Bannockburn poem inscribed on site

Dec 10 2012

A poem which commemorates the Battle of Bannockburn is to be inscribed on part of a monument at the heritage site.

Kathleen Jamie, a Scottish poet, essayist and travel writer, was one of 10 people commissioned by Historic Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland to write new works about the ancient battleground, as part of a restoration project.

Her work was chosen to be inscribed on a timber ring which crowns the Rotunda Monument after all 10 were put to a public vote.

Organisers said Ms Jamie's won by a "clear majority" and the decision was supported by judges including Scots Makar Liz Lochhead.

NTS and Historic Scotland are working to transform the site, near Stirling, where Robert the Bruce is said to have defeated King Edward II's English army to secure an independent monarch for Scotland, in time for the 700th anniversary of the battle in 2014.

Work has already started to clean-up and restore a weather-beaten statue of Bruce and a new visitor centre is also part of the plans.

Ms Jamie, a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Stirling, said:

"From the start I wanted this piece of work to make a nod to the Scottish literary tradition. More than a nod - a profound bow. Because Barbour, Burns and Scott had all written about Bannockburn, and had all done so with a 4-beat line, I decided my piece would be in tetrameter too, as a homage."

Ms Lochhead said: "One of the great difficulties in composing poetry on a national theme is to avoid what sounds like a slogan - slogans are the enemy of poetry.

"The poets who tackled the subject of the Bannockburn site used an impressive variety of strategies to make real poems, and do justice to the subject. Kathleen Jamie's poem impressed me with its clarity and condensed language - the right language for an inscription and for reflection."