Scottish Poetry Selection
- In The Country

Saxifrage


Walter Wingate was very fond of the countryside - here is a short poem about some of the small plants to be seen in late spring. The photo above is of a mossy saxifrage.


In The Country

Wee peepin' green things
Under ilka hedge:
Gowden glints by water springs
On the saxifrage.

Here a "Kirk-clock" moschatel,
Sma' but unco sweet:
Here a scale, o'buds to tell,
Shreddit at our feet.

Sair, wi' care they main be shod,
A' that wadna say,
Ilka road's a bonnie road
When April warms to May

Meaning of unusual words:
ilka=every
Gowden=golden
saxifrage=mossy, evergreen plant
moschatel=succulent, mossy plant, with a musky perfume
unco=very
Sair=with difficulty
main=must
wadna=would not

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