POEM OF THE DAY

TO MARK the centenary of the birth of the

Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown, which is tomorrow, here is an extract from a haunting poem by him, first published in The Herald. Ikey, an archetypal traveller/ tinker figure has benign insights and wisdom about the world of nature and the denizens of the Northern Isles. There are other categories of beneficiaries, as well as social criticism, in the unabridged version, which is even more powerful.

FROM IKEY: HIS WILL IN WINTER WRITTEN

I, Ikey Faa, being of whole and sound mind, (nobody thinks it but me), do hereby bequeath and leave my possessions to the following persons, heartily praying that those beneficiaries make full use of the same, to their own hearty good and the good of all the world beside.

Item: the birds of the isle, hawk and swan, eider and blackbird and dotterel, to the child John Sweynson that gave me and the birds a bite to eat in last winter’s snow, and

I in the high winds of March gave the said John a kite I had made out of sticks and paper for to fly among the said birds...

Item: the flowers of the sun, from the first snowdrop to the last blown rose petal, to Gerda Flaws, for I have not seen such delight in flowers in any house-bound creature, no, not in butterfly and bee; and I pray the said Gerda to ensure and guarantee all traffic as between bee and butterfly, sun and raindrop and the feast in the open bud. I wish for her a long happy butter-time and bannock-time and bairn-time, happy among flowers. . .

I have rejoiced greatly in the elements that are soon to shake me out and away, all but earth –

’twixt

Yule and Hogmanay, as near as I can guess – and I leave what is mine and all men’s and God’s to them that will enjoy and use it best.