Soutar's Menagerie

In Perth today, picking my Mum up later on - she's coming down to help out poor old invalided me. I came into town a bit early as there were some things I wanted to do, the chief one of which was to pay the speeding ticket I got a few weeks ago. My mind was on other things when I drove up the A92 and I forgot that it goes down to 50mph at Laurencekirk - the flash of the camera lit up the darkness of the night (found out later that J had thought it was lightning and spent the rest of the journey to Aberdeen looking out for more strikes) and so I was fined £100 and three points for doing 62mph in that zone. On the bright side, I was surprised that it was only 62mph I was doing , considering that I thought the speed limit was 70mph. I had to go to any Scottish court to pay the fine and so I found myself in Perth Court this morning. This was the first time I had ever set foot in a court. It smelt like a dentist's surgery, and as I made my way to the fines office I passed a woman hurrying down the corridor in a black gown and with a curly grey wig on her head. I felt like I was in a TV programme!

To cheer myself up after being in there and coming out substantially lighter of wallet, I chose to walk down the riverside as I always enjoy seeing the sculptures and carvings along there. I took some photos and was going to put one of the carvings on here for today but first I did a little Googling as the words on the carvings have always intrigued me e.g. "mousetrap" & "MACNAB" on a carving of a deskinned fish, and "the wood began to move" & "DOUGLAS" on the carving of a pineapple. What do these mean? I found a leaflet online about the River Tay public art trail and although I am none the wiser about the exact nature of the examples above (they just come under a generic "wall carvings" paragraph), I did find some interesting information about one of the sculptures I took photos of and I was so moved that I've chosen a photo from this one instead.

The sculpture has always reminded me of the wee creatures from a children's show called "The Trap Door", however now I know its real inspiration ....

It's called "Soutar’s Menagerie" and the funny little beings on it represent animals from "Bairn Rhymes" - the work of a Perth poet called William Soutar who lived during the first half of last century. William Soutar served in the First World War (and there was hook no. 1 for me - I see the words "First World War" and am immediately interested) and a few years after serving in that conflict he was diagnosed with a chronic spinal condition which made him permanently disabled (hook no. 2 for me at the moment with my own spinal problems - thankfully mine is hopefully temporary though). I tried to find "Bairn Rhymes" online but while doing so I came across this poem, clearly written about his experience in the war. I cried when I read it, so I want to put it on here for others to maybe read if they happen to look at this photo.


The Permanence of the Young Men

No man outlives the grief of war
Though he outlive its wreck:
Upon the memory a scar
Through all his years will ache.

Hopes will revive when horrors cease;
And dreaming dread be stilled;
But there shall dwell within his peace
A sadness unannulled.

Upon his world shall hang a sign
Which summer cannot hide:
The permanence of the young men
Who are not by his side.


It made me remember reading about old veterans who, decades after serving in WW1, still wished their ashes to be scattered on the battlefields where their comrades fell. Sometimes things like this put everything into perspective