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
  • >
  • Lewis Spence
  • >
  • The Prows o’ Reekie
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

The Prows o’ Reekie

Lewis Spence

O wad this braw hie-heapit toun
Sail aff like an enchanted ship,
Drift owre the warld’s seas up and doun,
And kiss wi’ Venice lip to lip,
Or anchor into Naples’ Bay
A misty island far astray
Or set her rock to Athens’ wa’,
Pillar to pillar, stane to stane,
The cruikit spell o’ her backbane,
Yon shadow-mile o’ spire and vane,
Wad ding them a’, wad ding them a’!
Cadiz wad tine the admiralty
O’ yonder emerod fair sea,
Gibraltar frown for frown exchange
Wi’ Nigel’s crags at elbuck-range,
The rose-red banks o’ Lisbon make
Mair room in Tagus for her sake.

A hoose is but a puppet-box
To keep life’s images frae knocks,
But mannikins scrieve oot their sauls
Upon its craw-steps and its walls;
Whaur hae they writ them mair sublime
Than on yon gable-ends o’ time?


Lewis Spence

from Plumes of Time (George Allen & Unwin, 1926)

Tags:

cities Edinburgh Edinburgh metamorphosis Scots ships and boats
Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Lewis Spence1874 - 1955

Lewis Spence was an occultist and an authority on ancient folklore and mythology. In his poetry chose often to use a version of Scots reminiscent of the 16th century makars.
More about Lewis Spence

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 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