It's Clan Day at last!! Wear yer Tartan proud

[driphoney]

"Wha' sa the Forty-Second,
Wha' sa and gang awa'
Wha' sa the Forty-Second
Sailin' dun the Bromielaw

Some o' them ha' shoes and stockin's
Some o' them ha' nane of tha'
Some o' them ha' hairy Sporran
Sailin' dun the Bromielaw"

Jus' anither wee ditty fer ye, Lance

Translation, please?

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Translation, please?

Wha' thi'? Ye nae ken wha' a Sporran be?

The Bromelaw is a river in Scotland. The 42nd is a Highland Regiment. Soldiers outfitted themselves at the time (Napoleonic Wars), and this outfit apparently wasn't well-outfitted. Some had shoe and sock; others had none of that stuff. And some of them had poorly finished leather (fur, or hair still on) of which their sporran were made. The sporran is the leather pouch that hangs from the waist in the front of the kilt. Since this is sung by the lassies seeing the soldiers off, I suspect there's a bit of double-entendre in the sporran reference - maybe they were referring to another hairy pouch found under the kilt.

 

[driphoney]

Wha' thi', Laddie? Ye nae ken wha' a Sporran be?

The Bromelaw is a river in Scotland. The 42nd is a Highland Regiment. Soldiers outfitted themselves at the time (Napoleonic Wars), and this outfit apparently wasn't well-outfitted. Some had shoe and sock; others had none of that stuff. And some of them had poorly finished leather (fur, or hair still on) of which their sporran were made. The sporran is the leather pouch that hangs from the waist in the front of the kilt. Since this is sung by the lassies seeing the soldiers off, I suspect there's a bit of double-entendre in the sporran reference - maybe they were referring to another hairy pouch found under the kilt.

Yep, got the sporran part, but all the 'tae's' and ' ' ' were giving me fits. You can only imagine how rough it was slugging through George MacDonald was for me. Tried to read Robert Burns, but needed a translator.

This history is interesting though. Perhaps you would consider replacing my Texas history prof. The kilt would be a must, naturally. I'm sure one or two Scots made it to Texas.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Ye'll (you will) ha'e (have) ta git (to get) Lance fer (for) tha' (that) work, fer I nae (no) be a Scotsman, tho' a bonnie lassie aften (often) gars (make) me (my) tail toddle (you can figure that one out).

And I do hope your Texas history includes the German settlements as well as the slave states emigres; take a look at Frederick Law Olmstead's report for that. If you do remember the Alamo, also remember that most of the defenders were themselves Mexicans, seeking independence and freedom from a royal central government. Texas seems to have forgotten that in general, relegating the Mexican to the "bad guys" role.

(And if you need to know, I'm pretty much American Irish in upbringing...)

 

[driphoney]

Ye'll (you will) ha'e (have) ta git (to get) Lance fer (for) tha' (that) work, fer I nae (no) be a Scotsman, tho' a bonnie lassie aften (often) gars (make) me (my) tail toddle (you can figure that one out).

And I do hope your Texas history includes the German settlements as well as the slave states emigres; take a look at Frederick Law Olmstead's report for that. If you do remember the Alamo, also remember that most of the defenders were themselves Mexicans, seeking independence and freedom from a royal central government. Texas seems to have forgotten that in general, relegating the Mexican to the "bad guys" role.

(And if you need to know, I'm pretty much American Irish in upbringing...)

Sadly we screamed through the first 400 years. I guess the prof is bored with that part, and I'm extremely disappointed as the textbook is poorly done. Interestingly to me, Texas and southwest history might be quite different if the Mexican government of that era had been less centralist and Santa Anna hadn't decided he was the New World Napoleon. But then again, their perception of their Northern Frontier, and struggles in the population center of the country, probably would have continued to hold back development, while the US was marching under Manifest Destiny. I could be wrong, because it was a lightning tour, but it seems that though there were many representatives at the Alamo, the Latin population was quickly outnumbered in that era.

We have covered the German settlements and the fact that the Dallas and north central part of the state was settled by those from the Ohio Valley. Both groups were opposed to slavery, but the majority of the state did come from the slave owning South and have majority rule. Since so many Texans are of Mexican decent, I really have not noticed nearly as much anti-Mexican bias as I have elsewhere in the country.

Last night's 3 hours of lecture done in 45 minutes (I kid you not) was regarding the active myth building of Texas as a cowboy state rather than a slave state, even while rampant KKK activity was ongoing.

Unfortunately, if I'm going to learn TX history well, I'm going to have to either do it on my own or take the class again.

Now, back on track ... I must say, for and Irish American carrying an Italian looking name, you sure have your Scots down!

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Now, back on track ... I must say, for and Irish American carrying an Italian looking name, you sure have your Scots down!

I'm pleased to see you're taking your Texas history seriously.

As for my persona...some say you should "write what you know;" I'm more in favour of "know what you write." That is, a good writer should Know of much beside his or her own backlife, though that backlife will always be a part of what they write. Take a look at Umberto Eco for a contemporary example: he has written medieval and Renaissance and modern settings all well. His own life as an intellectual ties them all together.

P.S. As I tell my students, the more you know, the more fun you can have. Don't believe me? OK, then, will someone please tell me the one-hundred and sixty-nine ways of making love that everybody knows...

 

[lance gt]

Yep, got the sporran part, but all the 'tae's' and ' ' ' were giving me fits. You can only imagine how rough it was slugging through George MacDonald was for me. Tried to read Robert Burns, but needed a translator.

This history is interesting though. Perhaps you would consider replacing my Texas history prof. The kilt would be a must, naturally. I'm sure one or two Scots made it to Texas.

Are ye' ha'in a wee bit a' bother wi' the lingo Honey? It's no that hard tae understand it, if ye read it like a Scotsman wuld talk it. Yer a Bonnie wee soul Hen. If ye gae tae the other Clan day thread, there's a few lessons in gabbin in a bro'. If you'd like tae feel ma' Sporran, it's soft and fuzzy.