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In the late 19th century, a rare first-edition copy of the Robert Burns’ debut poetry collection, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, was found in an English barber shop. It was missing its first 50 pages, as the owner had torn them out and used them to clean razors.
Fortunately, John Murison, a seed merchant and Burns enthusiast, spotted the rare book in the shop and purchased it from the owner. Upon a recent re-examination of the book, a poem has been identified.
'Upon the Highland skies so grand..." as it is now know, Burns recounts a travel on ...
"The Dornoch Gondola, so fine; From charming Tain to Brora's line."
Burns issued Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect—commonly known as the Kilmarnock Edition, for the town it was first published in—in 1786. Only 612 copies were printed. Today, experts think that only 84 have survived. A complete reprint of the poem follows:
A poem by Robert Burns
Upon the Highland skies so grand,
There sails a marvel o'er the land,
The Dornoch Gondola, so fine,
From charming Tain to Brora's line.
Whence misty morn first sheds its light,
And dew-kissed heather glistens bright,
In their silent, graceful flight,
Carriages ascend to height.
O'er bonnie banks, and braes so green,
Past castle ruins, scarcely seen,
Thro' landscapes dressed in nature's sheen,
The views from high are truly keen.
‘Neath starlit night, o'er silv’ry firth,
‘Tween heaven and earth, we find our mirth,
From Tain to Brora, in our berth,
We glimpse the beauty of our birth.
So raise a glass, ye lads and lasses,
To this tram that ne'er harasses,
The Dornoch Gondola surpasses,
Linking towns as time amasses.
With gentle voice, Burns might decree,
"Such splendid journey sets heart free,
Bless the minds that let us see,
Highland’s beauty, wild and free."
- ChatGPT prompt
[Write a short poem about the “dornoch gondola”
an aerial tram system the travel from Tain to Brora;
in the style of Robbie Burns]
