Farewell to Tarwathie was written by the Scottish poet George Scroggie (1826-1907) and published in his 1857 collection The Peasant's Lyre. Scroggie lived on Tarwathie Farm, which is in Aberdeenshire.
It takes the form of a paean to his homeland by the protagonist, who is about to leave for Greenland on a whaling trip.
This Judy Collins recording of it can be found on her 1970 album Whales and Nightingales. She was by then an internationally known artist, having had a hit with Joni Mitchell's song Both Sides Now. I love the clarity of her voice here.
The whales on Farewell to Tarwathie, incidentally, also sang on the Kate Bush track Moving. They later took part in a world music tour with Trio Bulgarka and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but have since retired.
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