Saturday, June 12, 2010

ImagiNations and Names

I have some more miniatures finished, but my camera batteries are still charging, so I hope to have pictures to post tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've been "noodling" about names and ImagiNations. A good name can make quite a difference, methinks. And there are quite a few good ones out there among the ImagiNations. I like the names I have for my individual states, but I've had a difficult time coming up with one for the union of Ballyfoole, Grand Thidwick, and Gunderland. Some of the many I've played around with: Regalia, Newfanglia, Avalonia, Arboria, Britannica, even Freedonia (which I could see as a variation on Prydain/Britannia). But none of those or others really quite clicked with me. Then I thought of "Oorland" - as in "it's oor land; it belongs to us, and we belong to it." Has kind of a ring to it, doesn't it?
So I did a Google search and came across this poem by Charles Nicole (b. 1858, near Glasgow), in praise of Scottish lasses:
Scottish Lasses


I'm fain tae sing a canty sang,
  In praise o' Scottish lasses,
For weel I ken in a' oor land
  There's naething them surpasses.
They are the queens to cheer ye up
  When ye are dour an' sad,
An' weel they ken hoo tae come roon'
  Each blythesome Scottish lad.

Hoo sweet it is at gloamin' grey
  Tae meet yer lassie fair,
Then wander tae some sheltered spot,
  An' tell yer love tales there.
You feel enraptured while ye sit-
  Hoo swiftly then time passes!
But that jist lets ye ken the charm
  In blythesome Scottish lasses.

Fu' aft we feel that we could be
  For ever by their side,
For wi' their artless, winning smiles,
  They fill yer heart wi' pride.
They mak' ye blythe when ye are wae,
  They are sae fu' o' glee
And oh! 'tis sweet beyond compare
  Their ruby lips tae pree.

Sae let us tune oor hamely lyre,
  An' ance mair let it be
In praise o' ilka Scottish lass
  That treads oor land sae free;
For what is life tae ony man-
  E'en ane wha wealth amasses-
Unless he shares it wi' ane o'
  Oor blythesome Scottish lasses?

What do you think?

1 comment:

Bluebear Jeff said...

Well, I'm sure that I'd like the attention of some of those blythesome Scottish lasses.

Oorland seems like a fine name to me.


-- Jeff