Scotland mourning national poet Morgan

The funeral service for Scotland’s national poet Edwin Morgan was held yesterday.

Mr Morgan, who was born in Glasgow in 1920, was recognised as one of the great poets of the 20th century.

In 2004 he was appointed Scots Makar, in effect Scotland’s poet laureate, by the then First Minister Jack McConnell.

The 90-year-old passed away at his care home in Glasgow. He was suffering from prostate cancer since 1999 but it is understood he died after a bout of pneumonia.

The funeral service was held at the University of Glasgow’s Bute Hall. He worked as an academic at the university, where he became a lecturer and later a professor. Paying tribute, Anton Muscatelli, professor and principal and vice-chancellor of the ­University of Glasgow, described Mr ­Morgan as “as one of the finest poets Scotland has ever ­produced”.

He said: “His contribution to poetry and the arts in Scotland and beyond is huge, and he will be fondly remembered by a great many people.”

Mr Morgan was born in Glasgow’s West End and went to school in Rutherglen.

He served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in the Middle East during World War II before working at the University of ­Glasgow.

He was appointed Glasgow’s first Poet Laureate in 1999. His Sonnets from Scotland are considered one of the most important works of post-war literature and as well as writing poetry, he also translated poems from various other languages.