Love to know what mum's think of the Scottish Baby Box poem

[toomuchpink]

Love to know what mum's - especially those in Scotland - think of this poem. It is going into the Scottish Government's new baby box of freebies for parents of newborns.

Tempted to ask for alternative suggestions which truly capture the experience of having a baby. But perhaps for some people this is what it is like?

Jackie Kay
Welcome Wee One

O ma darlin wee one
At last you are here in the wurld
And wi’ aa your wisdom
Your een bricht as the stars,
You've filled this hoose with licht,
Yer trusty wee haun, your globe o' a heid,
My cherished yin, my hert's ain!

O my darlin wee one
The hale wurld welcomes ye:
The mune glowes; the hearth wairms.
Let your life hae luck, health, charm,
Ye are my bonny blessed bairn,
My small miraculous gift.
I never kent luve like this.

Another SNP "freebie" vote winner instead of addressing the real issues facing those box babies when they try and get an education here!

Someone gave me this poem after ds was born by emergency C-section - they were a friend who knew me well, I know it wouldn't be for everyone but it chimed with me.

Birth Plan – by GillLambert

I want soft lights and music, perhaps a birthing pool,
I want massages and foot rubs, I want a fan to keep me cool.
I only want one midwife, no drugs just gas and air –
perhaps, if I think I need it, and I’d like my husband there.
I want active, to walk around, between early contractions,
I want a compilation C.D. and as little interaction
as possible. I want tea, toast, organic nuts, a doula and a mentor,
I want a T.E.N.S machine, a hypnotist, my own refrigerator.
I want the baby wrapped up in a blanket of angora,
I want a private room filled with flowers from Interflora.
I want, white noise, whale noise, recorded by Friends of the Earth.
What I really, really want, is a truly natural birth…
I got florescence trial of labour, I got an oxytocin drip,
I got, stay in bed and nil by mouth I got the bip, bip, bip bip, bip,
of a monitor. I got sweaty hair, I got gas and air
and mind-blowing drugs that made me swear,
I got pethidine, and morphine, I got my own anaesthetist
I got panicky, hysterical, I got hot, felt cold, acted pissed.
I got teams of consultants, discussing each contraction,
I got nurses telling me that soon there’d be more action.
I got cannulas, speculums, a doctor with a torch
I got my legs raised, my brow mopped, (yes, really, a torch.)
I got blood taken, meds given, data in plural
and when the pain got really bad, I got an epidural.
I got white lights, bright lights; I got a spinal block,
I got a junior doctor, nervously looking at the clock.
I got surgery and stitches, a scarred bikini line,
a really fit surgeon who told me it’ll all be fine.
And it was fine, it really was,
what they said was true,
I got what I wanted in the end,
what I got was you.

Still makes me a bit teary at the end!

Guess having a baby is so personal there isn't going to be a poem in the world that fits everyone's circumstances.

In the style of the 'world famous' Rabbie Burns (who lets face it no ones ever heard of unless you know someone Scottish). It's truly, truly awful!

I love Jackie Kay.

She was adopted by a white single lady and put up with a lot of racial abuse because she is black.

I wonder if that is partly why this poem is a rather sentimental take on motherhood?

Pile o' shite

The poem is written in Scots so all of the spellings are entirely correct

The spellings are not 'entirely correct' because Scots has only recently become a written language.

There is no good reason to pretend that words like world that are shared with English are an entirely different Scots word (wurld) other than ridiculous nationalist bullshit.

Agree with milady

Wonder if we will get it in Gaelic? Given that Scots is not the dialect, or language, of huge chunks of Scotland. What about Doric? English?

Away tae fuck!

This thread cracks me up.

1. Some folk seem to be implying that working class mothers are not the majority of mothers. Basic demographics show otherwise. The majority of any society is working class.

2. There are several posters claiming nobody in Scotland speaks Scots. What planet are these people from? Have a walk about for crying out loud. You might learn something, other than the sound of your own tortured bigotry.

3. The poem is by The Makar. It is simply a statement of goodwill in one of Scotland's three national languages. If you have such a problem with statements of goodwill that you'd actually seek to politicise them, then perhaps you should go chill out in a corner for a wee whilie, eh.

4. As for naff/cringeworthy etc - if seeing some goodwill statement written down in Scots makes you "cringe," go see a counsellor. You obviously have some issues with being from Scotland (where 1.6million people according to the UK Government - thru the General Register Office - speak Scots).

5. £6million being talked about as if it were a large amount of money for the government to spend that would better be spent on targeted resources is the daftest argument I've read in a while. This really is not a lot of money for the government to spend, and it is a proven intervention that has worked well in Finland for many decades, where it has been shown to lower infant mortality (which is still a problem in Scotland). Universal provision also destroys stigma. So, sorry if universalism doesn't allow you to cry Blairite crocodile tears about being unable to virtue signal over 'targeting', but targeting has never worked anywhere, and almost always misses the very people it's intended to help because it's stigmatising. If you think £6million would be better spent on employing a few dozen support workers, midwives or health visitors spread out across an nation of 5.4 million, instead of a universal provision providing a cot, bedding, essential items and so on, then I think you're a bit of a lost cause for logic. This is already a much proven intervention.

6. As for the pompous, upper middle class, "We hate the YESNP!" Unionist suburban-guerrilla stuff - at least that was fun to read. :-D Fortunately the Scottish Government remains the most popular in the EU, and the Tories poll 22%, and Labour 15%, which shows you how unpopular those right wing "targeting" and anti-universalist views actually are.

"Given that Scots is not the dialect, or language, of huge chunks of Scotland. What about Doric?"

Umm... Doric is Scots.

People need to 'see a counsellor' because they find that poem cringeworthy?

What kettle said. I like the poem. Maybe its a bit twee but its still a nice wee poem.

"The spellings are not 'entirely correct' because Scots has only recently become a written language."

Whar d'ye get this barrie chat fae oniewey?

Here ma favourite makar writin back thanadays (1500s) that writers was on their wey oot, LOL!

I THAT in heill was and gladnèss
Am trublit now with great sickness
And feblit with infirmitie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Our plesance here is all vain glory, 5
This fals world is but transitory,
The flesh is bruckle, the Feynd is slee:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

The state of man does change and vary,
Now sound, now sick, now blyth, now sary, 10
Now dansand mirry, now like to die:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

No state in Erd here standis sicker;
As with the wynd wavis the wicker
So wannis this world's vanitie:— 15
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Unto the Death gois all Estatis,
Princis, Prelatis, and Potestatis,
Baith rich and poor of all degree:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me. 20

He takis the knichtis in to the field
Enarmit under helm and scheild;
Victor he is at all mellie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

That strong unmerciful tyrand 25
Takis, on the motheris breast sowkand,
The babe full of benignitie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

He takis the campion in the stour,
The captain closit in the tour, 30
The lady in bour full of bewtie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

He spairis no lord for his piscence,
Na clerk for his intelligence;
His awful straik may no man flee:— 35
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Art-magicianis and astrologgis,
Rethoris, logicianis, and theologgis,
Them helpis no conclusionis slee:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me. 40

In medecine the most practicianis,
Leechis, surrigianis, and physicianis,
Themself from Death may not supplee:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

I see that makaris amang the lave 45
Playis here their padyanis, syne gois to grave;
Sparit is nocht their facultie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

He has done petuously devour
The noble Chaucer, of makaris flour, 50
The Monk of Bury, and Gower, all three:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

The good Sir Hew of Eglintoun,
Ettrick, Heriot, and Wintoun,
He has tane out of this cuntrie:— 55
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

That scorpion fell has done infeck
Maister John Clerk, and James Afflek,
Fra ballat-making and tragedie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me. 60

Holland and Barbour he has berevit;
Alas! that he not with us levit
Sir Mungo Lockart of the Lee:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Clerk of Tranent eke he has tane, 65
That made the anteris of Gawaine;
Sir Gilbert Hay endit has he:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

He has Blind Harry and Sandy Traill
Slain with his schour of mortal hail, 70
Quhilk Patrick Johnstoun might nought flee:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

He has reft Merseir his endite,
That did in luve so lively write,
So short, so quick, of sentence hie:— 75
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

He has tane Rowll of Aberdene,
And gentill Rowll of Corstorphine;
Two better fallowis did no man see:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me. 80

In Dunfermline he has tane Broun
With Maister Robert Henrysoun;
Sir John the Ross enbrast has he:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

And he has now tane, last of a, 85
Good gentil Stobo and Quintin Shaw,
Of quhom all wichtis hes pitie:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Good Maister Walter Kennedy
In point of Death lies verily; 90
Great ruth it were that so suld be:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Sen he has all my brether tane,
He will naught let me live alane;
Of force I man his next prey be:— 95
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

Since for the Death remeid is none,
Best is that we for Death dispone,
After our death that live may we:—
Timor Mortis conturbat me.

"People need to 'see a counsellor' because they find that poem cringeworthy?"

My point was specifically about people saying they find something written in Scots cringeworthy. Obviously taste and artistic sentiment is a personal thing, but at the end of the day it's just a goodwill statement. Why comment about it?

It's a really bad poem in any language.

Your globe of a head is not good imagery to describe a newborn in any language.

Of course lots of people speak Scots. It's predominantly a spoken dialect (indeed several dialects). I have no problem with things written in Scots (so long as I don't have to put up with the wandering let's cover all regions version of Scots you find in those Dahl translations - no one who says weans would say loons and quines). I have a problem with reinventing the spellings of the words shared with English to try to prentend that they are less similar than they actually are. That's pure nationalist bullshit.

It's a great idea. So many young mothers in need. We regularly collect items for them and their babies.

And yes they might still buy their baby a headband (the horror!) and other stuff that wealthier people look down upon, but remains is a pile of practical stuff which will help in those early days.

It's a wonderful gesture and practical. It's helped Finland achieve one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.

The boxes contain about 40 different items including a play mat, a changing mat, a digital thermometer, a fleece jacket, several babygrows, a hooded bath towel, a reusable nappy and liners, a baby book and an organic sponge.

The box also contains cot sheets, a mattress and a blanket, making it suitable for a baby to sleep in.

The poem makes me cringe - but hey I'll take this box over a bounty pack any day

notveryhappyvalley
That poem describes my birth almost to a tee and also made me teary at the end!

"I have no problem with things written in Scots (so long as I don't have to put up with the wandering let's cover all regions version of Scots you find in those Dahl translations - no one who says weans would say loons and quines)"

When someone writes expository English, do you check whether the English they've written sounds like an authentic English dialect? Eg, if I wrote that I lived by a brook, would you draw my attention to the fact that in SSE brook isn't used and the general Scottish English verb would be stay? Fair play if you do, but if you don't it's just a double standard of demanding Scots is written as dialect writing (a particular noisome caprice of only the past 50 years or so).

Why comment about it?

Are people not supposed to comment on what the SNP government do?

They didn't need to put a shite poem in the boxes. They didn't need to decide to write it in (inconsistent) Scots. But they have, for political reasons.

Don't assume that everyone who might criticise the SNP's vision of Scotland are 'unionist suburban guerillas'.

In fact, I think this poem might be a great illustration of all that's wrong with contemporary Scottish politics.

BTW: written English in 1500 looked a lot different to modern English. There's no reason why we should assume that written Scots wouldn't look very different to that poem if it hadn't been suppressed for historical reasons (and revived for political ones). The existence of a few poems and a small amount of literature does not change the fact that for the most part Scots has been a spoken language.

Yes. If a book claimed to be written in West Country dialect I'd criticise it for containing geordie phrases.

It isn't a good thing if everyone turns their critical faculties off just because something is produced in what claims to be 'Scots'.

"they have, for political reasons."

Sorry, whit?

What political reason? Is being Scottish in public in Scotland suddenly political now? Take a step back and look at what you just wrote. This is pretty extreme stuff.

Do you actually believe that choosing to promote Scots after years of suppressing it (other that for picturesque national activities like burns night). Is anything other than a political decision?

Because ive got a bridge you might be interested in buying...

And, just so we're clear, there are plenty of ways to be Scottish. Not just the SNP approved ways.