“Screeded Aff’’
efter Su Shi
Dreich scheme brae, a no weel man
birse-bleacht wi time an caul win.
The wean’s that gled ma chowks are glowin
wi weelness. Ah lauch. It’s a bouser coupon.
Scots version by Mhairi Owens and Deng Liping
Impromptu Verse
A sick man stands on a hill in a dreary housing scheme, his beard whitened with age and weather. The little child with him is happy because it thinks his cheeks are glowing with health. He laughs. His face is red from drinking alcohol.
Paraphrased in English by Mhairi Owens