David Gray '1838-1861'

The son of a hand loom weaver from Kirkintilloch In Dumbartonshire Of reading his poetry i for one could not tire Surely one of the best Scottish poets of his time He died in his twenty third year of life in his physical prime He lived and died poor and of him one can say That life was not easy on the poet David Gray Since eighteen sixty one his life's gift from him has gone But his legacy of beauty today is living on The works of his genius his legacy to humanity He had written and has left a lot of good poetry for one of twenty three He was a close friend of Robert Buchanan the great Scottish poet And David Gray in his own right remains as one worthy of literary note He was one with words who did have a way And in his poems the genius lives of David Gray But the saddest thing about him is that he died far too young And surely his praises deserve for to be sung One in his short life who knew of poverty Yet one of the great poets of the nineteenth century His genius in his poetry is living today And says more of the man than words of him could ever say.