SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 672 Title : Dipper: 60 - Profit or Loss Author(s): Dr James A Begg Copyright holder(s): Dr James A Begg Text 'What profit a man if he lose his own soul And gains all the wealth of the world?' What profit the world from the damage untold, As great Multinationals, like pirates of old, Treat our birthright as loot to be pillaged and sold: - With the dread Skull and Crossbones unfurled On the drums and containers of chemical waste, Cancer-spawned by industrial blight, Being buried or dumped off with indecent haste, Wherever there's minimum chance of being traced; Ignoring the consequent perils then faced By all creatures - from man to mere mite? Industrial sewers from Seine to the Rhine Slip their cocktails of death to the seas; And a brew much more lethal than Borgia's wine, Sends our seal stocks and fish in a spiral decline, While our Governments tell us that 'Everything's fine', As they pocket their V.A.T. Fees! Meanwhile spiralling upwards, an incense profane Accompanies their Mammon-god prayers, As sulphur and nitrogen oxides sustain Tree-deadly deposits of acidic rain; And aerosol chlorfluorocarbons maintain Giant holes in our Earth's ozone layers. Whole rain forests toppled at frightening speed, Himalayas denuded of trees; One - victim of folly and rapacious greed, The other of poverty, ignorance and need; But both desecrations are destined to lead To fair Earth being brought to her knees. For our life-giving oxygen sources are these; Photosynthesis must be maintained; We cannot let others just do as they please - - Our very existence depends on those trees: So before we expire in a terminal wheeze, We must ponder - 'Just what have we gained?' Each person must wake up and see for himself, The lands that have withered and curled; The tired, tainted seas which, with sick silent stealth, Are slowly and surely destroying our health: What profit Mankind if some gain all this wealth? - And WE finish up LOSING THE WORLD! 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 General public: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Year of composition: 1988 Word count: 312 General description: Anthology of prizewinning and other Scots poems, and short stories in Ayrshire Scots. Text medium Book: Radio: Other: Audiocassette Text publication details Published: Publisher: Luath Press Publication year: 1991 Place of publication: Barr, Ayrshire ISBN/ISSN: 0946487227 Edition: First Part of larger text: Contained in: The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils: Tales and Poems in Ayrshire Scots Editor: Authors: Dr. J. A. Begg and J. Reid Page numbers: 146-147 Text setting Leisure/entertainment: Private/personal: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 623 Title: Dr Forenames: James Initials: A Surname: Begg Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Medical Practitioner Place of birth: New Cumnock Region of birth: S Ayr Birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Ayr Region of residence: S Ayr Residence CSD dialect area: Ayr Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Clerical Officer, NCB Father's place of birth: Sandbank Father's region of birth: Argyll Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Arg Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Primary Teacher Mother's place of birth: New Cumnock Mother's region of birth: S Ayr Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: Danish Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: A little Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home, socially, at work Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Holidaying in France Language: Norwegian Speak: No Read: No Write: No Understand: No Circumstances: A little Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home, socially, at work