Scrieve It wi Hamish MacDonald

Oor Scrieve-It workshoap wi the National Library o Scotland’s resident Scots Scriever, Hamish MacDonald  luiked at weys o explorin an developin new or existin writin in Scots.

An here’s the foremaist paragraph we aw translated fae Don Quixote by Cervantes . Hae a keek at the oreeginal tae, in print or e-book

‘In the clachan o La Mancha, which A’d raither forget, ther bidit nae lang syne yin o thon auld Lairdies that keepit a lance in the lance-rack, an auld tairge, a shilpit cuddy, an a greyhoond fir coorsin. A scullery o raither mair beef than mutton, greens on maist nichts, leftowers oan Setterdays, lentils oan Fridays, an a doo or so ower an abune oan the Sabbat, cawed awa wi maist o his siller. The lave o it went oan a doublet o guid braid cloth and velvet breeks an matchin shoon for days aff, whiles ower the wikk he cut a braw figure in his finest tweeds. He had ben the hoose a kitchie-deem ower forty, a niece unner twinty, an orra-loon fir the park an the mercat-place, wha yaised tae saddle the cuddy as weel as haunle the bill-heuk. The age o this auld Lairdie o oors wis shiftin fifty, he wis gey mettlesome, scrawny, weezint, a gey early riser an a bonnie sportsman. Fowk reckon his faimily name wis Quixada or Quesada (fir here ther’s nae greeance amang thaim wha scrieve oan sic maitters), altho thaim wi rummle-gumption wid jalouse he wis cried Quexana. This, hooanivir, is o nae maitter tae wir yairn;  it will be eneuch no tae stravaig a fusker frae the truth in the tellin o’t.’

Translated by, John, Graeme, Anne, Robert, Brian, Carol and Hamish

Hamish will be doing a follow up Scots creative writing workshop later in the year in Central Library. Have a look at other Scots language translations and books from our collection