07 July 2011

THE TAY BRIDGE DISASTER

Ach after reading through the NOTW revelations I need something to take the taste out of my mouth. It's been quite a while since I posted one of the Tayside Tragedian's great works so here is his "Sistine Chapel"

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

'Twas about seven o'clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem'd to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem'd to say-
"I'll blow down the Bridge of Tay."

When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers' hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
"I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay."

But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
And the passengers' hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lov'd most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.

So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all o'er the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which fill'd all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were sav'd to tell the tale
How the disaster happen'd on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.


As ever head to McGonagall Online for all the best that poetry can offer!

13 comments:

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Ach, so sweet. That rhyme: 1879 - very long time is now part of my mind. Indelible, too, unfortunately.

jams o donnell said...

It is one of the great poems of all time mon ami!

Claude said...

"For the stronger we our houses build
The less chance we have of being killed."

So true, so very true!
Thank You, McGonagall
You always say it all
In more words than a few...

Anonymous said...

As you know, ay?
I do live by the Tay
Or not far away
Indeed my garden stream runs away
and actually is in the Tay,
later, each day,
so I feel qualified, I'm sure
to be Scottish and dour
and say thank goodness for plumbing
or the Tay would be my sewer
and that, I'm sure
would be rather smelly and poor.
Ok. I'm a boor

jams o donnell said...

Bravo Andrew!

jams o donnell said...

A fine clerihew Claude!

Anonymous said...

I'm a Tay Man
And a "Big Bam"
Scots will ken
What by "Bam" is mean(t)
I'll squeeze a rhyme
Out ay words o' mine
And see some rhymes sae fair
That arenae really there
An the thing with a Bam
is his comments are close tae Spam
Still I like Big Will a lot
But his talent I've nae got
Cos Ah'm no Mcgonagall
Just a stupid Scott
(Like Sir Walter?
....Not)

(With apologies to... well, with apologies to everyone really)

Claude said...

Apology! Apology!
But we still fall
Into the trap.
Reading it all.
(I call it crap!)
We forgive Scott. C'est un ami???

Claude said...

Pure jealousy, Andrew!:)

Anonymous said...

Claude, she's French
Mais Canadian pour vous
Full of wisdom
but cheeky too
She's forgotten more
than many will know
and she's seen a lot
of things, ...and snow
When she nursed Inuit-ies
it was freezing: brass monkeys
now she likes her cakes
in big creamy chunkies

jams o donnell said...

Brilliant verse. Andrew I doff my cap to you. Claude you have excelled yourself too!

Claude said...

Wow! I'm speechless!
Cannot address
In the same way.
I can just neigh
In French, English
But not Scottish...

jams o donnell said...

Ah but such fine neighing Claude!