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
  • >
  • graces & toasts
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

graces & toasts

Here’s a health to them that’s awa - by Robert Burns

{ Poem }

Here’s freedom to them that wad read,
Here’s freedom to them that wad write!
There’s nane ever fear’d that the truth should be heard,
But they whom the truth would indite.

Let Me Not - by Pauline Prior-Pitt

{ Poem }

Let me not be tempted
/ to talk incessantly about my illnesses;
/ the love of rehearsing them has become too sweet.
/
/ And more…

It’s been - by Gael Turnbull

{ Poem }

It’s been a long time
all the time we’ve spent
and we’ve had such times

Avoiding the gods - by Ian Abbot

{ Poem }

They have come
/ to scald our blood, to call us out
/ from our bright houses to the twisted shadows under trees.
/ Let us…

Address to a Haggis - by Robert Burns

{ Poem }

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
/ Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race!
/ Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
/ …

Scotland to Queensland, Glasgow to Gold Coast - by Liz Lochhead

{ Poem }

The good ship Friendship sails between Glasgow / And your far, your golden, coast. / May fierce friendship forever flourish…

Clan Donald’s Call to Battle At Harlaw - by Robert Crawford

{ Poem }

after the Gaelic of Lachlann Mor MacMhuirich (fl. 1411)
/
/ You Clann of Conn, remember this:
/ Strength from the eye of the storm.
/ Be…

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…

Beannacht / Blessing - by John O’Donohue

{ Poem }

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.

Rabbie, Rabbie, Burning Bright - by W. N. Herbert

{ Poem }

Fae dregs o Daft Deys debt comes hame
and we gaither in depression’s wame
aa duty-crossed –
but Burns’s birthday is a flame
set tae Defrost.

To The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1505-2005) - by Stewart Conn

{ Poem }

A Welcome
/
/ Sons and daughters of Aesculapius
/ from Doctor & Prof to Mr & Ms,
/ we the citizenry of Auld Reekie
/ celebrate your Quincentenary;
/ James…

The Original (Selkirk) and the Alternative Grace - by Richard Medrington

{ Poem }

with apologies
/
/ Some hae meat and canna eat
/ And some wad eat that want it:
/ But we hae meat and we can eat,
/ And…

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