“Dwam Sang’’
efter Li Qingzhao
Ah’ll aye mind yon forenight:
dayligaun by the auld kirk
at the burn-side, an me
sae blootered Ah cauldnae find
the gate hame. The dafferie
wis weirin awa; ma boat
deep amang the bog-spret,
or mebbe it wis lotuses.
Hou tae git throu?
Hou tae git throu it aw?
Ah threshed aboot.
A hale flaucht o’ hern-crans
fleed liftwart.
Scots version by Garry MacKenzie
Dream Song.
I’ll always remember that evening: it was dusk by the old church beside the stream, and I was so drunk I couldn’t find the way home. The fun was wearing off; my boat was lost deep in the rushes (or maybe they were lotuses…) How to get through? How to get through it all? I thrashed about. A whole flock of herons fly skyward.
Paraphrased in English by Garry MacKenzie