A Latin harsh with Aramaicisms
poured from his lips incessantly; it made
no sense, for surely he was mad…
—Edwin Morgan, “Pilate at Fortingall”
published in CENTENARY SELECTED POEMS (Carcanet, 2020)
https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784109967/centenary-selected-poems/
The story that Pontius Pilate was born in Fortingall (ridiculous, since the Roman Empire wouldn’t begin to intrude into what would become Scotland until 71CE) seems to have begun not long after Sir Donald Currie, a shipping magnate, bought the Glenlyon estate in 1885…
#Scottish #literature #PontiusPilate #Easter #folklore #fakelore
Currie had several literary friends, however, & they may have invented the story as a prank. Nevertheless, the tall tale inspired Edwin Morgan’s poem.
The Fortingall Yew – estimated to be somewhere between 2,000 & 9,000 years old – is real.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortingall_Yew
#Scottish #literature #PontiusPilate #Easter #folklore #fakelore #trees #FortingallYew #AncientTrees
You can listen to Edwin Morgan read “Pilate at Fortingall”, along with other poems & recordings, online, courtesy of the Edwin Morgan Trust
https://edwinmorgantrust.com/2020/06/02/eddie-morgan-selects-recordings-of-em-reading-his-poems/
Assoc for Scottish Literature
