The Waves Upon The Bass Rock Poem by Bill Mitton

The waves upon the Bass Rock
Beat mournful in the dawn
And in the Leeside of this monolith
The Cod and Mackeral spawn

Across the shore proud Tantallon
Part shrouded in the mist
And edged with gold the hillsides
Where the morning sun has kissed

Upon the Rock the Seabirds nest
Their presence caps it white
and golden sunbursts drive away
the rear guard of night

The wind blows strong and coldly
To chill unto the bone
and herring gull and gannet call
are silenced by it’s moan

But wind nor sea nor bird cry
Can hold back the angry cry
in the Wolf like howl
The Grey Seal gives, defiant, to the sky

As though in thankful sacrifice
we offer to the waves
The filletings of Cod and Ling
The Mackerel roe we save.

This wind is set to drive us home
This bitter spiteful blow
And soon the swell begins to rise
The sign for us to go

As we turn towards the shore
from a rock just feet away
a Grey bull roars defiantly
so near we feel his spray