Ode tae a Caunle
fae yer fethfu scots lass
Thay see ye as juist anither
bittie o’ junk
or piece o’ clatter
*
An orniment tae gaither dust
ignored an’ mislippen
oh it’s faur frae just
*
Mebbe thay’ll tak ye
fur the bath
gin thay mismae wi’ the “fash”
*
Thay dinnae see wha ye truelins are
if kinnle wi’ juist
a wee bit o’ waur
*
Och hou extraordinar ye spark
hou ye turn become sae
in the gloom o’ the dark
*
Ach caunle dinnae feel doon-heartit
thay chuffs be
blindlin tae yer intoxicatin’ magic
*
Thair lack o’ ken
an misglim
‘sa thair unforgien sin
*
Caunle wha pinnish fae thair deivens
insteaid o’ revered
as birth’d of the heivins
*
Fautit fir giein af a wee bit o soot
lackin’ pertection fae wind
hae ruint yer repute
*
But it’s nae reflection on yer wirth
ye are a glintin’ starn
a sool here on yirt
*
Nae maiter hou hershly they faunle
ken ye are loved
ach kurrie caunle
English Translation
sae ye git the juist o’ it
(so you can understand the approximate meaning of it)
As with translating any poetry into a different language, it never sounds quite right. It loses something. But I feel most people will appreciate this being here.
——————————————-
Ode to a Candle
by your faithful Scottish Lass
They see you as just another,
Bit of junk
Or piece of clutter
*
An ornament to gather dust
Ignored and neglected
Oh it’s far from just
*
Maybe they take you
For the bath
If they can be bothered with the (hassle)
*
They don’t see who you truly are
If you were ignited with just
A little bit of care
*
Oh how extraordinarily you sparkle
how you transform
in the gloom of the dark
*
Oh candle don’t feel down hearted
At those rude idiots
Who are blind to your intoxicating magic
*
Their lack of understanding
And disregard
Is their unforgiven sin
*
Candle who suffers for their harm
Instead of revered
As birthed from the heavens
*
Faulted for giving off a little bit of soot
Lacking protection from wind
Has ruined your reputation
*
But it’s no reflection on your worth
You are a glimmering star
A sun here on earth
*
No matter how harshly they handle you
Know you are loved
Oh poor, dear, beloved candle
(And Together)
Thay see ye as juist anither
bittie o’ junk
or piece o’ clatter
They see you as just another,
Bit of junk
Or piece of clutter
An orniment tae gaither dust
ignored an’ mislippen
oh it’s faur frae just
An ornament to gather dust
Ignored and neglected
Oh it’s far from just
Mebbe thay’ll tak ye
fur the bath
gin thay mismae wi’ the “fash”
Maybe they take you
For the bath
If they can be bothered with the (hassle)
Thay dinnae see wha ye truelins are
if kinnle wi’ juist
a wee bit o’ waur
They don’t see who you truly are
If you were ignited with just
A little bit of care
Och hou extraordinar ye spark
hou ye turn become sae
in the gloom o’ the dark
Oh how extraordinarily you sparkle
how you transform
in the gloom of the dark
Ach caunle dinnae feel doon-heartit
thay chuffs be
blindlin tae yer intoxicatin’ magic
Oh candle don’t feel down hearted
At those rude idiots
Who are blind to your intoxicating magic
Thair lack o’ ken
an misglim
‘sa thair unforgien sin
Their lack of understanding
And disregard
Is their unforgiven sin
Caunle wha pinnish fae thair deivens
insteaid o’ revered
as birth’d of the heivins
Candle who suffers for their harm
Instead of revered
As birthed from the heavens
Fautit fir giein af a wee bit o soot
lackin’ pertection fae wind
hae ruint yer repute
Faulted for giving off a little bit of soot
Lacking protection from wind
Has ruined your reputation
Be it’s nae reflection on yer wirth
ye are a glintin’ starn
a sool here on yirt
But it’s no reflection on your worth
You are a glimmering star
A sun here on earth
Nae maiter hou hershly they faunle
ken ye are loved
ach kurrie caunle
No matter how harshly they handle you
Know you are loved
Oh poor, dear, beloved candle
_______________________
Thank you so much for reading!
I began writing this in English and the Scots translation came to my mind immediately. I had to go with it ❤️
The memory of reciting Robert Burns’ Ode to a Mouse for my Primary 5 Burns Day came back strong! I had been so nervous that my relentless practicing seems to have burned the first two verses into mind forevermore.
As a Scottish woman who enjoys honouring the culture and language of my ancestors, this challenge “Ode to an ordinary object” provided the perfect opportunity to create traditional language poetry.
I definitely underestimated the time it would take me but I sincerely enjoyed writing and researching words for this. Less fun un-correcting all of the autocorrects so many times!
I had hoped to make the English version also rhyme perfectly (because how impressive could that have been!) but as the sun is now setting and hunger pangs increase, I decide to honour the saying “Done is better than perfect”.
I don’t know if I’m meant to say this or leave it to the readers interpretation but this was written as a metaphor for the neglected child. The child who isn’t shining brightly because it is not truly seen by those around it.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
Thank you very much ❤️
P.S. you really ‘hae tae’ read this in your best Scots accent to feel the rhythm of it. It ‘disnae’ work otherwise!
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Comments (11)
Mind blowing, really. Both the content of the poem and the beauty it has in both dialects. Completely delighted to learn those new words like "kurrie," and "sool." I don't mind that the English version doesn't rhyme; it still works well. You write with such gravitas, I really admire your style. This might be my favorite of yours. 💗
Wow, this is incredible!! I actually assumed this was a famous Scottish poem last time I saw it on your page – I had no idea you wrote it. It’s truly so beautiful in both languages. Exactly how i feel about candles ❤️🕯️ and i appreciate the note about the inner child too, gave it that much more meaning.
Love your honoring of culture through this gorgeous poem, and happy to have had the translation for a few bits! Fantastic work, and I love candles too! :)
Lovely piece! I am pleasantly surprised that I understood a great bit of it prior to translation! This is truly a beautiful work with a beautiful message! Fabulous work Kayleigh!
Thank you for writing, translating & sharing this with us, Kayleigh. It is a an absolute treasure.
It definitely loses some of its beauty in the translation. Thank you for both versions, Kayleigh!
At first I was so confused, lol! I was only able to read the English version and it was so beautiful! But yes, that's the sad thing, that things at times get lost in translation. I loved your ode!
Whoa. This is dope. Really fucking beautiful.
Aw, Kayleigh, bravo! I've often toyed with the idea of writing in full-on auld Scot's. but, chickened oot! This was beautiful and heartfelt and I love that you put the effort into to provide the translation and then the translation and the along with one another. Bravo, lass!
Great thank u for give me wonderful reading experience keep it up give suggestions my posts and subscribe me !! HAVE A WONDER FUL DAY
Loved this!!! Awesomely written and captured my heart!!!❤️❤️💕