1. In pairs, discuss what the old woman is actually saying in the poem. Bullet point the main things that she tells you.
2. Now, individually, translate the poem into a series of diary entries, in the persona of the old woman but in normal English.
•The diary should begin in the morning and end at night.
•Pay attention to detail; use the poem to guide you but also show some creative license where
appropriate.
After writing: compare your translation to the original poem. Consider what is lost in the act of translation from Scots to Standard English and from poetry to prose. Why did Kay choose to write in the form that she did?
