The Cooper O' Dundee
The Cooper O' Dundee - meaning Summary
A Playful Cautionary Tale
This comic narrative describes Sandie, a cooper in Dundee better known for wooing women than making barrels. His charm and amorous pursuits bring him local fame and busy business, but neglect of professional duties provokes economic trouble in the town. The story ends when Sandie injures a bailie’s daughter while courting her, provoking his banishment from Dundee. The poem uses plain storytelling and Scots dialect to portray a lighthearted but cautionary tale about misplaced priorities and social consequences within a small community.
Read Complete AnalysesYe coopers and hoopers attend to my ditty, I sing o' a cooper who dwelt in Dundee; This young man he was baith am'rous and witty, He please'd the fair maids wi' the blink o' his e'e. He was nae a cooper, a common tub-hooper, The most o' his trade lay in pleasin' the fair; He hoopt them, he coopt them, he bort them, he plugt them. An' a' sent for Sandie when out o' repair. For a twelvemonth or sae this youth was respected, An' he was as bisie, as weel he could be; But bis'ness increas'd so, that some were neglected, Which ruin'd trade in the town o' Dundee. A baillie's fair daughter had wanted a coopin', An' Sandie was sent for, as oft time was he, He yerkt her sae hard that she sprung an end-hoopin', Which banish'd poor Sandie frae bonny Dundee.
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