Div Ye Mind ? by ''Castlegreen''

[trinkie]

The sad little picture of a cottage submerged in water, on the front page yesterday made me reach for my ''Castlegreen'' book ''Tatties An' Herreen'


Div Ye Mind?
or ''What John Horne forgot''

Div ye mind yur Kaitness hoosie fan 'e rain wis pooran doon
An ye sat upon 'e table if ye didna want till droon
Fan 'e water keepid risan lek e tide upon e shore
Fit wisna coman through roof cam in ablow e door?
Div ye mind boy? Eh, Div ye mind?

Div ye mind yur Kaitness hoosie fan e peits wis soakin weet
An yur e'en were nippan in yur heid till ye wis fit till greet,
Fan e reek wis lek till chock ye an pit ye oot o pain
An aal e peits in Kaitness widna warm yur bones again?
Div ye mind boy? Eh, Div ye mind .

Div ye mind e times in Kaitness fav ye trauchled day an' nicht
Fan ye raxed yursel till mak ends meet bit notheen wid come richt
Fan aal day long ye plowtered till yur back wis lek till brek
An ye flung yur weary carcass on e owld caff-seck?
Div ye mind boy? Eh, Div ye mind?

Div ye mind e days in winter an e bleeters ye'd till feice,
Fan ye gied till get a lod o neeps for twa-r-three houngry beyce,
Fan ivry dutch wis lek a burn an ivry park a sea
Fan ivery rod aboot e pleice wis gutters till e knee?
Div ye mind boy? Eh, div ye mind?

Div ye mind e smell of Kaitness, chist lek a gas attack,
Fan e win wis off e midden an e very peegs stood back?
An chist in ceise e fowks inside wis missan sometheen rare
E dowgs traiked through e middle o'd an brocht 'em in thur share,
Div ye mind boy? Eh, div ye mind?

Div ye mind e fowk in Kaitness, fa took unholy glee
In spreadan nesty stories 'boot e leks o ye an me?
They could twist a hermless action till id wid disgreice a Sent,
An if id wisna black enough they allwiz could invent!
Div ye mind boy? Eh, div ye mind?

Div ye mind e day in Kaitness fan ye felt ye'd hed enough
An ye left e croft for iver in e wurld till do yur stuff?
Ye heided bravely for e Sooth through drivan win an rain
An ye swore at dreary countryside wid no see ye again!
Div ye mind boy? Eh, div ye mind?

Bit spite o win an rain an muck ye canna stop away
An many's a weary chourney hev ye hedden since at day!
Ye lek till see chist wance again e pleicie far ye steyed,
Bit faigs ye ken a good thing and ye'll no come home till bide!
'Cos ye mind boy, Aye, ye mind !!

[Torvaig]

Thanks for that; brilliant!

[Cedric Farthsbottom III]

Nice one trinkie:D

[helenbmerry]

I remember Mrs Gardiner reciting that poem many years ago, when I was a child at primary school. Sadly both she and her son Neil, who was in his early 20s, died in the early 60s. She used to go around all the Christmas Treats, at schools like Achreamie and Leurary, telling stories, reciting local dialect poems, and I think she also sang "The Crookit Bawbee" and other songs.. I'm sure she did duets with someone, but I can't remember who.Those concerts were a high point of the year, and as a child I remember going to Forss as well. The dance which followed the children's concert, then the adult acts, was open to all ages, and I can remember running around the playground at Achreamie at 3 in the morning on a December night/morning in the mid 1950s.

[trinkie]

Lovely memories Helenbemerry thank you ......I think that poem more than any other brings back so many fond memories for us Caithness folk.
I too recall it being recited in the village halls. But my fondest memory of it was on the train in the late 1970s. We had reached Caithness and the train was fairly empty. A piper began to play and walked up and down the passage. Then someone sitting near to me began to recite Div ye Mind..... a hush fell over the other passengers as they sat and remembered - smiling knowingly !
Next on the agenda was The Ghost of the Hill o' Forss ... we were all in raptures and quite vexed when the train reached it's destination ! We got off - and do you know, no one said a word,
there was a smile here and there, but it was all taken for granted !

[golach]

Next on the agenda was The Ghost of the Hill o' Forss ... we were all in raptures and quite vexed when the train reached it's destination ! We got off - and do you know, no one said a word,
there was a smile here and there, but it was all taken for granted !
Ah The "Ghost of the Hill o' Forss", one of my favourite "Castlegreen" poems, it gives me a wicked delight in asking my non Kaitnessian pals and relations to read from "Tatties an' Herreen'. :cool:

[Kenn]

Lovely Trinkie keep 'em coming.

[Torvaig]

"What John Horne forgot" is a clever parody of "Div ye mind" by John Horne. The original had rather more fond memories than the poem by "Castlegreen"!:lol:
Thanks again Trinkie!



John Horne

Div ye mind yer Kaitness hoosie wi its wheezy but and ben,
A dowgie sleepin by e' fire, aside a clockin hen;
A dresser set wi bowlies, an a bandbox on a kist,
A cowgie fu o sooans, an' a stoolie wi' a list?
Div ye mind, boy Eh? Div ye mind?
Div' ye mind e' greasy grunter wi' his muckle flappan loogs,
An e' chuckens fechtin roond ye for e' sweelans o' e' moogs?
A slated blockie, on a bool, spread dryan in e sun,
While e duekies trail'd his heid-piece roond and roond e' byre for fun
Div ye mind, boy Eh? Div ye mind?
Div' ye mind e' Knotty Club wi its game and ragged band,
Fa's clubs wis bandaged kail-runs or anything at hand?
Noo and then a tae wis opened wi' a whistle fae e' ba',
An e' linin o' a pockad wis pit roond it wi' a straw.
Div ye mind, boy Eh? Div ye mind?
Div ye mind e' whitened lirkie wi' its mooldy, earthy scent,
An e' blinkin faces roond ye, tryan hard til look intent?
On e' blessed Bible pages, ye drew sheep and stirkies lean,
An ye cut initials in e' pew fan "Thirdly" shut his een.
Div ye mind, boy Eh? Div ye mind?
Div ye mind e' jolly schooldays fan ye trowed till play "Skyhigh"
And ye tumbled in a burnie, and skelpt aboot til dry?
Bit yir mithir spread ye on her lap an' exercised her han',
Then chicked ye in yur baba 'cause ye wisna fit till stan'
Div ye mind, boy Eh? Div ye mind?
Div ye mind e' day ye traivelled wi yur faither in a cairt,
Far fae hoosie, kirk and burnie, in e' world til act yir pairt?
Hoo ye turned an looked an looked again, wi a prayer in yeer face,
An vowed til play e' man and bring them no disgrace?
Div ye mind, boy Eh? Div ye mind?
Taken from a book called "Caithnessian Poems and Plays" by John Horne.

[Kenn]

It get's better many thanks Torvaig, had to reach for the dictionary a couple of times though!

[Torvaig]

http://www.caithness.org/community/arts/caithnesspoets/johnhorne/index.htm

Try this link for a little more of John Horne.

[Angela]

http://www.caithness.org/community/arts/caithnesspoets/johnhorne/index.htm

Try this link for a little more of John Horne.

Thanks a lot Torvaig, I'd completely overlooked that, some great stuff...brings back so many memories :) :~( happy & sad!