Feel yourself beloved on earth, then make me Scottish
Is there a lovelier accent than that of the Scottish? I think not. Oh, alright. I’m very fond of my friend Richard’s Kiwi accent. (Happy Birthday, Richard!) And there’s Tony and his lovely South African tone. And Eliav’s Israeli accent is definitely a keeper. But honestly? The Scottish? My favorite. I want to be Scottish. Make me Scottish. Talk to me in Scottish.On this site, a lovely Scottish woman reads us an Auden poem. Auden is a favorite of mine, but then again, with that accent, she could just read me the back of a paper bag from the Piggly Wiggly or instructions on putting together a vacuum cleaner.
Take a listen.
And then she reminds me of this powerful poem by Raymond Carver.
Late Fragment
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
-Raymond Carver
Have you gotten what you wanted from this life? And what did you want?
Will you know when you get it?
Isn’t it enough to call yourself beloved, to feel yourself beloved on the earth?
Now, read this whole post again, this time aloud, in a Scottish accent. I know I’m going to.