Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)

Subject: Lyr Req: The Delting Lass
From: Mrs Banjiman
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 04:15 PM

Has anyone got lyrics for song by Fair Isle group "Burrian" called "The Delting Lass" about the 1900 fishing disaster off Shetland Isles? Thanks, Mrs Banjiman

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Delting Lass
From: Mrs Banjiman
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 04:22 PM

Sorry, it's by Fair Isle group "Fridarey"...it's the album that is called Burrian which features the song I'm looking for.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Delting Lass
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Oct 10 - 11:33 AM

When I searched fridarey delting lass Google asked me:

Did you mean: Friday deleting lass?

When I recovered from that shock, I found:

A Shetland band called Hom Bru has a song called DA SANG O DA DELTING LASS by M. H. Odie, on their album "No Afore Time" (2003). I think it is probably the same song as the one recorded by Fridarey (or "Friðarey Folk" as they are called at Shetlopedia).

You can hear the entire song (DA SANG O DA DELTING LASS) at Hom Bru's web site.

However, I think the links are mislabeled there; you have to click on the link that says COOPER'S REELS in order to hear DA SANG O DA DELTING LASS.

It's a beautiful song, but it's sung in the Shetland dialect, which I find even harder to understand than Scots.

What I can understand of the story is this: There is a lass who "comes up da brae singin" because "Da lime(?)-boats o Deltin are sailin awa." Later she is "feart" when "The high hills o Deltin are covered wi snaw." Still later she comes "doon da brae greetin [crying]." "Nae mair she is singin for da mornin is bringin ... ill news tae Deltin."

I'm not sure what the "ill news" is, but Wikipedia tells of "the infamous 'Delting Disaster' of 21 December 1900 when twenty-two local fishermen where lost during a storm, decimating the community [of the village of Firth, in the parish of Delting]."

In another forum, I read that the words and music to DA SANG O DA DELTING LASS is in this book:

Songs and Sights of Shetland by Christine M. Guy ([Lerwick]: Shetland Arts Trust, 1995).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Delting Lass
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 13 Oct 10 - 11:53 AM

Jim,

I can confirm that this is the same song (though as you suggest the link is from Cooper's Reel), melody is slightly different but it is definitely the same song.

Doesn't help anyone not from The Northern Isles with the lyrics though!

You found a lot of the things we found with your other links.... did you check the names of those who died in the disaster? At least some from 3 generations of a couple of families. Terrible.

Thanks for looking!

Paul

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Delting Lass (Fridarey)
From: GUEST,Sylvia Watts
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 08:56 AM

1        Saw you da lass gyaain up da brae singing
Sae licht a young heart sho kent nae care ava
Laachin and waving whin her laad is lavin
Da line-boats o Deltin ir sailin awa

Sailin aw. Sailin awa
Da line-boats o Deltin ir sailin awa.

2        Saw you da lass staandin on da brae waitin
Scanning da firth whaar da wast wind did blaa?
Fur noo sho is fearin da spindrift is tearin
Da high hills o Deltin ir covered wi snaa

Covered wi snaa. Covered with snaa.
Da high hills o Deltin ir covered wi snaa.

3        Saw you da lass gyaain doon da brae greetin
Whin ower da wild water da homin did draw
Nae mair wis sho singin. Da moarnin wis bringin
Da ill news ta Deltin o dem at's awa

Dem at's awa, dem at's awa. Dir ill news in Deltin o dem at's awa.

4        saw you da lass gyaain ower da brae flittin
in Firth dir nae life, dir nae youngeens ava.
Nae dances dir haein, nae fiddlers ir playin.
It's lonlie in Deltin fae dey sailed awa.

Dey sailed awa. Dey sailed awa,
It's lonlie in Deltin, fae dey sailed awa.

Words and Music by Mary Ellen Odie from Songs and Sights of Shetland
Pub Shetland Arts Trust

On 21st December 1900 a gale claimed the lives of 22 men and their haddock fishing boats. They were from Swiniste, Firth, Toft and Nashion – the Mossbank district of Delting. In all 66 dependents were left.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 03:12 AM

Thanks Sylvia.

We'll make use of this.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Allan Con
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 04:52 AM

"Doesn't help anyone not from The Northern Isles with the lyrics though!"

The Shetland dialect is a dialect of Scots, though it is heavily influenced by the former Norn language, however if you are used to reading a bit of Scots (which I know not everyone is) then there is nothing too inaccessible in this particular lyric. The main thing that sets it apart is the use of "D" for "th" in the likes of "Da" which is just "the".

The spelling of "snaa" for snow is used in other Scots writing too. Interchangeable with for instance "snaw" as there is no set in stone standard for spelling.

attempted transaltion is

saw you the lass going up the hill singing
so light a young heart she knew no care at all
laughing and waving when her lad was leaving
the line boats of Deltin are sailing away

saw you the lass standing on the hill waiting
scanning the Firth where the west wind did blow
for now she is fearing the spray is tearing
the high hills of Deltin are covered with snow

saw you the lass going down the hill crying
when over the wild water the (homing) did draw
no more was she singing, the morning/mourning was bringing
the ill news to Deltin of them that's away

saw you the lass going over the hill leaving (ie moving house)
in the Firth there's no life, there's no young ones at all
no dances they're having, no fiddlers are playing
it's lonely in Deltin from when they sailed away


I put homing in brackets as I'm not sure but I think it probably just means homecoming. As with 'moarnin' which could be either morning or mourning. I'm not sure! For 'brae' I put hill though in this case I suspect it is specifically the slope from the land above down to the seashore

Hope it helps a bit

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 05:29 AM

Thanks Allan,

The comment was about the recording suggested not the lyrics written out by Sylvia, they're fine and largely understandable (or at least singable!).

Thanks for the translation though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,strad
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 11:19 AM

"humin" is the evening twilight

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Allan Con
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 12:52 PM

"humin" is the evening twilight


Right thanks. I wasn't sure what it was hence the brackets. Never heard that before. Down here in the south of Scotland we'd say 'gloamin' for that. If it is the evening twilight then it makes it appear that 'moarnin' is 'mourning' rather than 'morning' too!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,strad
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 04:10 PM

No, I think you're right the first time - moarnin' = morning. The news would be confirmed the day after the event.

Firth is the name of a place in Delting, so no 'the' in front of it.
Google "Delting Disaster"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 04:41 PM

Thanks for all these great contributions on this song. Being from SW Scotland I generally don't have too much difficulty with Scots dialect but the translations and associated discussions are helpful for all of us.

Just wonder if "when ower da wild water da homin did draw" is actually saying "when out of the wild water a body was drawn"? "homin" being as in "human"? (I'm no language dialect expert but it makes sense of the song.)

I do think it's "morning" as was stated previously rather than "mourning".

I look forward to learning it properly now :-)

Wendy Arrowsmith (aka Mrs Banjiman)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Allan Con
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 03:39 AM

"Firth is the name of a place in Delting"

Hence the capital F. Should've noticed that :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Sylvia
Date: 09 Sep 12 - 11:04 AM

Months have passed and I should have looked at this thread before. I expect you have all found out all you need to know by now -

Onyway:

moarning is morning - the spelling reflects the Shetland tongue.

homin is homecoming time not gloaming or twilight - that is the simmer dim, and aah - how I miss it...
so Wendy, that line you refer to means that the time for expecting them home is drawing near

There were no survivors and the community dispersed who knows how or where- 'dem at's awa' means they have gone forever

" Traditionally the parish of Delting, in which Mossbank is found, had far more to do with the sea than it does today, with fishing the main source of income. And the area paid a heavy price for its fish. As you drive into Mossbank you seen on your left the impressive stone memorial to those killed in the Delting Disaster of 21 December 1900. Twenty-two fishermen lost their lives, and the memorial shows where they came from. Six of those killed came from Firth, of which almost nothing now remains on the opposite side of Firths Voe from Mossbank."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Da Sang o da Delting Lass (trad Shetland)
From: GUEST,Guest Richard
Date: 08 Jun 15 - 08:10 AM

Humin is twilight. Simmer Dim is the special summer twilight which never becomes full darkness.

Sylvia, we met once on the ferry.