EDWIN MORGAN

I like to give a voice to others, especially things neglected or despised.

When you go, if you go, And I should want to die, there's nothing I'd be saved by more than the time you fell asleep in my arms in a trust so gentle I let the darkening room drink up the evening, till rest, or the new rain lightly roused you awake. I asked if you heard the rain in your dream and half dreaming still you only said, I love you.

People always say that Glasgow has had umpteen social problems but keeps finding ways of getting over its difficulties and transforming itself. Maybe, belonging to the city I'm able to renew myself too, and keep extending out into some new area.

Poetry is partly sympathy, don't you think? If it's any good, it gets people to think about others' points of view.

I just discovered when I was, oh, 12 or 13, that I was very interested in language - and this showed itself as poetry. There was no looking back.

Translated poetry filled the no-man's-land between my own work and other writers', and I found this fascinating to explore.

I have friends who are very pessimistic. They say you can't possibly be an optimist nowadays. But I think, taking the longer view, you can still be as optimistic as you want.

Kiss me with rain on your eyelashes, come on, let us sway together, under the trees, and to hell with thunder.

I like to give a voice to others, especially things neglected or despised.

Poetry is partly sympathy, don't you think? If it's any good, it gets people to think about others' points of view.

People always say that Glasgow has had umpteen social problems but keeps finding ways of getting over its difficulties and transforming itself. Maybe, belonging to the city I'm able to renew myself too, and keep extending out into some new area.

I have friends who are very pessimistic. They say you can't possibly be an optimist nowadays. But I think, taking the longer view, you can still be as optimistic as you want.

I just discovered when I was, oh, 12 or 13, that I was very interested in language - and this showed itself as poetry. There was no looking back.

Translated poetry filled the no-man's-land between my own work and other writers', and I found this fascinating to explore.

When you go, if you go, And I should want to die, there's nothing I'd be saved by more than the time you fell asleep in my arms in a trust so gentle I let the darkening room drink up the evening, till rest, or the new rain lightly roused you awake. I asked if you heard the rain in your dream and half dreaming still you only said, I love you.

Kiss me with rain on your eyelashes, come on, let us sway together, under the trees, and to hell with thunder.