Rin Awa

Ye dae richt no tae ait. Shuin ye’ll set aff fur yer hame kintrae.

Awa bak tae sleep, ma woollie freens. A maun hae haed a dream. A dreamed an angel wus taakin tae me.

Baaaa.

Baaaa yersel. It maun be caase A didnae hae ocht tae ait yestreen. Ma empie wame’s giein me byornar dreams. Awa bak tae sleep agane.

Luk see, yer boat is readie.

Weel ma woollie yins, A cannae let on A niver heerd this – it’s a message frae an angel caad Victoricus. He telt me that A maun gang bak tae ma hame kintrae an he says thair’s a boat waitin on me. A’m sorry tae lea ye, ma freens – we hae bin a lang while thegither on this moontain-tap an A’ll miss ye. Sae lang.

A haed tae lea tha sheep an rin awa frae ma maister an A felt quare an guilty aboot thon – but A kent A haed tae dae whut tha angel haed toul me. Leain ma weel-kent braes, A heidit aff tae fin tha boat that wud tak me hame. Tha mair A’d bin in Airlan fur sax yeir noo, A’d niver wannert ayont ma maister’s lans an A didnae ken tha kintrie - but God guide’t me an A wusnae feart o ocht ava.

A waak’t an waak’t – aboot twa hunnèr mile – tae A got tae tha shore an thair wus a boat thonner, jist lake tha angel haed showed me in ma dream, ettlin fur tae sail.

Hi thair. A haed a dream aboot this boat. An angel toul me tae get on it an yis’d tak me hame.

Dinnae fix on cumin aboord!

Cum quick fur tha men ir caa’in ye.

Cum, fur we’r lettin ye aboord in guid faith; mak freens wi iz in onie wye ye want.

An sae my dream had cum true.

A had pit my days o slavery ahint me an made my escape.

A didnae ken whut lay aheid – but A dïd ken God wus lukkin oot fur me. He haed showed me this by sennin tha angel in ma dreams: an noo A wus on this boat an heidin fur hame at tha hinnèr en.