The Beginning of a New Song
Let our three-voiced country
Sing in a new world
Joining the other rivers without dogma,
But with friendliness to all around her.
Let her new river shine on a day
That is fresh and glittering and contemporary;
Let it be true to itself and to its origins
Inventive, original, philosophical,
Its institutions mirror its beauty;
Then without shame we can esteem ourselves.
About this poem
This poem was read at the opening of the Scottish Parliament on 1 July 1999.