A dance to the Order of Time

We’re keeping details of Karine Polwart’s performance on Monday (10/5/21) close to our chests, but thought a wee preview of special guest Mike Vass’s new work might whet your appetite for our closing show.

Mike’s spark for the piece came from the Carlo Rovelli book The Order of Time. Rovelli is an Italian physicist who writes about how time does not flow at a uniform speed. “During lockdown I got to think about how time is relative and elastic,” says Mike. “The days can pass quickly while the months seem to stretch out endlessly while you’re waiting for restrictions to end.”

As ‘Traditional Artist in Residence’ at the School of Scottish Studies, Mike was able to dig into the archives for anything he could find on the subject of time as inspiration for the new piece. He looked at images, and listened to tunes, songs and poems.

One particularly affecting image was one of an old woman at rest. “This seemed particularly apt as many of us have been forced to rest this year, to take a break from our normal lives,” he says.

And then there were the many field recordings of singers and poets. The composer looked for songs and poems with references to myths about time and pretty soon settled on the work of poet and shepherd Thomas Todd AKA T T Kilbucho from Peeblesshire. “TT had a great attitude to life, death and the passage of time,” says Mike. Recordings of TT reciting his own works have been used as an anchor for the finished work, which Mike has named after the Rovelli book.

On Monday night The Order of Time will feature the composer on tenor guitar, fiddle and electronica, Mairearad Green adding some traditional melodies on the small pipes, and supplying accordion parts. 

Click on the poem titles below to see the text in Scots and English (many thanks to Steve Byrne for the translations):

A Shepherd’s Philosophy

Fu weel I ken why I am doon here
An hae been gien a name The yin ma parents chose for me An still remains the same But what the registrar wrote doon And ilka buddy caws me Has only touched the physical and never the Eternal. But whaur a mortal gangs at daith Depends on their belief Sae may we sinners mak oor plea As did the pardoned thief And should fowk name me for a stane And state ma greatest trust They’re wrang wha think ma speerit’s left Tae crumble in the dust

ENGLISH: I know perfectly well why I am down here And have been given a name The one my parents chose for me And still remains the same But what the registrar wrote down And every person calls me Has only touched the physical and never the Eternal.

But where a mortal goes at death Depends on their belief So may we sinners make our please As did the pardoned thief And should people name me for a stone And state my greatest trust They’re wrong, who think my spirit’s left To crumble in the dust.

Daith an the Gangril

Me in a consecrated grave The pauper’s undisputed richt Weel doon amang the crumblin lave Whaur day’s aw yin wi endless nicht

Yon trashy coffin couldna aye resist The siege o earth an stanes Sae six month saw the lid gie wey An awthing dribblin ower ma banes

An antrin maggot here an there Can awmaist send a body mad Chowein its wey throu skin an hair As heedlessly the hertless wad

O Consciousness, desert yer trust, An brak wi aw that instance ocht, Or come ye legions frae the dust An nullify ma every thocht

Yet listenin whan there’s nocht tae hear An lookin whaur there’s less tae see An no gan gyte within the year Says something for ma sanity

ENGLISH: Me in a consecrated grave The pauper’s undisputed right Deep down amongst the crumbling remains Where day is as one with endless night.

That trashy coffin could not always resist The siege of earth and stones So six months saw the lid give way And everything dribbling over my bones

An occasional maggot here and there Can almost send a person mad Chewing its way through skin and hair As carelessly the heartless would

O consciousness desert your trust And break with all that instance ought Or come you legions from the dust And nullify my every thought

Yet listening when there’s nothing to hear And looking where there’s less to see And not going mad within the year Says something for my sanity

Naewhaur

Naewhaur I’ve ever been afore Was ever found like this Nor ony ither lass I’ve kenn’d Geid me sae warm a kiss An’ since ye mak’ the meanest neuk A Heavenly place tae be Could Time no stop an’ leave us in’t For a’ Eternity

But Adam err’d an’ sae will we As langs’ we’re ne’th the skies An’ tho’ we’ve love for love tae gi’e The Warl’ at lairge implies That should oor physical desires Defeat a tortured will There’s naething less than nature’s ain An’ leave us human still.

ENGLISH: No place I’ve ever been before Was ever found like this Nor any other girl I’ve known Gave me so warm a kiss

And since you make the meanest corner A Heavenly place to be Could Time not stop and leave us in it, For all Eternity?

But Adam erred and so will we As long as we are beneath the skies And though we have love for love to give The World at large implies That should our physical desires Defeated a tortured will There’s nothing less than nature’s own And leave us human still.

Time

Time tae me’s the meenit A wee an then it’s gane Sae what I’m caad tae gie it I gied it as a wean

An while I’m aither auld or no I needna muckle care Kennin that the present Has no a certain heir.

Sae whither this is nicht or day Is little syne tae me Eternity’s what touches fowk An that assuredly.

ENGLISH:

Time to me’s the minute A moment and then it’s gone So what I’m called to give it I gave it as a child.

And while I’m either old or not I need not care much Knowing that the present Has no certain heir.

So whether this is night or day Matters little to me Eternity’s what touches people And that assuredly.

With grateful thanks to the School of Scottish Studies Archives for permission to use materials from the audio and photographic archives. Special thanks to Louise Scollay and Cathlin MacAulay for their help in search and accessing the archive works.

Mike Vass’s The Order of Time is part of our Rebellious Truth livestream on Monday 10 May 2021. Click here to book your tickets