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  • The twa cuddies
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The twa cuddies

James Robertson

As I cam roon by Tinto’s back,
I heard twa cuddies haein a crack.
I heard yin tae the tither say,
‘Wha will ye tak tae ride the-day?’

‘I’ll tak nae laird wi whip and spurs,
I’ll tak nae leddy clad in furs.
But I’ll awa tae Glesca fair
Tae fetch a lass that I ken there.

‘And nane will hear me at the gate,
And nane will see me as I wait
But her alane, and she’ll come doun,
And we’ll gang through the sleepin toun.

‘We’ll ride the bents, we’ll ride the braes,
We’ll ride for nichts, we’ll ride for days.
We’ll ride the shore, we’ll ride the sea,
We’ll ride the sky, that lass and me.’

As I wis sittin late at nicht
Abune the trees I saw a sicht:
Across the mune I saw them pass,
A fleein cuddy and a lass.


James Robertson

From The Thing that Mattered Most: Scottish poems for children edited by Julie Johnstone (SPL/B&W, 2006)

Reproduced by permission of the author.

Tags:

horses Scots Scots recitals for children suitable for children
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James Robertsonb.1958

A poet and award-winning novelist, James Robertson is also a publisher of poetry and of children’s books in Scots which provide a lively introduction to Scots-language literary heritage.
More about James Robertson

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