Poem of the Month - October 2007

Caa' in the Boats Here are the fishers –       no glib-gabbit makars. They grip the sea’s hairst       In the wab o thir nets. Hard wrocht chiels       wi thows o airn, Thir leid no burnist       wi ony book leir, They hae no troke       wi musardrie. But i the howe o the nicht –       they row in LODESTAR and POLESTAR, ORION and MORNING STAR,       tae kirsen thir boats. Whan the sea-rouk        blins the helmsman And spunedrift blaws saut        i thir een, They steik thir boats       tae the hyne Wi wirds – SCARLET THREAD       and SILVER CHORD. They ken the suith o wirds       as weel as ony makar. Eunice M Buchanan Poem supplied courtesy of the Scottish Poetry Library From More Scottish Poetry from MacGregor’s Gathering, selected by Jimmie MacGregor & Stephen Mulrine (BBC Books, 1991)

About the poet and her inspiration Eunice says: 'I was born and brought up in Arbroath and lived there until leaving to go to Edinburgh University and then to training college to become a teacher. Now retired, I am presently working on a PhD in Creative Writing at Glasgow University and my writing for this is centred on my county of Angus. Part of my study has been looking at the way that belief and superstition, often unconsciously, can colour action, particularly with people who have to deal with the unpredictable moods of Nature, such as farmers and seafarers. I was intrigued by the way that many fishermen had used names for their boats that would ensure their safe return to haven. For these Arbroath vessels the stars have been summoned to provide guidance, while 'Scarlet Thread' combines a notion of a maintained link with home and the common use of a scarlet thread as a charm against dangerous forces.'