Robert Burns' "Tam o' Shanter" needs no introduction, but since I'm a heathen American, I'll give it one. A mock ballad by Scotland's national poet, who resides on the Scottish ten-pound note, it's a story of a drunken Scot who disturbs a Halloween party in a haunted church. It's 18th-century Scots dialect so I'll provide a brief glossary below.And if you know Scots dialect, be kind. I'm only a poor American.Our cast:Tam- An honest, drunken ScotMaggie- Tam's trusty mareKate- Tam's wifeNan/Cutty-Sark- The beautiful, young witchOl' Nick- The devil, in the shape of a black dogGlossaryTo start, you'll notice the long "O" sounds, like in "stone," is replaced by an "A," as in "stane." The words aren't that different but they can get lost in the onslaught of unfamiliar, heavily accented phrases."chapmen billies" = peddlers, merchants at the market"drouthy"= thirsty (for alcohol)"bousing at the nappy" = boozing, drinking strong ale"unco happy" = very happy"siller"= silver, money"ae" = one"frae" = from"fou"= full, aka drunk"ilka melder" = each milling time"Kirkton" = preacher"kirk" = church"by an ingle, bleezing finely" = by a fireplace, blazing finely"the souter" = the cobbler"Tam maun ride" = Tam must ride"the deil" = the devil"bairn" = a baby, a child"bogles" = bogies, ghosts"ghaists" = ghosts"houlets" = owls"John Barleycorn" = whisky, distilled from barley"noddle" = head"winnock bunker" = window alcove"cantraip" = cantrip, magic spell"gibbet-airns" = gibbet-irons. Look it up."frae a rape" = from a rope"gab" = mouth"beggar's clout" = a beggar's purse"creeshie flannen" = greasy flannel"cutty-sark" = a woman's petticoat, underwear"bonie birdies" = bonnie birds, pretty girls"wither'd beldams" = withered hags"louping and flinging on a crummock" = leaping and dancing on a stick"carlin" = witchYeah, it's a lot. These are the risks we take in the All Hallowed season, friends.My theme music belongs to Vivek Arbishek. As always, I recommend his royalty-free mood music for all (but mostly scary) occasions. https://www.youtube.com/c/VIVEKABHISHEKI'm scouring my books for my next story! I hope to see you next week!#halloween #robertburns #scotland #tamoshanter

Ver todos los episodios