Words from three of Scotland’s leading poets have been unveiled on the Scottish Parliament’s Canongate Wall, on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Earlier this year, over 5,000 public votes were cast to choose which works by previous Scots makars Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie should feature.

The winning quotations were sent to Perthshire-based stone carver Gillian Forbes, assisted by apprentice Cameron Wallace, who carried out the letter-cutting process for the new quotes as well as many of the original ones already featured.

Twenty-nine quotations now feature on the Canongate Wall from Scottish writers and thinkers as well as popular proverbs and poems which are letter-cut into stones sourced from across Scotland. The wall was designed by artist Soraya Smithson which pays tribute to the design ideas of Holyrood lead architect Enric Miralles.  

Here the poets’ words:

 

Liz Lochhead

 

this

our one small country…

our one, wondrous, spinning, dear green place.

What shall we build of it, together

in this our one small time and space?

(Stone cut into Achnaba Schist from Lochgilphead)

 

Jackie Kay

 

Where do you come from?

'Here,' I said, 'Here. These parts.'

(Stone cut into Ailsa Craig Granite from Ayrshire)

 

Kathleen Jamie

 

Be brave:

by the weird-song in the dark you’ll find your way.

(Stone cut into Dalbeattie Granite from Dumfriesshire)

 

The Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone MSP, pictured left, with Kathleen Jamie, Liz Lochhead, and Jackie Kay, said: “Adding new quotations onto one of Scotland’s most prominent public sculptures is a celebration of the talent and skill of women who are performing at the very top of their professions.

“The inspirational words of our three poets – Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie - combine with the skill of stone carver Gillian Forbes, making these quotes something of real beauty using stone from across Scotland

Jackie Kay, who was makar (Scotland’s poet laureate) from 2016 to 2021, said: “It’s a huge honour and so extraordinary to be carved into stone.  It’s so strange to think of your words surviving you – but in a sense, that’s every writer’s dream.”

Kathleen Jamie, makar from 2021 to 2024, said: “Poetry is very democratic. It’s available to anybody – through libraries, through memory. It’s free, and it’s absolutely of our culture.”

 

PHOTOGRAPH: ANDREW COWAN / SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT