Ode tae a Caunle

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!