2026-10-17 13:59 UTC
My father passed with his penny letters
Through closes opening and shutting like legends
When barbarous with gulls
Hamnavoe’s morning broke…
—“Hamnavoe”, by George Mackay Brown (1921–1996) – born #OTD, 17 Oct
“I have never seen his poetry sufficiently praised.”
—Seamus Heaney
A 🎂 🧵
You can listen to George Mackay Brown read his poem “Hamnavoe” online via the Poetry Archive
1/10
https://poetryarchive.org/poem/hamnavoe/
#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Orkney #20thcentury #GeorgeMackayBrown
Replies (1)
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@scotlit@mastodon.scot 2026-10-17 14:00
For Scotland I sing, the Knox-ruined nation, that poet and saint must rebuild with their passion… —George Mackay Brown, “Prologue” This poem introduced his first poetry collection, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘮𝘴 (Orkney Press, 1954) 2/10 #Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Orkney #20thcentury #GeorgeMackayBrown