Part IV Incubus
As nation first tae welded rise
Frae tribal wars where Freedom dies
An tyrants spurn their victims’ cries
As vultures feed,
There shone neebor England’s eye
Scotland Forever
A jealous greed.
For as the bells o Freedom toll
The English f’und it hard tae thole
That Scotland played an equal role
In wordly things,
An planned tae hae a Ragman’s Roll
For Scottish Kings.
Chance came at last tae England’s aid
As owre the Border William strayed
An Scottish Lion wis waylaid
Tae Scotland’s loss,
For then the ransom Scotland paid
Scotland Forever
Made Henry boss.
But Richard, for the Third Crusade,
Accepted cash the Scots conveyed
An cancelled deal his faither made;
But seeds were sown,
An England’s future schemes were laid
Frae that day oan.
At Largs the Thistle’s jaggit stings
Brocht vict’ry owre the Viking Kings,
While Kinghorn’s cliffs disaster brings
Mair wae an pain,
For oan a wean the future hings
Scotland Forever
Tae England’s gain.
For Edward, first o Nazi creed
An Fascist frae his taes tae heid,
As feudal Lord haud then decreed
His glaikit son
Wid wed the bairn, an then indeed
Wis Scotland won.
But Margaret, the Infant Queen,
Depairted frae the wordly scene
An dee’ed as though she haudnae been
In Kirkwall Bay,
Wi Edward fit tae burst his spleen
Scotland Forever
His scheme astray.
Till Regents, tae King Edward’s glee.
Their rotten creed “Look efter me”,
Made Edward Scotland’s referee
In Royal quest;
Though Edward’s choice wid shairly be
For England best.
No for the first time nor the last
Withoot the people bein asked,
Wis Scotia rendered tae the blast
That Fates betide,
When Leaders for ain fortunes cast
Scotland Forever
Their pride aside.
They sacrificed for selfish gain
Tae rule as pairt o Edward’s reign,
An Edward mad an half insane
Wi bluidy lust;
Tae hae aw Scotland for his ain,
Resistance crushed.
Scotland Forever: A History in 10 Parts
Part I In the Beginning
Part II Crime an Punishment
Part III Conception
Facebook page for Christie Grahame
Scotland Forever
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I’m going to write something now, and it may mean that I appear a bit dim, but…it’s something I’ve often wondered about.
When Lizzie One died, and James of Scotland became king – how come England, didn’t then come under Scots rule, rather than the other way round? I’ve been told that it was because James moved his court to London, as being more ‘central’ and important and all that. But….I’ve still never understood why Scotland was then under English rule, instead or the other way round, when the King of Scotland, became King of England.
I’m not even proposing that that should have happened, or that it would have been a good thing, as, well, he was a bit of a dafty in many ways, but…I’ve just wondered.
I suppose it’s to do with power politics or something like that.
I’ll stick to gardening.
They shared the same monarch (not uncommon) but the parliaments were still separate – as was the church.
I know that James ruled both nations, and ….Ireland too. What I’m looking at is how Scotland ended up under English rule, and harsh English rule, when there had, for a time, been a Scots king. I still don’t get it. Politics, I suppose, and the kind of politics I don’t follow very well. I’d probably need to read a lot of very heavy history books, to get some idea of how that situation came to be. Meanwhile, with my sometimes too direct way of approaching things – I still don’t get it. Do you see why?
Maybe I need to have a solid conversation with an historian.
And, on second thoughts – gardening is a very fascist occupation – “I don’t like you being where you are – out you go.”
Scotland and England are supposed to be in an equal union but that is I would say impossible when one has 10 times the population of the other.
Yes, that’s something of what I was working round to – that one of the parties involved, sees itself, or is seen as, being ‘bigger’, or more ‘important’ than the other, and therefore England is seen as being ‘bigger’ than Scotland. So, when a king rules England AND Scotland, and Ireland, and I forgot Wales last time – sincere apologies to Wales! England will still be seen as being more ‘important’.
I still don’t see how that explains England being so hard on Scotland, when a Scots king ruled them all at one time. I risk going on and on about this, and am smarting a bit from the response to my most recent story, so……I think I’ll maybe draw my horns in. “If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.”
How many times have I said that before? Once gobby, always gobby.
Thanks for the discussion, Fiona. Christie’s epic poem has got me thinking about this again, with all it’s ramifications for today as well.
It is what a free press is , or should be, about – provoking thought, discussion, exchange, posing and answering questions. ‘The Orkney News’ provides a platform for all these things and what could be seen as more ‘practical ‘ things too, such as Helen’s recipes.
I say – “Publish and be damned”