The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #154641   Message #4036066
Posted By: Allan Conn
25-Feb-20 - 10:02 AM
Thread Name: Origins: The Flowers of the Forest (Jane Elliot)
Subject: RE: Origins: The Flowers of the Forest (Jane Elliot)
AS best as I can Gerry

Verse one "ilka green loanin" is just "every green loaning" where a loaning is grass track or something similar.

Verse one "wede awa" means vanished, gone away etc!

Verse two "At boughts in the morning" is a sheep bucht or sheep fold/pen.

Verse two "scornin" means jesting or teasing.

Verse two "dowie and wae" means sad, dismal and full of woe.

Verse two "nae daffin" means no fooling about.

Verse two "a leglin" is a milk pail.

Verse three here a "swankie" will be a strapping young lad strutting about.

Verse three "stacks" will just be big bundles/bales of straw or something else stacked

Verse three "bogle" is a ghost but here I think it means playing a game like hide and seek.

Verse four "har'st" or more usually "hairst" is just the harvest.

Verse four - "a bandster" is someone who bound the sheaves together when bringing in the harvest. "rankled" basically means rumpled or creased. "Lyart" is white streaks in the hair. So basically it means the bandsters are all wrinkled with white or grey hair. ie I am not sure if it means they are all old men as the young ones have been killed - or if they are female but have aged because of the grief!! Not sure who would have done said job.

Verse four - "fleecing" I think in this context is meaning "flattering"

Verse five - "dool" Doesn't translate word for word but I think this is basically saying grief or distress for the order that sent the lads to war.