Sawney Bean, Legend of a Cannibal - Written In Broad Scots Dialect

Thar was nae richt ae laddie sair wha heft a cave 'side Galloway, wi' nae jaiken he griftit dare as he was nae tae lippen tae. Ill-naitur'd fishwife he haud in wi', the twa 'greed tae gang the'gither. She haud her tryst, an' haud her wheesht, his ill-duin vext her wi' nae dither. Wi' dirk in hand at howe o' nicht in fu' ambush thay lay waitin', skilt o' fecht an' breukin' neck grantin' flesh for desecratin'. Than brochten hame an' ne'er spill tae weil wi' kale an' roastit wean, for Clootie's gut, ae meal an' yill 'afore wan cotchit Sawney Bean. King James the fourth heard o't a' an' sent oot four hunner men tae scour the Heid an' gaither a' o' Sawney's unco clan. Tae Tolbooth Gaol, than aff tae Leith whar nae mercy wad be seen wi' sic brutality tae bequeath at the quarterin' o' Sawney Bean. Rough translation, not nearly as poetic!: There was a crazy, angry man who inhabited a cave near Galloway with no skilled trade he dared to grift and he was not to be trusted. An ill-natured fishwife he gained in favor and the two agreed to marry. She kept her word and held her tongue, his ill-doing did not bother her. With dirk in hand at midnight in full ambush they lay waiting, skilled at fighting and breaking necks, granted them flesh for desecration. They brought it home with nothing wasted, to mix with kale and roasted child. For the devils gut, a meal and ale, before the capture of Sawney Bean. King James the fourth heard of it all and sent out four hundred men to scour the Head and gather all of Sawney's notorious clan To Tolbooth Jail, then off to Leith Where no mercy would be seen with such brutality to bequeath at the quartering of Sawney Bean GLOSSARY: nae richt- mentally unbalanced (literally 'not right') heft- to settle or establish a dwelling place nae jaiken- without a skilled trade or craft griftit-to use dishonest or illegal methods for personal gain nae tae lippen tae- not trustworthy haud in wi'- obtained favor from gang the'gither- unite as in marriage (literally 'go together') haud her tryst- kept her word haud her wheesht- kept her silence ill-duin- wrong, perverse or ill-behavior (literally 'ill-doing') howe o' nicht- midnight Clootie- the Devil ae meal an' yill-a traditional dish, served with whisky or ale, consumed at celebrations wan-one unco- strange, notorious, extraordinary quarterin'- punishment by severing the hands and feet (and usually genitals) resulting in a fatal loss of blood.