AMY CARMICHAEL O MILLISLE

Tha Miller’s dochter, at a while -
Amy Carmichael o Millisle.
Boarn echteen an sixtie seven,
Whan neibor Wullie Boyd wus pennin,
Ay, poet Wullie Boyd wus scrievin,
Rhymes in echteen fiftie seiven.
A twalmonth then an mebbe mair,
He’d wrocht amang Carmichael’s stour,
Tae ‘Mr. D. C. o Millisle’,
Wha run tha mill in ‘furst rate style’.
A yeir afore in fiftie sax,
Mester Davit half up’t sticks,
He bocht a fairm jist up tha wye,
Sae poet Wullie wrocht there tae.

Carmichael’s mills had lang grun coarn,
A hunner yeir ‘fore she wus boarn.
But fether Dave an uncle Wull,
Fixed on biggin new tha mill.
An sae draa’d stanes fae Templepetherick -
Tha taak o fowks tha lenth o Sketrick.
Bard Wullie Boyd then pit it doon,
Whan echteen an saxtie cum aroon.
An noo we cum tae sixtie-sein,
Carmichael’s hoose a gift wus gien -
A dochter that wud dae mair guid,
Nor aa tha mills o stane an wud.


Her fowks lang bak wur Scotch an ticht,
Coveynanters wrang’d, but in tha richt.
An oot o hist’ries trouble’t mirk,
Carmichaels, tha pillers o tha kirk.
The’ bigged wi apen han forbye,
A schuil an Meetin Hoose jist bye.
Tha Ballycopelan yin it wus,
Secession wus tha road the’ chuse.
But Amy, whun she growed up free,
Abane sich splits she prove’t tae be.
Nae mettèr whut gless tha wundaes had,
Tha pews wud houl baith guid an bad.
It wus tha puir she be’d tae save,
An wrocht at it richt tae her grave.


Wee Amy, she furst saa tha licht,
Whun a puir wumman catched her sicht.
Passin by gan hame frae Meetin,
Yin Sabbath moarn, it fun her greetin.
Tha weeda-wumman wus starvin coul,
Carryin ower monie sticks tae houl.
Her raggit claes flapp’t in tha wun,
An frae this sicht tha Loard she fun.
Tha road tae Asia micht be lang,
Less tha ‘cal’ be lood an strang.
Tha mair whun Amy got tae twuntie,
Tha thocht o whut she seen thon Sunday,
A flit tae Bilfawst cudnae skail,
Wi shawlies tremmlin in tha hail.
Warl ill divid, it hut her sair,
Why love an walth, God gien her mair?
Sae aff she sail't fur India
Tae leeve, an gie tha baith awa.