Memories Of Broughty Ferry

A Memory of Broughty Ferry.

Where Broughty Castle guards the mouth of the River Tay
In the tower we climbed up a weathered stone stairway
To look far over the fair land of our fathers
Later you took a photograph of me at a quay in the harbour
Beguiling the twilight fell on Broughty Castle
I wore a cardigan embroidered with the Flower of Scotland
Proudly the purple thistles put themselves on display

My photograph has been well thumbed and faded for a long time
Like the gloomy cloud cover of my memory
Sometimes I only see the locals as a shadow play
People from Broughty Ferry near Dundee
Walking on the Esplanade or down to the beach
Constantly over their heads circle sea gulls
Their laughter pursues me right across the sea

We ate swordfish and drank Guinness
You taught me foreigner to pronounce 'swordfish'
In Broughty Ferry where the moon cheerfully greeted us
We felt young and you lost all your money
Which you had stuffed into your trouser pockets
I however lost my heart to a place
Because I had looked over that golden gleam of the Tay
At night we went on a pub-crawl in Broughty Ferry
Were given an autograph by Claudio Paul Canigia
From Argentina who played football for Dundee
We found fascinating shells at the beach
Let them rush at our ears like the roaring waves

Broughty Ferry always remains as steady as a rock
You left Scotland and I am not allowed to be there
We are restless wanderers on different routes
Once again I would like to eat swordfish in the harbour
Sharing glasses of Guinness with you and listen to Celtic music
In that far away land where the moon friendly greets strollers
Again I would like to climb up the stony stairs in the castle
Looking over the bonny native soil of my ancestors
Taking a deep breath of the Firth of Tay's salty air
When its waves glitter by evening light
A part of the gloss falls on my matt soul
Yet now for me only last memories - of Broughty Ferry!

© Sonja Nic Rafferty, Germany
2004


April 11th, 2004 (German original), April 12th, 2004 (English translation)
These lines I have dedicated to my Scottish brother John, of whose existence I hadn't the faintest idea until my age of 46. John made Broughty Ferry more accessible to me.

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