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
    • 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
    • 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
  • >
  • books
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

books

An Leabhar II - by Marcas Mac an Tuairneir
Mark Spencer Turner

{ Poem }

gus a thoirt a-steach do thèarmann teanta
is a shealltainn do do bheathaichean lìonta.

Story - by Imtiaz Dharker

{ Poem }

In the manuscript, the verses
are written out on pages washed
with subtle colour.

Slow Reader - by Vicki Feaver

{ Poem }

He can make a sculptureand fabulous machines, invent games, tell jokes,give solemn, adult advice-but he is slow to read.When I take him on my kneewith his Ladybird bookhe gazes into the air,sighing and shaking his headlike an old manwho knows the mountainsare impassable. He toys with words,letting them go coldas gristly meat,until I relentand let […]

A Book - by Emily Dickinson

{ Poem }

There is no frigate like a book
/ To take us lands away,
/ Nor any coursers like a page
/ Of…

Book Dusters - by Hamish Whyte

{ Poem }

It’s like painting / the Forth Bridge / without the fresh air / and fear / of drowning.

Random - by Liz Lochhead

{ Poem }

for Robyn Marsack
/
/ Go take a book down from the shelf and open it.
/ Listen, this isn’t ‘book’ but box,
/ box full…

The Scottish Poetry Library - by Aonghas MacNeacail

{ Poem }

so much light here –
sun’s rhythm in each wall…
flow of thoughts on the shelves,
radiant lamp of the books

Lines for a Bookmark - by Gael Turnbull

{ Poem }

You who read…
/ May you seek
/ As you look;
/ May you keep
/ What you need;
/ May you care
/ What you choose;
/ And know here
/ In this book
/ Something strange,
/ Something…

To Any Reader - by Robert Louis Stevenson

{ Poem }

As from the house your mother sees
/ You playing round the garden trees,
/ So you may see, if you will look
/ Through the…

Iam pauca aratro iugera regiae - by Angus Calder

{ Poem }

Public libraries / were cherished like Pallas Athene’s temples, / which, for us, in effect, they were.

Tern - by Sudesh Mishra

{ Poem }

I turn a page and a bird dives.
/ The bay is blue and nameless.
/ It comes up, rows air.
/ I turn a page…

Pomegranate - by Alasdair Paterson

{ Poem }

The soldier boys know nothing / of the world but how to end it.

1 2 Next
  • 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