SCOTS
CMSW

Document 1005

Poem from "Burnin Whins"

Author(s): Liz Niven

Copyright holder(s): Liz Niven

Text

‘No future age shall see his name expire’
Inscription on the tombstone of William Nicholson.

Brither Wull, tae scuil’s routine ye wir ill-fitted,
they said ye could cairrie the pack instead.
No suitit tae ferm wi yer short sicht,
loadit up wi combs, thimbles, goun fabric.
Ye set aff wi yer bagpipes at twentie,
wunnert whit wid printin a buik dae fir ye.
Afore lang yer poem sangs got ye kent,
tae Edinburgh citie neist ye went.
Bit doon in London ye fell oan herd times,
preachin religion instead o yer rhymes.
Drink made ye prey tae malevolent types.
Near droont in canals, robbed o yer pipes.

Ye’ll be mindit alangside Burns an Hogg,
fir yer Brownie o Blednoch written at Borgue.

This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document.

Close

Cite this Document

APA Style:

Poem from "Burnin Whins". 2024. In The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1005.

MLA Style:

"Poem from "Burnin Whins"." The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1005.

Chicago Style

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech, s.v., "Poem from "Burnin Whins"," accessed 21 November 2024, http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1005.

If your style guide prefers a single bibliography entry for this resource, we recommend:

The Scottish Corpus of Texts & Speech. 2024. Glasgow: University of Glasgow. http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk.

Close

Information about Document 1005

Poem from "Burnin Whins"

Text

Text audience

General public
Audience size 1000+

Text details

Method of composition Wordprocessed
Year of composition 2004
Word count 125

Text medium

Book

Text publication details

Published
Publisher Luath Press
Publication year 2004
Place of publication Edinburgh
ISBN/ISSN 1842820745
Part of larger text
Part of a longer series of texts
Name of series "Burning Whins" poetry collection

Text type

Poem/song/ballad

Author

Author details

Author id 19
Forenames Liz
Surname Niven
Gender Female
Decade of birth 1950
Educational attainment University
Age left school 17
Occupation Writer
Place of birth Glasgow
Region of birth Glasgow
Birthplace CSD dialect area Gsw
Country of birth Scotland
Place of residence Dumfries
Region of residence E & Mid Dumfries
Residence CSD dialect area Dmf
Country of residence Scotland
Father's occupation Gardener
Father's place of birth Glasgow
Father's region of birth Glasgow
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area Gsw
Father's country of birth Scotland
Mother's occupation Seamstress
Mother's place of birth Glasgow
Mother's region of birth Glasgow
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area Gsw
Mother's country of birth Scotland

Languages

Language Speak Read Write Understand Circumstances
English Yes Yes Yes Yes Work / home
French Yes Yes Yes Yes With French people / films
Scots Yes Yes Yes Yes Work / home

Close