A NOTED Scots poet from New Cumnock has had one of his new works included in the most prominent dictionary of the Scots language.

To celebrate 100 years since the birth of Jack Aitken, editor of the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (DOST), which is a unique record of the language, history, culture and traditions of Scots-speaking people, Rab Wilson was asked to pen a poem in celebration of Scots and its extensive history.

The poems, written in a variety of local vernaculars, were published on St Andrew’s Day, and included Rab’s piece alongside that of acclaimed literary figures such as Liz Lochhead, Sheena Blackhall, Alison Miller and Gregor Steele.

Rab told the Chronicle: “We wanted to have a celebration of the work the dictionary have done, so they got funding and approached five different poets from five different parts of Scotland.

“They asked me would I do the Lowlands and Ayrshire. I was delighted and surprised.

“It was an honour to get picked and came totally out the blue.

“Nothing much has been happening because of Covid so it’s a real boost to know that I had been thought of.

“I thought it would be nice to use Burns’ Standard Habbie metre that he uses in poems such as To A Mouse and To a Louse, because in each stanza, you have six lines so it’s a wee vignette of different things.”

He continued: “I had a long conversation with Dr Rhona Alcorn who is the Chief Executive of Dictionaries.

“I went through all the women who worked at the dictionary and she gave me a bit of background, so I had lots of notes.

“I wrote this longish poem where each stanza celebrates each woman in the role and what they do.

“It’s not a classic, timeless, universal poem but more celebratory of the moment. It’s a poem which captures this moment in time of what the dictionary is doing.

“It’s great to be involved and I got a lovely congratulatory email from the chair of the board.

“It’s a great project and the poems are all very different.

“It’s all quite a unique celebration of Scots language.

“It’s good that a local Makar here in East Ayrshire can contribute to a national celebration.”

To read Rab’s poem, click here.