Elegy for a Scottish Athlete

[Harry H Howgill]

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

very good

AL? You sure that's been measured properly?

[XRunner]

Elegy on the Death of James Flemming.
By James Kennedy

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:

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.

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

[Enid Gumby]

very good

AL? You sure that's been measured properly?

It always seems longer and harder than it actually is.

[Madeleine]

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.

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.....

[jmacewan]

This any use:

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

[XRunner]

This any use:

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

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:

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!

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?

[XRunner]

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.....

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.