Elegy for a Scottish Athlete

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Originally Posted by Enid Gumby

DRAGONS HUMP. AL. 11.30 pm Our House. Teams Free. No Safety Pins. Navigational Skills.

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very good :D

AL? You sure that's been measured properly?

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Originally Posted by XRunner

Elegy on the Death of James Flemming.
By James Kennedy

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Can any literary sleuth find out any more information about this poem?
When was it first published and are there any other verses?

A search on the web provides this information:

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Originally Posted by David Webster

James Flemming of Ballinluig, Perthshire won the Scottish Championship [at heavyweight events?]. This handsome athlete with a sophisticated air and polished manner was first of all a farmer and later a brewer butler with the Duke of Athol at the Duke's country seat at Blair Athol. Flemming was born in 1840 and was a great athlete by the time he reached the age of 25. He died on March 10th 1887 at Northcot in Melbourne, Australia.

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However the poem makes specific reference to a hill race so it may refer to a different athlete.

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Originally Posted by Harry H Howgill

very good :D

AL? You sure that's been measured properly?

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It always seems longer and harder than it actually is. :o

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Originally Posted by XRunner

Can any literary sleuth find out any more information about this poem?
When was it first published and are there any other verses?

A search on the web provides this information:

However the poem makes specific reference to a hill race so it may refer to a different athlete.

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Ask Roger yourself - he might know. The Wellington Univ site has his address as:
[email protected]


He's a member of Thames Hare & Hounds, though rarely in this country. He wrote a book called 'Heroes & Sparrows - a celebration of running' which is good - short chapters (essays really) covering his running life which covered Cambridge University (when they were the best), World vets road championships, commentating at the Commonwealth Games.....

This any use:

http://www.archive.org/details/scott...meri00kenniala

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Originally Posted by jmacewan

This any use:

http://www.archive.org/details/scott...meri00kenniala

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Thanks.:)

The pdf download of the book does contain the complete poem.

There is also a short notes section at the end which confirmes that the athlete was James Flemming with some results of his thowing events.

I wonder if there was an earlier Scottish edition of this poem.

Another verse to decipher:

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O weel he liked in Lowland touns
To warsle wi' the English loons;
He didna play at ups an' douns -
An idle trick -
But garr'd their heels flee owre their crowns
In double quick!

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There is a Scottish glossary* at the back of the book for those who cannot understand the dialect.

* fyke means trifling cares, a whazzle is a Wheeze in Scotland and who is the forum hizzie?;)

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Originally Posted by Mad&Jerry

He's a member of Thames Hare & Hounds, though rarely in this country. He wrote a book called 'Heroes & Sparrows - a celebration of running' which is good - short chapters (essays really) covering his running life which covered Cambridge University (when they were the best), World vets road championships, commentating at the Commonwealth Games.....

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The latest book by Roger Robinson and his wife Katherine Switzer is "26.2 Marathon Stories" published by Rodale / Runner's World last year (ISBN 1405099763).

I note the Katherine Switzer has just published her biography.