Don Paterson’s poem ‘We, the Scottish people’, written in 2005
We, the Scottish people, undertake to find within our culture the true measure
of the mind’s vitality and spirit’s health to see that what is best in us is treasured
and what is treasured, held as common wealth to guarantee all Scots folk of whatever
age or origin, estate or creed the means and the occasion to discover
their skill or gift, and let it flower and seed to take just pride in all in our diverse tongues
folks and customs, and also what is yet distinct in us: our thousand thousand songs
our wild invention and our thrawn debate to act as democratic overseer
of our whole culture: wise conservator of its tradition, its future’s engineer
the very engine of of its living hour to honour our best artists, and respect
not just the plain cost of their undertaking but the worth of what they make, and every act
of service and midwifery to that making and to discover through our artistry
and fine appreciation of our art that we are not - so know ourselves to be
the whole world, both in microcosm and part and recognise in this our charge of care
to friend and stranger, beast and bird and tree the planetary and local space we share
we will do this wakefully, and imaginatively.