TEMPORI PARENDUM
for all the pupils of the High School of Stirling
Seconds out ! Lesson One !
Gloves on, ‘cos that’s
how cold it was !
High windows so
no looking out,
that cannae be
snow that’s blawin’ incan it?
Now navigate to Geography:
up to the Clock Tower,
right on time, Miss Lancaster,
“ Bomber” , is waiting for you.
Chalks away…!
Now Mr Wyllie : one leg,
Woodwork – makes sense.
Jumbo Murray’s jokes in Greek
they’re no joke . You have to laugh.
Ink for you and chalk for them,
then, if there’s trouble, leather:
whether you did it or not
you stand up straight, to face the belt
that’s stood up on the table, vertical.
Some story that, in History,
how old King James
would visit here
when there were monks …
he had a belt as well,
only his was iron,
wore it round his waist so he did,
for doin’ in his dad.
You would have thought God
had walked into the room and
not – The Rector!
He went over to wee Jen – and spoke –
an’ wee Jen she even looked back !
Scared stiff she was, but still
she couldnae help squinting to see
which was the eye was made of glass.
We did the play about the storm
in English . Shakespeare, it was ,
the one that has the Spirit in it :
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough
Sir said you could see it,
If you looked, out of the window,
coming out, nearly; Cherry, he said.
All I know is that was a hell of a
snowball fight out there at break.
Then there it was, at last, the Bell.
What Sir said was the “ Knell of parting day”…
and Latin’s good for mottos: Jumbo said,
“Whene’er you hear the school bell chime,
Tempori Parendum “ - Obey the time!
Clive Wright ( Makar of Stirling)