The 23rd Psalm is the best known of all the Psalms in the Bible and it has been translated and paraphrased into Scots and Ulster-Scots many times. In fact an anthology of some twenty versions of Psalm 23 in Scots was compiled and published in 1987.
The following version of The Good Shepherd appeared back in 1995 in the second edition of Ullans, the magazine of the Ulster-Scots Language Society It had been rendered at a recent meeting of the society in Ballyclare by Ernie Scott, a native Ulster-Scots speaker and a member of the society's committee. Ernie is still on the go and I met him back in September at the Broadisland Gathering in Ballycarry.
Wha is my Shephard wel A ken
The Lord hisel is He.
He leads me whaur the girse is green
An' burnies quaet that be.
Aft times A fain astray wud gang
An' wann'r far awa.
He fins me oot, He pits me richt
An brings me hame an' a'.
Tho' A pass through the gruesom sheugh
Fin' A ken that He is near.
His muckle cruk wull me defen'
Sae A hae nocht tae fear.
Ilk comfort whilk a sheep cud need
His thochtfu care provides.
Tho' wolves an' dugs may prowl aboot
In safety me He hides.
His guidness an' His mercy, baith,
Nae doot wull bide wi' me,
While faulded on the fields o' time
His hame ma dwellin' be.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.