Best Scottish Poems
English
Welcome to the Scottish Poetry Library’s annual online anthology of the year’s 20 Best Scottish Poems to appear in books, pamphlets and literary magazines, edited each year by a different editor.
We began by publishing this annual selection on St Andrew’s Day, to wave a poetry flag for Scotland, but moved publication to spring to allow editors to consider a whole calendar year. Bookshops and libraries – with honourable exceptions – often provide a very narrow range of poetry, and Scottish poetry in particular. Best Scottish Poems offers readers in Scotland and abroad a way of sampling the range and achievement of our poets, their languages, forms and concerns.
It is in no sense a competition but a personal choice. The preceding years’ selections are still available on this site. We hope that you enjoy this varied selection, and that it will encourage you to browse further on the Scottish Poetry Library website, as well as borrow and buy from the Library.
Asif Khan, Director
Gaelic
Fàilte dhan duanaire air-loidhne againn de na 20 dàin as fheàrr a nochd ann an leabhraichean, leabhranan agus irisean, air a dheasachadh le deasaiche eadar-dhealaichte gach bliadhna.
Thòisich sinn an duanaire bliadhnail fhoillseachadh air Là Fèill Anndra, airson bàrdachd na h-Alba a riochdachadh, ach ghluais sinn àm an fhoillseachaidh dhan earrach airson gun deigheadh aig deasaichean cnuasachadh air bàrdachd fad-bhliadhna. Tric (ach chan ann an-còmhnaidh) cha bhi bùithtean-leabhraichean agus leabharlannan a’ tabhann ach roghainn bheag de bhàrdachd, agus gu h-àraidh de bhàrdachd na h-Alba.
Ann an Dàin Taghta na h-Alba gheibh leughadairean an Alba agus thall thairis cothrom air farsaingeachd agus buaidh ar bàrd fhaicinn, agus an cuid chànanan, sructaran, agus bheachdan.
Fhathast, chan e co-fharpais a th’ ann idir, ach roghainn phearsanta. Gheibhear duanairean nam bliadhna a dh’fhalbh air an làraich-lìn seo fhathast. Tha sinn an dòchas gun còrd an cruinneachadh measgaichte seo dhuibh, agus gun toir e spionnadh dhuibh barrachd rùrachaidh a dhèanamh air làraich-lìn Leabharlann Bàrdachd na h-Alba, agus gun smaoinich sibh mu rudan fhaighinn air iasad no rudan a cheannach bhuainn.
Asif Khan, Stiùiriche