POEM TITLE Ah'll Ayewis Be
POEM Ah haud the echo o’ a’ that’s past
Strong walls that wur bult’ tae last
Upon the lip o’ the Forth Ah staun
A ship bult’ upon dry land.
Ah mind the times which hae gaun by
Like fleeting flooers that ayewis die
Every use tae which Ah huv bin put
An’ a’ the souls wha tried tae loot.
Bult’ upon the Crichton’s feud
Fae the rock mah grounds wur hewed
Tae conquer the power o’ Douglas Dubh
An’ a’ there efter that did ensue.
Sir George leed wi’in thae walls
Ah heard the despair o’ prisoner’s calls
Fae Cardinal Beaton tae the Angus Earl
An’ watched as commoners turned feral.
I saw the arrival o’ James the Fourth
Wha boarded Michael oan Firth o’ Forth
Tae meet wi’ a Frenchman wha wid affirm
The Auld Alliance wis confirmed.
Queen Mary wis born wi’in the walls
O’ Linlithgow’s mighty halls
An’ forced tae abdicate her throne
Which mah keepers did bemoan.
‘til it behoofed thaim tae caw thair backs
Oan Mary’s behauf Hamilton did attack
Kirkcaldy brought money fur his liege
An’ that’s whin Morton did lay siege.
Ah played host tae mony intriguing plots
As playing gaol wis mah lot
Amusit a favourite o’ James the Sixth
Treasonous Huntly wha wis ever slick.
Then Ah fell ta Cornwell’s army
Tae be abandoned, och howfur charming
Although apairt Ah wis wrenched
Ah efter held Napoleon’s French.
A’m the ship that wull ne’er sail
Bit made the Germans caw tail
Whin while the Seicont World War
Thair periscope saw me oan shore.
Ah wis immortalised by Rabbie Burns
“Blackness is Braw” wis ferr a turn
Then oan the pictures ah staun proud
A backdrop tae the acting crowd.
Historic Scotland wha keeps me whole
Built a pier oan which tae stroll
Ah’ve watched a couple jive upon the stem
Alight wi’ the love atween thaim. Ah’ve sheltered picnickers oan days sae hot
An’ saw the opening o’ the Lobster Pot
The ship that ne’er float Ah’ll ayewis be
Ah’m the castle at Blackness-on-Sea.
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