Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • Poetry
    • Poets
    • Poems
    • Makar – National Poet
      • Our Waking Breath: A Poem-letter from Scotland to Ukraine
      • A Woman’s A Woman
      • The story of the Makar – National Poet of Scotland
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Spiorad an Àite
      Spirit of Place
    • The Trysting Thorns
    • Poetry Ambassadors
      Tosgairean na Bàrdachd
      • Poetry Commissions: Walter Scott 250
        Coimiseanan Bàrdachd: Walter Scott 250
      • Poetry Ambassadors 2021
    • Poetry Ambassadors 2020
    • Posters
    • Podcasts
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • Designing sensory poetry activities
    • Children’s poems in Scots
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • What’s On
    • Meeting rooms and venue hire
    • Exhibitions
  • Shop
    • Poetry Highlights
    • Entropie Books
    • Stichill Marigold Press
    • Poems for Doctors, Nurses & Teachers
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Jobs
    • Company Papers & Policies
    • Our projects
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
  • >
  • Raymond Vettese
  • >
  • The Fields o Angus
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

The Fields o Angus

Raymond Vettese

Thro nicht oor machinery roared,
spun, beat, powped and chilled
the plump rasps juiced for jam.
We wrocht or denner broke oor shift
syne gaed oot, claes fyled wi cramasie,
and intil the yaird whaur the bothy stood.
Whiles we’d stop on the wye owre
and look up at the acres o starns
in the bricht silent alaneness o that ‘oor
and say nocht, each o’s side by side,
brithert by labour, the benediciton o peace
won oot o wark, as gin a sain warmed us
and mebbe did in a moment whaun
oor naethingness and joy were ane
slow the vast turn o constellations.
Syne back til it a while or the pale early blue
lichtened the muckle winnocks abuin
and we kent the daw wis near and us
near duin. The fairmhoose sat on a hill
and we saw, at straiking o day,
acres o Angus streeched oot and we kent
that the fields wad aye gie up their grouthe
tho we, blythesome-weary, prepared for sleep.


Raymond Vettese

from The Richt Noise (Macdonald, 1988)

Reproduced by permission of the author.

Tags:

Fife & Angus Scotland Scots
Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Raymond Vetteseb.1950

Raymond Vettese was born in Abroath, educated at Montrose Academy, and has two collections of poetry written in Scots.
More about Raymond Vettese

Online Shop

Browse our range of poetry books, cards and gifts in our online shop.
Shop now

Events

Discover our poetry events at the library & online.
Find forthcoming Events
  • 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 2022.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
Scottish Poetry Library