H NORA'S VOW EAR what Highland Nora said:- For all the gold, for all the gear, I would not wed the Earlie's son." "A maiden's vows," old Callum spoke: "The swan," she said, "the lake's clear breast May barter for the eagle's nest; 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 hieland and lawland may mournfu' be They saddled a hundred milk-white steeds, 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, Their glaives were glancing clear, The pibrochs rung frae side to side, The great Earl in his stirrup stood, That Highland host to see. "Now here a knight that's stout and good May prove a jeopardie: "What wouldst thou do, my squire so gay, That rides beside my reyne, Were ye Glenallan's Earl the day, And I were Roland Cheyne? "To turn the rein were sin and shame, "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, Ο SONG: BRIGNALL BANKS From Rokeby' H, BRIGNALL banks are wild and fair, 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, And Greta woods are green: I'd rather rove with Edmund there, Than reign our English queen." "If, maiden, thou wouldst wend with me, And if thou canst that riddle read, Then to the greenwood shalt thou speed, "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 O Come follow the bonnet of Bonny Dundee. Chorus: - Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can, Come saddle your horses, and call up your men; 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, [Chorus. These cowls of Kilmarnock had spits and had spears, And lang-hafted gullies to kill Cavaliers; 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. |