Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • Re-Opening FAQ
  • Poetry
    • Poems
    • Poets
    • Our National Poet
    • Podcasts
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Poetry and Mindfulness
    • Champions 2020
    • Posters
    • Publishers
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • National Poetry Day 2019
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Exhibitions
    • Venue hire
    • List an event
  • Shop
    • National Poetry Day 2020
    • New Titles
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Pocket Poets
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Our projects
    • Jobs
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
    • Easy Fundraising
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
    • >
  • William Montgomerie
    • >
  • Broughty Ferry
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

Broughty Ferry

William Montgomerie

The lamps across the river
are lilies of light
rooted with fire

The evening star
is a windflower of light

The crescent moon
holds the apple of darkness
in a glass

Three fishermen
are talking by the drawn-up boats

They know the dark river
and the sea beyond

William Montgomerie

from From Time to Time: selected poems (Edinburgh: Canongate, 1985)

Reproduced by permission of the author’s Estate.

Tags:

Dundee night River Tay
Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

William Montgomerie1904 - 1994

William Montgomerie was a scholarly folklorist and bibliographer of the ballads of Scotland, whose own poetic output covered half a century of publication.
More about William Montgomerie

Join

Become a Borrower or support our work by becoming a Friend of SPL.
Join us

Online Shop

Browse our range of poetry books, cards and gifts in our online shop.
Shop now
  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2021.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
By leaves we live

The Scottish Poetry Library is staffed weekdays from 10am – 2pm and is providing a limited service including postal loans and Click & Collect. For details, click COVID-19 in the menu bar above. Dismiss