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
    • Poetry Ambassadors 2020
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Podcasts
    • Poetry and Mindfulness
    • Our National Poet
    • 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
    • What’s On
    • Venue hire
  • Shop
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Pocket Poets
    • Scotland’s Makar
    • 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
  • >
  • T. S. Law
  • >
  • A Hauf-a-Croun o Devolutioun
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

A Hauf-a-Croun o Devolutioun

T. S. Law

‘Say efter me,’ said Rab, as he gied the waen
a hauf-croun muckle’s the muin i the middle air,
the siller mellow wi munificence,
‘Say, “Thank ye for the next yin, for I’m shair
o this yin.”’ A wyss man, Rab! An wysslik bairn,
obedient tae dae sae nane daur say
‘You dae it nane,’ aye mynds this lesson laerit:
whit’s no in devolutioun for tae gie
is independence free.

Ay, Rab, Rab Henderson, ye never thocht
ye’d gie the gowd o independence tae a bairn
wi yer kyndlie siller, but thare’s mair ye wrocht
wi yer ‘As lang’s we can say “Damn the damnatiouner,”
an “Tae hell wi sovereigntie”, we’re aa richt.’ Here
I paraphrase in periphrasis. See,
yer gowdlik siller has at last fund whaur
this makar is an alchemist indeed
tae leade yer wurds or leid them!

The hauf-a-croun o devolution, Rab,
is never gien wi graciousness, but girns wi
greed in the giein as tho fae some auld crab,
fae some doon-moother. We ken thon soorlik face
fae thon timm back afore her doore grimace
for frichtin bairns was pentit oot o kennin.
Ay, girn she girns, but the mair she girns, the less
lyker is thrittie devolutioun pence
the croun o independence.

4th March 1978, final stanza 4th April 1978


T. S. Law

from At the Pynt o the Pick and Other Poems (Blackford: Fingerpost Publicatiouns, 2008)

Reproduced by permission of the Estate of T.S. Law.

Tags:

independence learning money Scotland Scots Scots
Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

T. S. Law1916 - 1997

T. S. Law was a prolific poet who wrote mainly in Scots and produced work in a great variety of form, his subjects being working-class culture and community, the political condition of Scotland and the world-wide imperative of freedom.
More about T. S. Law

Events

Discover poetry events at the Scottish Poetry Library and beyond.
Find forthcoming Events

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