Слике страница
PDF
ePub

Her lion-port, her awe-commanding face
Attemper'd sweet to virgin-grace.

What strings symphonious tremble in the air,

What strains of vocal transport round her play?

120

Hear from the grave, great Tāliessin, hear;
They breathe a soul to animate thy clay.

Bright Rapture calls, and soaring as she sings,

Waves in the eye of heaven her many-colour'd wings.

[blocks in formation]

Fond impious man, think'st thou yon sanguine cloud

135

Raised by thy breath, has quench'd the orb of day?

[blocks in formation]

He spoke, and headlong from the mountain's height

Deep in the roaring tide he plunged to endless night.

[blocks in formation]

10.

11.

There Honour comes, a pilgrim gray,
To bless the turf that wraps their clay;
And Freedom shall awhile repair
To dwell a weeping hermit there!

LAMENT FOR CULLODEN

The lovely lass o' Inverness,
Nae joy nor pleasure can she see;
For e'en and morn she cries, Alas!
And aye the saut tear blins her ee:
Drumossie moor-Drumossie day-
A waefu' day it was to me!
For there I lost my father dear,
My father dear, and brethren three.

Their winding-sheet in the bluidy clay,
Their graves are growing green to see:
And by them lies the dearest lad
That ever blest a woman's ee!
Now wae to thee, thou cruel lord,
A bluidy man I trow thou be ;

For mony a heart thou hast made sair
That ne'er did wrang to thine or thee.

W. Collins

10

CLXI.

5

10

15

R. Burns

CLXII.

LAMENT FOR FLODDEN

I've heard them lilting at our ewe-milking,
Lasses a' lilting before dawn o' day;

But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning-
The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away.

At bughts, in the morning, nae blythe lads are scorning, 5
Lasses are lonely and dowie and wae ;

Nae daffin', nae gabbin', but sighing and sabbing,
Ilk ane lifts her leglin and hies her away.

In har'st, at the shearing, nae youths now are jeering,
Bandsters are lyart, and runkled, and gray;

At fair or at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching—
The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away.

10

At e'en, in the gloaming, nae younkers are roaming
'Bout stacks wi' the lasses at bogle to play;
But ilk ane sits drearie, lamenting her dearie-
The Flowers of the Forest are weded away.

Dool and wae for the order, sent our lads to the Border!
The English, for ance, by guile wan the day;
The Flowers of the Forest, that fought aye the foremost,
The prime of our land, are cauld in the clay.

We'll hear nae mair lilting at the ewe-milking;
Women and bairns are heartless and wae ;
Sighing and moaning on ilka green loaning—
The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away.

J. Elliott

15

20

12.

THE BRAES OF YARROW

Thy braes were bonny, Yarrow stream,
When first on them I met my lover;
Thy braes how dreary, Yarrow stream,
When now thy waves his body cover!
For ever now, O Yarrow stream!
Thou art to me a stream of sorrow;
For never on thy banks shall I

Behold my Love, the flower of Yarrow !

[blocks in formation]

Clasp'd in his arms, I little thought

That I should never more behold him!
Scarce was he gone, I saw his ghost;
It vanish'd with a shriek of sorrow;
Thrice did the water-wraith ascend,
And gave a doleful groan thro' Yarrow.

CLXIII.

5

10

15

20

His mother from the window look'd
With all the longing of a mother;
His little sister weeping walk'd

The green-wood path to meet her brother;

They sought him all the forest thorough;

They sought him east, they sought him west,

They only saw the cloud of night,

They only heard the roar of Yarrow.

No longer from thy window look-
Thou hast no son, thou tender mother!
No longer walk, thou lovely maid;
Alas, thou hast no more a brother!
No longer seek him east or west

And search no more the forest thorough;
For, wandering in the night so dark,
He fell a lifeless corpse in Yarrow.

The tear shall never leave my cheek,
No other youth shall be my marrow-
I'll seek thy body in the stream,

And then with thee I'll sleep in Yarrow.
--The tear did never leave her cheek,
No other youth became her marrow;
She found his body in the stream,

And now with him she sleeps in Yarrow.

13.

WILLY DROWNED IN YARROW

Down in yon garden sweet and gay
Where bonnie grows the lily,

I heard a fair maid sighing say,

My wish be wi' sweet Willie !

'Willie's rare, and Willie's fair,
And Willie's wondrous bonny;
And Willie hecht to marry me

Gin e'er he married ony.

25

30

335

40

45

J. Logan

CLXIV.

'O gentle wind, that bloweth south,
From where my Love repaireth,

10

Convey a kiss frae his dear mouth

And tell me how he fareth!

5

[blocks in formation]

'O tell sweet Willie to come doun
And hear the mavis singing,

And see the birds on ilka bush

And leaves around them hinging.

"The lav'rock there, wi' her white breast
And gentle throat sae narrow;
There's sport eneuch for gentlemen
On Leader haughs and Yarrow.

'O Leader haughs are wide and braid
And Yarrow haughs are bonny;
There Willie hecht to marry me
If e'er he married ony.

'But Willie's gone, whom I thought on,
And does not hear me weeping;
Draws many a tear frae true love's e'e
When other maids are sleeping.

'Yestreen I made my bed fu' braid,
The night I'll mak' it narrow,
For a' the live-lang winter night
I lie twined o' my marrow.

'O came ye by yon water-side?
Pou'd you the rose or lily?

Or came you by yon meadow green,
Or saw you my sweet Willie?'

She sought him up, she sought him down,
She sought him braid and narrow;

Syne, in the cleaving of a craig,

She found him drown'd in Yarrow !

330

35

40

[blocks in formation]
« ПретходнаНастави »