My home town stands at the confluence of two great rivers, The Slitrig and The Teviot. As a boy I often watched salmon leap. They swim into the mouth of the mighty Tweed at Berwick and make their way up to the Queen of the Borders before parting ways. Some follow the Slitrig, leaping rocks near the backdamgate, others follow the Teviot and have to leap the Cauld. I have always been fascinated by their life cycle, how they are born in a stream high in the hills, find their way to the sea and eventually return to the very spot they were born, to begin the cycle again. How they find their way back is a mystery, but they know where they are going, how to get there and they have the determination to succeed.
We could learn a thing or two if we care to reflect.
Salmon Song © Alan G Brydon
From a cool border burn to the depths of the sea
You’ll return to the pool where you first came to be
As your shimmering lustre reflects in the sun
A wash of fresh water, your journey’s begun
It’s a journey that starts at the mouth of the Tweed
Onwards and upwards where bold rivers meet
Leading the way to where new life will spawn
Bound for the burn where the Salmon was born
As you enter the river on the swell of the tide
With only the scent of the water to guide
Through rivers and burns, over auld caulds and weirs
Your purpose is sure and your destiny clear
Kings of the river and Queens of the sea
How you find your way back is a mystery to me
As you battle on homeward, your promise to keep
You fly over rocks in an almighty leap
In my life I have wandered for wandering’s sake
Often unsure of the path I must take
Bridges and crossroads confuse every day
Oh bonny fish will you show me the way