Glasgow 1877
My papa took me to see the ancestral home of our clan.
The desolate castle on Dismal Downs, abandoned since the 17th century,
Now inhabited by no-one but golden eagles in its turrets and
Ptarmigan & grouse in the heather o' the clan cemetery.
In this sight of former glory, of ochre grass and bracken,
Sadness and hope, this is where I begin my story.
Rannoch moor, 1877, the eve of my 10th birthday..."
Tha 'n sgeul ag aiseig bu bràth /
Toirt taic bho tiotain a tha gar deanamh mar a tha sinn
Howls on the moors
Dreams of sailing all seas
Call of the hills
And a fiddle of farewell