SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1402 Title : The sound of hammers Author(s): James Hiddo Moncrieff Copyright holder(s): James Hiddo Moncrieff Text The sound of hammers Caulking Echo from a wooden hull And the axe-like strokes Of the shipwright's tool Ring like a muted bell Dancing a backstep On the new-laid keel Ahead of the swinging arc And the follow through. The sunlight glancing Through the slatted wooden pier Cuts the rippling shadow On the sea beneath As a cauldron filled with drift nets Gently stews, and steams The pungent smell Of oak-bark in the air And the smithy door is open - wide. The window with its twisted frame And drunken bricks of glass Refracting light, Distorting shape In the haze from the forge inside. And forearm bare and sinew taut Beat the anvil drum As the shower of sparks From the grinding wheel Dance along the ground. 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. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): General public: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Wordprocessed Year of composition: 2004 Word count: 130 Text medium Magazine (e-zine): Text publication details Published: Publication year: 2004 Place of publication: Shetland Part of larger text: Contained in: The New Shetlander Editor: Laureen Johnson and Brian Smith Page numbers: 16 Text setting Journalism: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 972 Forenames: James Hiddo Surname: Moncrieff Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: College Age left school: 19 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Working class/Socialist Occupation: Retired Place of birth: Lerwick Region of birth: Shetland Birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Bigton Region of residence: Shetland Residence CSD dialect area: Sh Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Telegraphist Father's place of birth: Lerwick Father's region of birth: Shetland Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife Mother's place of birth: Loppersum Mother's region of birth: Groningen Mother's country of birth: Holland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home