Letters
Robertson, at Cambridge University
Piper Poem
in1954,hesaidtome‘youplaylikea
Sir,
tinker’, by which I think he meant
The main reason for my letter is
that I concentrate on the melody and
reaction to your launch into poetry.I
rhythm of a tune rather than the
was particularly interested in the
gracenotes. It was not meant as a
poem by Robert Service [The Ballad
complimentbutItendnowtotakeit
of How MacPherson Held the Floor,
as such – dancers like rhythms they
published in the July 2008 PT
can dance to and tunes they can
abridged from‘Bar-Room Ballads’by
recognise.
Robert Service] as I have just been
DavidStevenson,
reading ‘I Married the Klondike’ by
Edinburgh,via email
Laura Beatrice Berton,an account of
herlifeovermanyyears,mainlyinthe
Keen Kid
town of Dawson.
She knew Robert Service who in
aprefacetothebookrecallsescorting
her to a dance. She recalls going to
the annual St Andrew’s Ball and
names many Scots though sadly not
the MacPherson of the poem. My
favourite poem is – from memory –
called‘The Piper’by a Shaugnessy (I
forget his initials):
A piper in the street today
Set up and tuned,and started to play
And away,away,away
On the tide of his music we started.
On every side
Doors and windows were opened wide
And men left down their work and came
Sir,
And women with petticoats coloured like
Please find enclosed a photograph
flame
of my nine month old grandson
And little bare feet that were coloured
Robertson,whodespitehisageshows
with cold
trueenthusiasmforthebagpipe.Heis
Went dancing back to the age of gold
seen being captivated by my practice
And all the world went gay,went gay
chanter.
For half an hour in the street today.
IanBuchan, TomMullen,
Mirfield,WestYorkshire Cheadle Hume,Cheshire.
E-mail all your letters to thepipingtimes@gmail.com or post toThe PipingTimes,
16-24OtagoStreet,GlasgowG128JH,Scotland,UK.Lettersaresubjecttoediting
but only where absolutely necessary for reasons of space or content.
49
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