’t
even wi my banes poodert tae meal,
my bleed a dry-brunt batter an my brawn
stripped awa, dried tae collops;

I wad still pull a smirk ower my ill-ham’t face,
let the dounhertit win’ blaw my wanhoup crottle intae rickles,
an aye feel the yirden smeddum rise fae my orrals.

© BH, 2020

---

Anither Poetry24 challenge fae a piece on the BBC aboot words for emotions in ither leids. These were, as ye'd expec, fae aa ower the warld: Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic…

I thoucht we needit some fae nearer by an Scots has plenty. Hence this…

This is the Scot's ane but there's ane in Inglis an aa.

_____________________

Fae the Scots word ‘smeddum’. “Spirit, energy, vigorous common sense and resourcefulness, mettle.” … a word chynged fae the Auld English ‘smedma’ meanin fine floor. It wis also a short story by Lewis Grassic Gibbon in the early 20th century.

Written in response tae a FB post by Becky Tate on this BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170126-the-untranslatable-emotions-you-never-knew-you-had