Sma Warld
Nancy leeved in a sma warld
in a sma ferm
nae faur frae a sma toon.
She hud sma ettlins.
Clivver is she wis, there wis naethin
she wintit mair
thin tae wirk the ferm.
It wis a sair trauchle
mulkin coos, thinnin neeps,
howdiein caufs, begowkin the tod
thit keepit is ill ee on hir chookies.
The sonsiest hingmy in Nancy's sma warld
wis er hert.
Hir's wis the yae ferm I ivver kent
whaur kye-time wis taigled
gin veesitors ca'ed by.
It wis hir sonsie hert
thit gar hir mak wee snysters:
sma butteries,
tottie fardels, flichans o danders,
wee taits o gingebreid
an toddies cut in fower.
Nae wean hud tae chaise yin trait abin anither
kis yin o ilk wis nae ower muckle.
Aye, Nancy leeved in a sma warld
whaur abody wis walcomed pensefully.
About this poem
This poem was included in Best Scottish Poems 2023. Best Scottish Poems is an online publication, which includes 5 poems written in Scots, chosen by a different editor each year with comments by the editor and poets. It provides a personal overview of a year of Scottish poetry. The editor for poetry in Scots in 2023 was Liz Niven.
Editor’s comments:
Fae the repetition o ‘Sma’ in the warld and ferm an toon, the reader micht expeck a wee bittie sense o humour aboot tae be the content o this poem. Bit verra soon the reenge o joabs an skills depictit in Nancy’s warld, the hard werk o riinin a ferm wi kye an crop an chookies gies depth, an ye cannae fail tae respeck Nancy’s warld and the day tae day darg it entailit. Bit alongside the picter o the warkin wumman, the generositie and kindliness is presentit an aw. Her gift fir relationships wi veesitors an weans is fondlie paintit by the poet an the endin, which could hae been sentimental an couthie leaves the reader envious o Nancy’s contentment in her no sae sma warld.
Author’s comments:
My cousin Nancy was nine years older than me. I both loved her and was puzzled by her.
While I had to work hard to get to college, she was much cleverer yet was content to stay at home and help her widowed mother eke out a living from a small croft in Ayrshire. I wanted to do something with my life, she was already doing what she wanted: milking cows, outwitting the fox who always seemed to have an eye on her hens, organising the annual ‘big mill’, gently easing leeks from the ground in winter.
While it seemed to me that Nancy lived in a very small world, I had to admit that she was the most big-hearted person I knew. This was best seen when children went to visit. She baked a selection of treats and then cut then into the size of sweeties so that her young visitors didn’t have to choose what to eat for they could have one of everything. There were no disapproving frowns from mothers as children filled their plates.
Nancy did live in a small world, but it was one where everyone was made welcome.
