| Sydney Goodsir Smith - Poet and Writer | ||||
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Sydney Goodsir Smith (1915-1975) lived at 25 Drummond Place in Edinburgh, i.e. the left-hand house in the first picture, which is the central portion of the terrace in the second picture. Drummond Place is a U-shaped space with a tree-filled garden in the middle. It was originally designed by Robert Reid in 1804 but most of it was not built until about 1818-1819 when the designs were revised by Thomas Bonnar. The end pavilions contain Reid's characteristic semi-circular window with two mullions in the attic whilst the centrepiece with Ionic pilasters is Bonnar's. Sydney Goodsir Smith was a poet, artist, dramatist and novelist and a major figure of the Scottish Renaissance movement in the mid-20th century. He wrote poetry in literary Scots often referred to as Lallans (Lowlands). Under the Eildon Tree (1948), comprising 23 variations on the subject of love, is considered his masterpiece. He also wrote a comic novel about Edinburgh called Carotid Cornucopius (1947). It is highly original, written in a language that at first looks quite unintelligible. Persistence and the re-reading of passages is rewarding, however, and great fun for lovers of language. Here is an extract (and there are no typing errors): Sae they ployed
hoppy as screwballs all the day lang until as nicht begroan to fail upone
the waurld they ilkane couried doun to slump, haean sighed their proars in
dew and peeper forum. Meg, the hoturnal lumping Maw, the Allma Mater of
the hippy twine, learnit them the Lauk's Preyer in the sextarian abusage
of the Haunt of Mondlethian and though they dudnae get aa the weirds richt
their damp demotion and poiety were unmentionable and drolly dutching. The
wee gigants did their botchest to follie whit their lowing Maw moo'd, and
thus their babby lups repattered owfter her: "Our Cramond that Marchmont
Newhaven, Holyrood Bruntsfield Grange; thy Colinton Comely-Bank; thy
Liberton in Leith, Arthur's Seat Corstorphine; Granton Lasswade our
Dalkeith Braids and Forthbrig us our Tollcrosses, as we Fairmilehead them
that Grassmarket Cowgate us. Queensferry us not into Tynecastle but Dean
Brig us Tron Mayfield, for St. Giles Inch the King's Park, the Powderhall,
the Gorgie; for Waverley and Waverley. Dun Edin."
About the Scottish Renaissance Several pubs in the New Town were famous haunts of the poets of the Scottish Renaissance |
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