clock-leddy clock-leddy

clock-leddy clock-leddy flee awa hame
yer hoose’ll be brunt doon for naethin’s the same
noo ye’ve etten the glas-flees an the hairst’s in the byre
an the fermer’s kennlin the stibble tae set it afire

gollachin, gollachin, sauf stowe’t in yer haa
atween sunnert timmer or cracks in the waa;
waitin lang days in the dark an the moch
till simmer comes in an win showds the sauch

chackie-mill, chackie-mill, fotherin i raft-trees
an chaain the rantles tae splinders an breese
heapit intae bings aifter tummelin in rugs
fitna hoose isna proof o ye’ll faa roon the lugs

© BH, 2025

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Another insect poem in Scots. I had some feedback appreciating the Scots names in ‘ettercop ettercop’ so I had another go at it. This time, I began with a variation on ‘Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home…’ I gave more weight to the suggestion that it alludes to rural communities warning ladybirds of the coming stubble-burning and appreciating their eating aphids and pests earlier in the season.

Here’s a glossary:

chackie-mill – death watch beetle
clock-leddy – ladybird
glas-flee – greenfly
gollachin - earwig
kennlin – kindling
raft-trees – rafters
rantles – beams
rugs – drizzle
sauch – willow (Salix caprea)
sauf – safe
showd – swing