William Topaz McGonagall

[Mike]

For all Poetry lovers here, you all know Rabbie Burns, Scotland's
best and most famous poet.

You probably never heard of William McGonagall, Scotland's
worst poet, born in 1825 and died in 1902.

As children, we used to laugh at his short poems, they appealed
to us, as they were silly.

The link is to a Google Results Page, Pick the second one with his name, Poems, Poem Hunter.

That will take you to a PDF file that has his poetry on it, I hope that
you enjoy, I hope that you can understand it.

Mike.

 

[Llynn]

Enjoy it I did. I've never heard of him before but I like his (rhyme?) about the Scottish Highland Coo (cow). I used to own two of these beasties and it sort of describes the way they could fade into the timber on my property.

“On yonder hill there stood a coo / It’s no’ there noo / It must’a shif’ted”.

 

[Lewkat]

He wasn't all that awful. Liked his Christmas poem a lot.

 

[Mike]

A newspaper article written about him.

McGonagall Transfers his Affections​

As will be seen from the annexed new song from the pen of the City Poet,
he has already transferred his affections to “the beautiful city of Glasgow,”
to which he is shortly to retire. From a perusal of the “poem,” it will be
gathered that the poet is moved by the bonnie banks of the Clyde much
in the same way as the Tay, “So beautiful to seen at the Magdalen Green,”
used move him. Perhaps the most touching and, from the poet’s point of
view, the truest verse is the eighth, where he gives the people of Dundee
their character. The beautiful fourth line—

“The fact is, they don’t know how to treat a poet,”

contains the kernel of the whole matter. It is to hoped that Glasgow will
show a greater appreciation of poetic genius a la McGonagall than the
unregenerate city of Dundee.
People’s Journal, 5th October 1889

The site where that came from and the song referred to.

Mike.