SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 574 Title : Sermon at Stirling Author(s): A S Borrowman Copyright holder(s): Mrs Lorna F Borrowman SCOTSOUN Audio transcription M755: Guid fowk, we are conveent here neist the auld brugh o Stirling whilk the auld makar Lindsay, in his "Papyngo" has screevit aboot. "Adew, fair Snawdoun wi thy towris hie, Thy Chapell Royal, park, and tabyll rounde. May, June and July wald I dwall in thee War I ane man to hear the birdis sounde Quhilk doith againe thy royall roche resounde" Ay, it's an auld brugh, steeve and sterk. Gang oot o this biggin and heeze up yer een. Ye get a visie o its kirks and steeples and towris and ayont them aa the abidan bens. Lat us gang this day in our thochts tae the reign o Jamie Fowrt, till his coort assemblit in the keep o Stirling. The year is fifteen hunner an sax. Wha's yon airtin ben til the king? Wha als, think ye? John Damian, the Freir o Tongland in the Stewartry. Some fowk jalouse he cam frae Italie, frae the pairt caad Lombardie; ithers jalouse he came frae France, a leech wha has begowkit the king, deavin him wi wanchancie ferlies anent makin lede intil gowd. Whatna ploy noo? He ettles tae flee frae Stirling intil France? Flee! [laugh] Fegs, he isna blate, yon Faither Damian! Ma certes, isna he sclimin up the parpane! Whatna unco sicht! He has strappit on a feddreme o fedders alow the oxters and owre the shouthers! Wow, he has loupit frae the waa. He hasna gaen up in the lift! Doon, doon, doon, - wheech - he's coupit, tapsalteerie in the glaur! Lippen tae yon auld deil, Dunbar. "He schewre his feddreme which was schene And slippit out of it full clene And in the myre up to his een Amang the glar did glyd." Puir Damian! Sair forfochen Freir! He socht the lift and the starns, and endit in the glaur. Twa thochts, guid fowk, anent Faither Damian. Ane: Gin we tak tent tae the story o Damian we ken it's a parable we can tak til oursels. Aften we rax for the starns and feenish in the sheuch up til the een in glaur, our guid thochts, our guid wark, our heigh ambitions aa cuisten doon and we staucher frae the myre brizit and dang doon wi aa the ills o life. Aiblins we hae tint our Faith and life maun be fushionless and toom. Twa: when we are hunkert doon in the muck we hae a glisk o the licht abune us. Some, wha hae tholit the ill straiks o life hae seen in the daurk, a Licht glintin throwe the mirk. Whatna Licht? Shairly the Licht o God in Jesus Christ. Lippen til John wha screevit: "The Licht glintit throwe the mirk, but the mirk cudna tak haud o it. The Licht is beamin for ilka man wha comes intae the warld" Heeze up yer een tae the Licht. Yon's the gait frae glaur tae glore. 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: Audio Audio audience Adults (18+): General public: Informed lay people: For gender: Mixed Audience size: 21-100 Audio awareness & spontaneity Speaker awareness: Aware Degree of spontaneity: Fully scripted Special circumstances surrounding speech: Sermon delivered to conference delegates. Audio footage information Original title: Sermon at Stirling Year of recording: 1973 Recording person id: 15 Size (min): 5 Size (mb): 18 Audio footage publication details Published: Publisher/Broadcaster: Gordon Wright Place of publication/broadcast: Edinburgh ISBN/ISSN: SBN 9030 Audio footage series/collection information Part of series: Contained in: Lallans, No. 1, Mairtinmas 1973 Audio medium Radio/audio: Audio setting Religious/ceremonial: Other: Part of SLS's annual conference Recording venue: Lecture Hall Geographic location of speech: Stirling University Audio relationship between recorder/interviewer and speakers Family members or other close relationship: Speakers knew each other: Yes Audio transcription information Transcriber id: 689 Year of transcription: 2005 Year material recorded: 1973 Word count: 485 Audio transcription publication details Published: Publisher/Broadcaster: Gordon Wright Place of publication/broadcast: Edinburgh ISBN/ISSN: SBN 9030 Audio type Lecture/talk, sermon, public address/speech: Author Author details Author id: 755 Forenames: A Initials: S Surname: Borrowman Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1910 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Parish Minister Place of birth: Stirling Region of birth: Stirling Birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Country of birth: Scotland Father's occupation: Shop assistant Father's place of birth: Stirling Father's region of birth: Stirling Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Dress maker Mother's place of birth: Dunblane Mother's region of birth: E & SE Perthshire Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Per Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: all circumstances Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: German Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: for literary purposes Participant Participant details Participant id: 755 Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1910 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Parish Minister Place of birth: Stirling Region of birth: Stirling Birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Country of birth: Scotland Father's occupation: Shop assistant Father's place of birth: Stirling Father's region of birth: Stirling Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Dress maker Mother's place of birth: Dunblane Mother's region of birth: E & SE Perthshire Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Per Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: all circumstances Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: German Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: for literary purposes