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
    • Our National Poet
    • Podcasts
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Poetry and Mindfulness
    • Champions 2020
    • 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
    • Calendar
    • Exhibitions
    • Venue hire
    • List an event
  • Shop
    • National Poetry Day 2020
    • New Titles
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Pocket Poets
    • Scottish Poetry
    • 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
  • >
  • Western Isles
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

Western Isles

Pabail - by Derick Thomson

{ Poem }

Air iomall an talamh-àitich, eadar dhà sholas,
/ tha a’ churracag a’ ruith ʼs a’ stad, ʼs a’ ruith ʼs a’ stad,
/ is…

guthan chalanais - by Aonghas MacNeacail

{ Poem }

1
/ seallaibh sinne
/ dh’èirich às a’ mhòintich
/ far an do chaidil sinn
/ tro linntean dìochuimhn’
/
/ an-diugh nar sgeinean maola
/ gearradh an àile
/
/ 2
/ chunnaic aon t-sùil màthair…

Homespun - by Helen Cruickshank

{ Poem }

I met a man in Harris Tweed
/ As I walked down the Strand;
/ I turned and followed like a dog
/ The breath of…

Lewis - by Iain Crichton Smith

{ Poem }

From the War Memorial
/ we see Lewis entirely.
/ For this place they died,
/ the new houses, the smell of seaweed,
/ the rivers,
/ an old woman…

Sgreapadal - by Sorley MacLean / Somhairle MacGillEain

{ Poem }

Sgreapadal anns a’ mhadainn
/ ris a’ Chomraich ’s ris a’ ghrèin,
/ Sgreapadal a tha cho bòidheach,
/ a cheart cho bòidheach ri Hallaig.
/ Cha chuirear…

Hallaig - by Sorley MacLean / Somhairle MacGillEain

{ Poem }

‘Tha tìm, am fiadh, an coille Hallaig’
/
/ Tha bùird is tàirnean air an uinneig
/ trom faca mi an Àird Iar
/ ’s tha mo…

Tràighean - by Sorley MacLean / Somhairle MacGillEain

{ Poem }

Nan robh sinn an Talasgar air an tràigh
/ far a bheil am beul mòr bàn
/ a’ fosgladh eadar dà ghiall chruaidh,
/ Rubha nan…

Slate - by Edwin Morgan

{ Poem }

There is no beginning. We saw Lewis
/ laid down, when there was not much but thunder
/ and volcanic fires; watched long seas…

Columcille - by Ian McFadyen

{ Poem }

Exile I am, for to the last, I carry in my
/ heart the oak groves of Derry with their
/ white angels…

Women of the Happy Island (extract) - by Joseph Macleod

{ Poem }

(The series of 47 soliloquies is about the women left behind on the
/ Isle of Barra during the Second World…

Summer Day on Lewis - by William Oliphant

{ Poem }

(from The Four Seasons)
/
/ Seen from the machair’s edge
/ miles of white sand swathe north.
/ The light is Greek, I’m told,
/ The green…

Lichen Circles - by Norman Bissell

{ Poem }

Alone in this bay near Port Mary
/ only the waves creeping in
/ and the squeal of a buzzard
/ high on a clifftop…

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 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