History & Politics
Jock, to the First Army
From More Songs of Angus (1918)
O Rab an' Dave an' rantin' Jim,
The geans were turnin' reid
When Scotland saw yer line grow dim,
Wi' the pipers at its heid;
Noo, i' yon warld we dinna ken,
Like strangers ye maun gang--
"We've sic a wale o' Angus men
That we canna weary lang."
An' little Wat--my brither Wat--
Man, are ye aye the same?
Or is yon sma' white hoose forgot
Doon by the strath at hame?
An' div' ye mind foo aft we trod
The Isla's banks before?--
--"My place is wi' the Hosts o' God,
But I mind me o' Strathmore."
It's daith comes skirling through the sky,
Below there's naucht but pain,
We canna see whaur deid men lie
For the drivin' o' the rain;
Ye a' hae passed frae fear an' doot.
Ye're far frae airthly ill--
--"We're near, we're here, my wee recruit,
An' we fecht for Scotland still."
Cite this poem
MLA
Jacob, Violet. “Jock, to the First Army.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/jacob/22/.
Chicago
Jacob, Violet. “Jock, to the First Army.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/jacob/22/.
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