In Scots writing, “caun'le” represents a Dialect pronunciation or spelling of the Standard English word “candle.” The apostrophe indicates a shortened or elided form, with the consonant sound before the final syllable omitted in the written Dialect spelling. In poetry, such Dialect words can establish a regional voice, preserve spoken rhythm, and create a vivid local atmosphere.

“Caun'le” belongs to the Scots Dialect vocabulary and spelling tradition; it is not a separate object from a candle. The spelling helps represent speech rather than Standard English orthography. Readers should generally understand it from context as “candle.” The word derives ultimately from the same source as English “candle”: Old English candel, from Latin candela, meaning a light or torch. In the poem, candlelight contrasts with darkness and with the “wee lichts” burning on graves in France, reinforcing the poem’s themes of memory, mourning, and the possible return of the dead.