Scots Poem of the Month - October 2008

This piece of creative writing was supplied by the Scottish Poetry Library who receive Foundation funding from the Scottish Arts Council

Abuin them aa Gin ae rock conjurs Scotland up for me It isna Cairngorm quartz, sclenters, scree, Sanct Giles croon or brig-uphaudin key, Croon’s jasp, cross, or ‘stane o destinie’, Nor is it dyke nor broch nor stack nor dun, Nae fug-clad, rune-scart eemis i’ the sun, Raised beach or sicna prentit fossilry, Fingal’s basalt, pap o Bennachie, Hud, cairn, whun, sheel, elf-cup, putt or skerry, The rock that conjurs Scotland up for me Gies licht in aatum, shines for aa to see, An’ is the hairst Mune, heich an faur an wee. Colin Donati from Present poets: poems for the Museum of Scotland, compiled by Jenni Calder (National Museums of Scotland, 1998) Poem supplied courtesy of the Scottish Poetry Library

Note on the origins of the poem The poem was written in the nineties for Jenni Calder's Present Poets project celebrating the construction of the National Museum of Scotland. Contributors were asked to reflect on the country's cultural artefacts in works of no more than twelve lines. The poem began with thoughts about the Stone of Scone close to the event of its culturally charged return by Secretary of State Michael Forsyth in 1996. The idea was to see what might happen if it was to be made the foil in a priamel. The list of elements to be included in the foil quickly grew and was only contained by the strict 12-line stricture. Before being published, the poem was displayed in poster form outside the museum's construction site. It was also a National Poetry Day Poetry Card for the year 1997.

About the Poet       Colin Donati is a widely-published poet living in Edinburgh. He has been variously involved in Scots language circles and as a performer of his own songs on the acoustic music scene. Readings on the literary circuit include recent appearances at Voxbox in Edinburgh. Projects since 2005 (when last featured on this site) have included collaborations as writer with artist Pauline Burbidge for the book Tweed Rivers (Luath/Platform, 2005) and composer Robin Mason on the theatre production Yellow House based on his work (Benchtours, 2007).  He is current chair of the Robert Henryson Society and sings with Edinburgh's Loud and Proud choir. A recent SAC bursary has helped him to complete his Scots translation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, a chapter from which will appear in the forthcoming issue of Chapman. He is currently preparing new work for Sand/Red Squirrel Press.