 |
from The Masked Fisherman published 1989 John Murray (Publishers) Ltd 50 Albemarle Street London W1X 4BD |
GEORGE
MACKAY BROWN
extract: The
Stone Rose
| A dawn
wind rose, and blew the songs away like petals. A phrase or an
image here and there was remembered, sometimes a whole chant if the
harper chanced to be a good man at his craft. And sometimes, if
the song was very good, it might linger among the people for a
generation or two, after the harper was dead. But it was never
repeated exactly like the first singing – words and names were
forgotten, a rhythm was altered, an image blurred or changed (and
sometimes it changed for the better, if there happened to be a young
poet of talent in the tribe.) © GMB 1989 |
|
from The Masked Fisherman published 1989 John Murray (Publishers) Ltd 50 Albemarle Street London W1X 4BD |