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Assoc for Scottish Literature

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3d

Miscarriage

Tak ma croon, an dinna fash –
aa yon wis ower fur me lang syne…

—Gerda Stevenson, “The Abdication of Mary Queen of Scots”
published in QUINES: Poems in tribute to women of Scotland (Luath Press, 2018)

Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate her throne in favour of her infant son James #OTD, 24 July, 1567, after miscarrying twins

https://luath.co.uk/products/quines?variant=43448275206294

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #history #MaryQueenofScots #16thcentury #Scots #Scotslanguage

The Abdication of Mary Queen of Scots
Gerda Stevenson

After the painting of the same title by Gavin Hamilton; Mary Queen of Scots, born Linlithgow, 1541, died Fotheringhay, 1587; imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, 1567, where, on 20th and 23rd July, she miscarried twins, and was forced to abdicate the day after.

Tak ma croon, an dinna fash –
aa yon wis ower fur me lang syne.
Ye needna glaum at ma silk goon
wi yer coorse nieve - I'm nae threit;
I'll sign yer muckle scroll, dae whit I maun,
past carin noo; thae last three days ma flesh
an saul hae wandert shores o hell-fire, dule an daith:
twa bairns I cradled in ma wame aa through the months,
sae douce, o Spring an Simmer, slippit cauld an stieve
intae the dowie air o Leven's grey stane waas,
claucht frae ma jizzen, an burriet ootby, wi nae prayer,
fur aa I ken, an nae sang, twa scraps o heiven,
aa ma howp in their twin licht smoorit noo,
tho milk's aye buckin frae ma breists unner ma lace an steys;
an I couldnae gie a fig fur yer fouterin laws,
sat there, scrievin yer Latin clatters o queens an kings –
O, I could run rings roon ilka yin o ye in Greek an aa,
as weel's ma bonnie French, but ye're naethin, naethin noo,
juist ghaists; an, och, Mary, Mary Seton, last
o ma fower leal ladies, dinna waste yer tears
on gien up a bittie gowd an glister, haud ma airm
if it helps, but dinna, dinna greet fur this.

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