13076 "A maiden's vows," old Callum spoke: "The swan," she said, "the lake's clear breast The Awe's fierce stream may backward turn, Still in the water-lily's shade Her wonted nest the wild-swan made; No Highland brogue has turned the heel: She's wedded to the Earlie's son! THE BALLAD OF THE RED HARLAW› In The Antiquary› HE herring loves the merry moonlight, THE The mackerel loves the wind, But the oyster loves the dredging-sang, For they come of a gentle kind. Now haud your tongue, baith wife and carle, And I will sing of Glenallan's Earl The cronach's cried on Bennachie, And doun the Don and a', And hieland and lawland may mournfu' be For the sair field of Harlaw. They saddled a hundred milk-white steeds, They hae bridled a hundred black, With a chafron of steel on each horse's head, And a good knight upon his back. They hadna ridden a mile, a mile, A mile but barely ten, When Donald came branking down the brae Wi' twenty thousand men. Their tartans they were waving wide, The great Earl in his stirrup stood, "Now here a knight that's stout and good May prove a jeopardie: "Were I Glenallan's Earl this tide, And ye were Roland Cheyne, "If they hae twenty thousand blades, Yet they hae but their tartan plaids, "My horse shall ride through ranks sae rude, As through the moorland fern, Then ne'er let the gentle Norman blude He turned him right and round again, SONG: BRIGNALL BANKS From 'Rokeby' H, BRIGNALL banks are wild and fair, OH, And you may gather garlands there And as I rode by Dalton Hall, Beneath the turrets high, A maiden on the castle wall Was singing merrily: “Oh, Brignall banks are fresh and fair, I'd rather rove with Edmund there, "If, maiden, thou wouldst wend with me, And if thou canst that riddle read, Then to the greenwood shalt thou speed, Yet sung she, "Brignall banks are fair, "I read you, by your bugle-horn, And by your palfrey good, I read you for a Ranger sworn, To keep the king's greenwood.""A Ranger, lady, winds his horn, And 'tis at peep of light; His blast is heard at merry morn, I would I were with Edmund there, "With burnished brand and musketoon, So gallantly you come, I read you for a bold Dragoon, That lists the tuck of drum.”. But when the beetle sounds his hum, And oh! though Brignall banks be fair, Yet mickle must the maiden dare "Maiden! a nameless life I lead, A nameless death I'll die: The fiend, whose lantern lights the mead, And when I'm with my comrades met, What once we were we all forget, Nor think what we are now. Yet Brignall banks are fresh and fair, And you may gather garlands there T BONNY DUNDEE THE Lords of Convention 'twas Claver'se who spoke,— "Ere the King's crown shall fall there are crowns to be broke; So let each Cavalier who loves honor and me Chorus: :- Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can, Dundee he is mounted, he rides up the street: As he rode down the sanctified bends of the Bow, [Chorus. But the young plants of grace they looked couthie and slee, [Chorus. With sour-featured Whigs the Grass-market* was crammed, These cowls of Kilmarnock had spits and had spears, [Chorus. 1 But they shrunk to close-heads, and the causeway was free, [Chorus. He spurred to the foot of the proud Castle rock, "Let Mons Meg and her marrows speak twa words or three, For the love of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee." [Chorus. The Gordon demands of him which way he goes: [Chorus. "There are hills beyond Pentland, and lands beyond Forth; If there's lords in the Lowlands, there's chiefs in the North; *The place of public execution. |