Poetry Friday: Bairns' games in the words of J. K. Annand…
With our current focus on How Children Play Around the World, I’ve also been looking a wee bit closer to home and have enjoyed revisiting Bairn Rhymes (Mercat Press, 1999) by Scottish poet J. K. Annand (1908-1993). He was passionate about Scottish poetry and his own poetry for children is wonderful. I have chosen a couple of extracts from the “Games” section of Bairn Rhymes.
The first is from the poem “Conkers” – and I wish you could see Dennis Carabine’s accompanying illustration of “me” leaning smugly against a tree while “my” opponent tries to smash “my” conker – and there’s some lovely play later on in the poem between “conker” and “conquer” too, but here’s the exhilarating beginning:
We’re for the laird’s wuid,
Geordie speels the tree,
Shakes aa the conkers
Doun on me.
The second poem I’ve chosen is called “Skatin”, which charts learning to ice-skate. Little Brother empathises with this one, and still feels stuck in the first verse:
Skatin on the ice
I tummelt aince or twice.
I gaed hame feelin glum
Wi bruises on my bum.
This beautifully produced book makes no allowances for anyone not reasonably well-versed in Scots – but I’d really encourage you to have a go. With poems about animals and birds; people like the Dentist, the Polis or the Postie; or childhood encounters such as “Grannie’s Scooter” or the “Twa-leggit Mice” who mither thinks eat the chocolate biscuits out of the tin, the collection is a delightful evocation of childhood that offers nostalgia to the grown-ups and contemporary relevance to children. Poetry can do that!
This week’s Poetry Friday is hosted by Two Writing Teachers – head on over!
June 18th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Fantastic recommendation – would have missed it completely if not for this write-up! I’m going to go find it right now. Thanks, Marjorie.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Wish:Wishing Traditions Around the World -by Thong and Kleven just arrived at school yesterday.. it’s a gorgeous book with many stories about how and when children in many countries make special wishes. … and play!
June 20th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Sounds like a good book and makes me think back fondly to our days in Scotland last year!
June 21st, 2010 at 1:51 am
Julie, I’m delighted to have sparked your interest – I’d be interested to hear your reaction to it, if you do get hold of it.
Mag, thank you for the shout out – definitely sounds like one we need to get hold of.
And, Sally, yes, I thought of you and our day in Edinburgh, as I was writing the post
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:55 am
Found one used online, and bought it, so it’s coming in the mail soon and I’m sure I’m going to love it. Anything with a line like “shakes aa the conkers/ doun on me”is going to be a delight. Do you know Iona and Peter Opie’s book THE LORE AND LANGUAGE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN? It’s great fun, too