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CUDDLE DOON, by             Poem Explanation         Poet's Biography
First Line: The bairnies cuddle doon at nicht
Last Line: "oh, bairnie~, cuddle doon"
Alternate Author Name(s): Surfaceman
Subject(s): Children; Mothers; Childhood


THE bairnies cuddle doon at nicht
Cuddle doon an' sleep fu' soun',
Wi' muckle faught an' din;
Mammy's bairnie saft an' cozie;
"Oh try and sleep, ye waukrife rogues,
Pit ae han' my neck aroun',
Your faither's comin' in."
An' the ither in my bozie.
They never heed a word I speak;
There, noo, sleep while mammy sings
I try to gie a froon,
That bit sang, fu' lown an' cannie-
But aye I hap them up an' cry,
Hoo a fairy every nicht
"Oh, bairnies, cuddle doon."
Rocks him till he grows a mannie.
Wee Jamie wi' the curly heid --
Just when he begins to sleep,
He aye sleeps next the wa' --
In she comes-that dumpy fairy-
Bangs up an' cries, "I want a piece;"
Askin' wi' auld-fashion'd look,
The rascal starts them a'.
'Let me try the wean to carry!'
I rin an' fetch them pieces, drinks,
But I shake my heid an' say,
They stop awee the soun',
'Mammy daurna trust her bairnie
Then draw the blankets up an' cry,
Wi' a thing sae licht as you;
"Noo, weanies, cuddle doon."
First grow bigger an' she'll learn ye.'
But, ere five minutes gang, wee Rab
Then I draw the creddle near,
Cries out, frae 'neath the claes,
Pit him in, while sweet an' simple,
"Mither, mak' Tam gie ower at ance,
She gets up upon the stule,
He's kittlin' wi' his taes."
An' raxes doon to kiss his dimple;
The mischief's in that Tam for tricks,
After this she starts an' sings,
He'd bother half the toon;
As she rocks an' swings the creddle,
But aye I hap them up and cry,
Sic a sang, sae lown an' sweet,
"Oh, bairnies, cuddle doon."
I daurna speak a word or meddle.
At length they hear their faither's fit,
What that sang can mean ava,
An', as he steeks the door,
Dim an' riddle-like in seemin',
They turn their faces to the wa',
Nane kens but this bairnie here,
While Tam pretends to snore.
For he smiles an' starts the dreamin'.
"Hae a' the weans been gude?" he asks,
Then that fairy, keekin' ow'r,
As he pits aff his shoon;
Seein' this, sings laigh an' cannie,
The bairnies, John, are in their beds,
'Rock him saft, an' rock him aft,
An' lang since cuddled doon."
Till he grows a great big mannie.'
An' just afore we bed oorsels,
Then her sang begins to turn
We look at our wee lambs;
Saft an' wae, as if entreatin';
Tam has his airm roun' wee Rab's neck,
Though I dinna ken a word,
And Rab his airm round Tam's.
Yet I maist fa' to the greetin'.
I lift wee Jamie up the bed,
But the weanie still smiles on,
An' as I straik each croon,
Liftin' up a wee fat han'ie,
I whisper, till my heart fills up,
Which the fairy kissin' cries,
"Oh, bairnies, cuddle doon."
'Bairnie, sleep an' grow a mannie.'
The bairnies cuddle doon at nicht
So he sleeps the hale nicht lang,
Wi' mirth that's dear to me;
Waukin' up fu' gleg an' smilin',
But soon the big warl's cark an' care
For he min's the fairy's sang,
Will quaten doon their glee.
An' the dreams that cam' beguilin';
Yet, come what will to ilka ane,
But the meanin' o' the sang
May he who rules aboon
That a carefu' mither misses,
Aye whisper, though their pows be bald,
This bit laddie winna tell,
"Oh, bairnie~, cuddle doon"
Though she gi'es him fifty kisses.
Ay, the sleep that comes when we
Are weans, an' rockit by oor fairy,
Fa's upon us saft as dew
Frae heaven's threshold high and airy:
Then we ken the mystic sang,
An' the forms we see when dreamin';
Pity that we miss them a'
When we grow to men and women.






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