Lament for Connel Burn by Dr James A Begg

- Or raither crouch like muckle beasts
Wi great metallic jaws,
For rivin oot the bonny hert
O braes, an holms an shaws,

Whaur peesies ance birlt ower their nests
An whaups cried frae the hill,
While doun ablow, the tree-clad glen
Wad echo tae the trill -

As shelfies, reidbreists, blackies,
Cushie-doos an wheetie-wrens,
Sang in chorus oot o every buss
Frae Laglaff, doun by Stepends;

As dippers doukit in the burn
An flew frae puil tae puil,
An stane-chippers “chakkt” atap the dyke,
When a roe-buck drank its fill.

Frae Burnfuit, Bank an Connelpark,
- Like blin-bats tae a flame –
The magic o that wild glen
Drew laddies faur frae hame.

Wi brammlin worms they’d fish for troots,
Play sodgers in the wid,
In heid-high bracken mak their dens
As frae their pals they hid.

Burnt berry-broun frae heid tae fuit
They’d dam the burn wi stanes,
An a gleefu glen wad ring wi cries
O bare-scud doukin weans.

Nou wae’s the herts o daunerin men
Harkin back whan they were boys,
Tae hear the Connel Burn resoun
Tae anither kin o noise -

- As screivin, scartin, roarin beasts
Wi blades, or clawin airm,
Obliterate the hatchery,
An auld Culcreoch Ferm;

Rivin earth, an trees an rocks,
Strivin tae win their goal -
Ance hard-wrocht juist wi miners’ picks,
Yon rich black diamonds – COAL.

They maun only hope, as years gae by,
When aa the howkin’s duin,
That muckle bings are levellt oot
An craters aa fillt in;

Aiblins then the scaurs will heal,
The burn rin kirstal clear,
An the bairns’ll play in Connel Glen
Juist like yesteryear.

___
rivin/tearing
shaw/coppice
peesie/lapwing
birl/whirl
whaup/curlew
shelfie/chaffinch
reidbreist/robin
cushie-doo/wood pigeon
wheetie-wren/willow warbler
stane-chipper/wheatear
blin-bat/moth
bare-scud/naked
daunerin/strolling
screivin/scraping
howkin/digging
bing/spoil-heap