This week's Sunday post is another one from the pen of Norman MacCaig. This poem is dedicated to his friend Hugh McDiarmid, a very well-known figure in Scottish literature. McDiarmid was a poet, author and political activist, famous as a founder member of the Scottish National party. He was later expelled from the SNP for Communist activities and expelled from the Communist Party for nationalist activities. His works use words and phrases from colloquial Scots dialects mixed with English and the occasional Gaelic word. His most famous work is 'A Drunk Man Looks At The Thistle'
After His Death.
It turned out
that the bombs he had thrown
raised buildings:
That the acid he had sprayed
had painfully opened
the eyes of the blind.
Fishermen hauled
prize-winning fish
from the water he had polluted.
We sat with astonishment
enjoying the shade
of the vicious words he had planted.
The government decreed that
on the anniversary of his birth
the people should observe
two minutes pandemonium.
Norman MacCaig
April 1971.
4 comments:
You do know all about some rather strange people Alistair.
Worrying.
Why not try some McGonagall next time.
I like this one on New York.
Jottings of New York
Oh, mighty city of New York, you are wonderful to behold--
Your buildings are magnificent-- the truth be it told--
They were the only thing that seemed to arrest my eye,
Because many of them are thirteen storeys high;
And as for Central Park, it is lovely to be seen--
Especially in the summer season when its shrubberies are green
And the Burns Statue is there to be seen,
Surrounded by trees on the beautiful sward so green;
Also Shakespeare and the immortal Sir Walter Scott,
Which by Scotchmen and Englishmen will never be forgot.
Jings - d'ye think so?
I wouldn't say I know all about lots of unusual people {although the wife does say I'm a font of some pretty obscure knowledge} and I don't know much more about McDairmid either so if it's ok I'll not worry too much about it. Anyway I still feel like the brain's not quite full yet!
Thanks for the poem - one I've never heard. Despite all the spouting abiut poetry and stuff I wouldn't say I've actually read all that much until a year or so ago, but there have definitely always been a few poets/poems that have got through to me.
I do love MacCaig though!!!
Cheers TSB
That is fabulous...observe two minutes pandemonium. Wow!
Aye - It's a great line isn't it.
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