Thonner an Thon

Belnaloob’s whar A come frae,

The hamely rit o maist A’ll hae,

Whun a’ bes ower, tae fang’l wae;

An aply fin

The jag wuz gien as weel tae spae:

A towl ye, sin.

Hud flet behin the queelrod wa,

The bink an borras years awa —

The slappin spade, the clodded scra,

The lashin sweet —

Ye’d screch an flee abain them a’,

Thon heatherbleat.

Tae Knockahollet quait we gaen,

For iver frae the corner taen,

An hurkled wee ootby yer lane,

Crined in wae dreed

Frae speerin seek whut micht be daen —

The dark aheid.

Tae wak an fin yin moarnin blak

The empy sark, the simmet slak —

The baith taen up an niver bak —

An him his lane:

Whar micht he rin, whut scoot-hole tak,

Whar jook, the wain?

Killagan, noo hoo weel A mine

The brig airched quait ower nixt the line,

The lade, the boags, the forth, the kine,

O while that sa

Iz redd a wee o oany rine

Or we leed a’.

In the wud hie-shade bae Loughgiel’s shore,

Whar boadies pech an owl soos snore,

We taen thon step ower far afore

We fun the caase:

The soo, lake yin het for the boar,

Gaen through baith was.

In Bellymoney, ticht wee toon,

Whar catther’s harly scatthered roon,

We danthered, keekin, up an doon,

Aye luckin for

Tae aiblins trevel wae the moon

Nixt Belnamore.

In, in, poo aff them wringin claes —

The boag’s sae wat these drachy days.

Goagh! Wud ye listen whut he says,

An keeks aboot!

An me mae lane — sure gin he daes,

Ye’ll be lang oot.

Wantherin strange bae Lagan’s broo,

Baith aply affen wunthered hoo

Blin clod micht iver lee sitch two

(Hir wie: mine’s twa)

Thegither. Weel, we hel tae noo,

Wae clesp, wae thra.

Tae Bellycastle baith wur taen,

Doon whar for quait they affen gaen,

The frettin ower, the spaein daen,

Their bother by;

An thonner redd o worl an wain

In quait they lie.

Lake gress, a boady’s while, that’s a’,

Or lake a flure, nae last ava:

A flooch o wun an al’s awa

As shane as ruz.

Och mine him lake a shedda ga!

(Wha’s this he wuz?)

Yit Belnaloob’s whar A come frae,

The hamely rit o maist A’ll hae,

Whun a’ bes ower, tae fang’l wae;

An aply fin

The jag wuz gien as weel tae spae:

A towl ye, sin.