“Very well,” he said. “A poem about small things, I think.”
He stood up, closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them as he began to speak.
Dear one, how many years is it – I forget –
Since that luminous evening when you joined us In the celebration of whatever it was that we were celebrating – I forget –
It is a mark of a successful celebration
Farewell
345
That one should have little recollection of the cause; As long as the happiness itself remains a memory.
Our tiny planet, viewed from afar, is a place of swirling clouds And dimmish blue; Scotland, though lodged large in all our hearts Is invisible at that distance, not much perhaps, But to us it is our all, our place, the opposite of nowhere; Nowhere can be seen by looking up
And realising, with shock, that we really are very small; You would say, yes, we are, but never overcompensate, Be content with small places, the local, the short story Rather than the saga; take pleasure in private jokes, In expressions that cannot be translated, In references that can be understood by only two or three, But which speak with such eloquence for small places And the fellowship of those whom you know so well And whose sayings and moods are as familiar As the weather; these mean everything, They mean the world, they mean the world.
Document Outline
Praise for Alexander McCall Smith�s
Preface
1. Semiotics, Pubs, Decisions
2. Letting Go
3. Narcissism and Social Progress
4. On the Way Back to Scotland Street
5. All Downhill from Here
6. Domenica Gets into Top Gear
7. Anger and Apology
8. An Exchange of Cruel Insults
9. Sally�s Thoughts
10. Bruce�s Plan
11. A Bus for Bertie
12. A Thin Summer
13. Bertie�s List
14. Pat and Bruce Work It Out
15. Domenica Advises
16. Bertie Goes to School Eventually
17. Down Among the Innocents
18. On the Way Home
19. Matthew�s Situation
20. Second Flowering
21. Demographic Discussions
22. Chow
23. An Astonishing Revelation Is Almost Made
24. Bruce Meets a Friend
25. Agreement Is Reached
26. Bertie�s Idea
27. Socks
28. Lonely Tonight
29. At the Film Theatre
30. At Big Lou�s
31. Act and Omission
32. The Two Wicked Uncles: Possible Solutions
33. Bertie Makes a Move
34. Bertie Prepares to Cross Dundas Street
35. Halfway Across
36. Ramsey Dunbarton
37. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part 1 � Early Days
38. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part 2 � Courting Days
39. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part 3 � Further Highlights
40. Bertie�s Plan Is Launched
41. Irene�s Plan for Bertie
42. Bertie Escapes!
43. Rugby!
44. Going Back
45. Dinner with Father
46. The Language of Flowers
47. Information
48. Private Papers
49. Australian Memories
50. A Trip to Glasgow in the Offing
51. On the Glasgow Train, a Heart Is Opened
52. Arriving in Glasgow
53. Lard O�Connor
54. A Game of Cards and a Cultural Trip
55. At the Burrell
56. Domenica Meets Pat
57. The Natural Approach
58. Moray Place
59. Robert Garioch
60. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part IV � Legal Matters
61. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part V � Johnny Auchtermuchty
62. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part VI � a Perthshire Weekend
63. Bertie Receives an Invitation
64. Bertie�s Invitation Is Considered
65. Stuart Intervenes
66. Tofu�s Party
67. Bruce�s Enterprise
68. A Petrus Opportunity
69. The Best Laid Plans o� Mice and Men
70. Cyril Howls
71. Crushed Strawberry
72. Ink and the Imagination
73. Wee Fraser Again
74. The Wolf Man, Neds, Motherwell
75. Cyril�s Moment of Glory
76. Bruce Has Uncharitable Thoughts about Crieff
77. Bruce Gets What He Deserves
78. Old Business
79. At the Gallery
80. Dogs and Cuban History
81. Havana
82. A Great Sense of Purity
83. In Moray Place Gardens
84. The Memory of Pigs
85. Encounter, Catharsis, Flight
86. In the Caf� St Honor�
87. Domenica Takes Food to Angus
88. Bruce Reflects
89. The Restoration of Fortunes
90. Self-assertiveness Training for Civil Servants
91. Stuart Paints Bertie�s Room
92. Discussions Take Place Between Irene and Stuart
93. The Gettysburg Address
94. Bertie�s Dream
95. The Wind Makes the Trains Sound Faint
96. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part VII � Bridge at Blair Atholl
97. The Ramsey Dunbarton Story: Part VIII � I Play the Duke of Plaza-Toro
98. Younger Women, Older Men
99. Janis Exposed
100. Big Lou
101. In the Bookshop
102. Matthew Thinks
103. All Goes Well for Bruce
104. Preparing Dinner
105. Farewell