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  • Aince Upon a Day
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Aince Upon a Day

William Soutar

Aince upon a day my mither said to me:
Dinna cleip and dinna rype
And dinna tell a lee.
For gin ye cleip a craw will name ye,
And gin ye rype a daw will shame ye;
And a snail will heeze its hornies out
And hike them round and round about
Gin ye tell a lee.

Aince upon a day, as I walkit a’ my lane,
I met a daw, and monie a craw,
And a snail upon a stane.
Up gaed the daw and didna shame me:
Up gaed ilk craw and didna name me:
But the wee snail heez’d its hornies out
And hik’d them round and round about
And – goggled at me.

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William Soutar

from Seeds in the Wind: poems in Scots for children (Andrew Dakers, 1933)

Tags:

Fife & Angus morality National Poetry Day 2019 Scotland Scots Scots recitals for children walking

About this poem

This is one of the poems chosen for National Poetry Day 2019 on the theme of ‘truth’.

Learning Resources

SQA Key: National 5        Higher
  • Aince upon a day Poster

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William Soutar1898 - 1943

William Soutar overcame his ill-health to write poetry in celebration of ‘the generosity of life’, and much verse in Scots for children.
More about William Soutar

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