.. is not dead
Only sleeping
He is no shaggy dog story
He is never in danger of being killed
But rather of dying of neglect
If the last wolf promised to renounce violence
He would be allowed to lie by any peat fire in Scotland
But his paws keep the memories of Battles.
This is part of a poem by Kenneth Steven, of whom I had never heard.
There are a couple more lines which didn't particularly impinge on me, and this is all that I can remember.
It is a synonym for Scotland itself. We have become like the wolf,destined to lie dormant, until now relying on handouts and scraps, where before we made things happen right across the world. Even in Startrek they couldn't do without a Scottish engineer ( even if he was only pretending).
But I just get the feeling - the merest smidgeon of a tickle - that things are changing.
Whereas before the brightest and the best moved out from their homeland to make their way in England or America, or Asia, now they are beginning to stay. People from elsewhere are beginning to come to Scotland to work and thrive. Our population ( admittedly partly due to an influx of immigrants) is beginning to rise again. There's a buzz to the cities that has not existed for more than two generations.Even the Arts is flourishing as never before.
Weirdly, this may actually have something to do with the Scottish Parliament, which most people would say has done nothing for Scotland.
I would argue that it has. Scotland always did best when it was proud and fierce and loyal to itself.Despite the carping from many quarters, the Parliament has given us a focus which we conspicuously lacked.
I just hope we don't let the SNP screw it up for us.
2 comments:
So King Lear's vote is for independence?
ww - er no. In fact I am a great supporter of the Union - I worry that others might let the SNP screw it up. After all,if our football teams as anything to go by, our expectations are great, our performance less so, and our eventual results pathetic. But we do do a good party whilst its all happening
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