Thomas Blake Glover (A Ballad) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Merchant, Industrialist,Entrepreneur
Born as a Brocher, Thomas Blake Glover
Raised in Commerce Street, sea in the air
Niver a laddie tae dauchle or dover

At thirteen his faimily meeved tae the toun
He larned in the Chanonry, auld Aiberdeen
His faither, Chief Coastguaird, luiked eftir the boaties
Their villa at Balgownie, weel tae be seen

Wi Jardine an Matheson, co. he tuik wirk
At nineteen he first sailed awa tae Japan
At a time fin tae trade there wis byordnar hard
Incomers wir watched there as faes tae a man

Glover established a place fur his maisters
In far Nagasaki, bocht Japan Green Tea.
Fin twa years gaed by, iver eident an skeely
Ower thonner he set up his ain company

The Shogunate squared up tae Sooth Japan clans
Thomas syne tradit in weapon an boat
Ipponmatsu, wis the Single Pine Tree
His hoose far he keepit his empire afloat

He faithered a laddie caad Tomisaburo,
Bi a quine, Kaga Maki, a young courtesan
His named wife Tsuru, she gaed him a dother
Caad Hana, hauf Scots lass, an hauf o Japan

An fit wir the ferlies he brocht tae their nation?
He helped tae establish the firm Mitsubishi
The first dry dock, coal mine, an steam locomotive
He laid the first phone line frae oot Nagasaki

He enlisted a Scot tae bigg Japan's first Lichthooses,
Set up a Mint tae produce the first yen
He helpit young students tae study in Scotlan
His mowser's on Kirin beer labels, ye ken!

The Scots Samurai wis the name that they gaed him
His honours: the Order o the Risin Sun
A National hero, twa million fowk veesit
His hame in Japan, far sic honours he won

Some say Madame Butterflee's foondit on Glover
For Tsuru hid butterflees shewed on her claes
Glen Garioch distillery blendit a fuskey
Hauf Japan, hauf Garioch, a mellin o weys

The Broch celebrates this remairkable Scotsman
He deed in Japan, age o seventy three
His ashes are interred in hyne Nagasaki
In the furreigners Sakamoto Cemetery.

Thon Broch Samurai, o the Scottish diaspora
Noo is settled forayein the lan o his choice
The Lan o jiu-jitsu, o sumo, o sushi
The man fa gaed Modern Japan its strang voice