Bonnie Lesley

499.wage] stake, plight.

500.

OSAW ye bonnie LesleyAs she gaed o’er the Border?She’s gane, like Alexander,To spread her conquests farther.To see her is to love her,And love but her for ever;For Nature made her what she is,And ne’er made sic anither!Thou art a queen, fair Lesley,Thy subjects we, before thee:Thou art divine, fair Lesley,The hearts o’ men adore thee.The Deil he couldna scaith thee,Or aught that wad belang thee;He’d look into thy bonnie faceAnd say, ‘I canna wrang thee!’The Powers aboon will tent thee,Misfortune sha’na steer thee:Thou’rt like themsel’ sae lovely,That ill they’ll ne’er let near thee.Return again, fair Lesley,Return to Caledonie!That we may brag we hae a lassThere’s nane again sae bonnie!

OSAW ye bonnie LesleyAs she gaed o’er the Border?She’s gane, like Alexander,To spread her conquests farther.

To see her is to love her,And love but her for ever;For Nature made her what she is,And ne’er made sic anither!

Thou art a queen, fair Lesley,Thy subjects we, before thee:Thou art divine, fair Lesley,The hearts o’ men adore thee.

The Deil he couldna scaith thee,Or aught that wad belang thee;He’d look into thy bonnie faceAnd say, ‘I canna wrang thee!’

The Powers aboon will tent thee,Misfortune sha’na steer thee:Thou’rt like themsel’ sae lovely,That ill they’ll ne’er let near thee.

Return again, fair Lesley,Return to Caledonie!That we may brag we hae a lassThere’s nane again sae bonnie!

scaith] harm. tent] watch. steer] molest.

501.

YE banks and braes and streams aroundThe castle o’ Montgomery,Green be your woods, and fair your flowers,Your waters never drumlie!There simmer first unfauld her robes,And there the langest tarry;For there I took the last fareweelO’ my sweet Highland Mary.How sweetly bloom’d the gay green birk,How rich the hawthorn’s blossom,As underneath their fragrant shadeI clasp’d her to my bosom!The golden hours on angel wingsFlew o’er me and my dearie;For dear to me as light and lifeWas my sweet Highland Mary.Wi’ monie a vow and lock’d embraceOur parting was fu’ tender;And, pledging aft to meet again,We tore oursels asunder;But oh! fell Death’s untimely frost,That nipt my flower sae early!Now green’s the sod, and cauld’s the clay,That wraps my Highland Mary!O pale, pale now, those rosy lipsI aft hae kiss’d sae fondly!And closed for aye the sparkling glanceThat dwelt on me sae kindly!

How sweetly bloom’d the gay green birk,How rich the hawthorn’s blossom,As underneath their fragrant shadeI clasp’d her to my bosom!The golden hours on angel wingsFlew o’er me and my dearie;For dear to me as light and lifeWas my sweet Highland Mary.

Wi’ monie a vow and lock’d embraceOur parting was fu’ tender;And, pledging aft to meet again,We tore oursels asunder;But oh! fell Death’s untimely frost,That nipt my flower sae early!Now green’s the sod, and cauld’s the clay,That wraps my Highland Mary!

O pale, pale now, those rosy lipsI aft hae kiss’d sae fondly!And closed for aye the sparkling glanceThat dwelt on me sae kindly!

drumlie] miry.

AND mouldering now in silent dustThat heart that lo’ed me dearly!But still within my bosom’s coreShall live my Highland Mary.

502.

OWERE my Love yon lilac fair,Wi’ purple blossoms to the spring,And I a bird to shelter there,When wearied on my little wing;How I wad mourn when it was tornBy autumn wild and winter rude!But I wad sing on wanton wingWhen youthfu’ May its bloom renew’d.O gin my Love were yon red roseThat grows upon the castle wa’,And I mysel a drap o’ dew,Into her bonnie breast to fa’;O there, beyond expression blest,I’d feast on beauty a’ the night;Seal’d on her silk-saft faulds to rest,Till fley’d awa’ by Phœbus’ light.

O gin my Love were yon red roseThat grows upon the castle wa’,And I mysel a drap o’ dew,Into her bonnie breast to fa’;O there, beyond expression blest,I’d feast on beauty a’ the night;Seal’d on her silk-saft faulds to rest,Till fley’d awa’ by Phœbus’ light.

503.

O my Luve’s like a red, red roseThat’s newly sprung in June:O my Luve’s like the melodieThat’s sweetly play’d in tune!As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,So deep in luve am I:And I will luve thee still, my dear,Till a’ the seas gang dry:Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;I will luve thee still, my dear,While the sands o’ life shall run.And fare thee weel, my only Luve,And fare thee weel a while!And I will come again, my Luve,Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;I will luve thee still, my dear,While the sands o’ life shall run.And fare thee weel, my only Luve,And fare thee weel a while!And I will come again, my Luve,Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

504.

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 blin’s her e’e:‘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 the bluidy clay,Their graves are growing green to see;And by them lies the dearest ladThat ever blest a woman’s e’e!Now wae to thee, thou cruel lord,A bluidy man I trow thou be;For monie a heart thou hast made sair,That ne’er did wrang to thine or thee.’

‘Their winding-sheet the bluidy clay,Their graves are growing green to see;And by them lies the dearest ladThat ever blest a woman’s e’e!Now wae to thee, thou cruel lord,A bluidy man I trow thou be;For monie a heart thou hast made sair,That ne’er did wrang to thine or thee.’

505.

IT was a’ for our rightfu’ KingWe left fair Scotland’s strand;It was a’ for our rightfu’ KingWe e’er saw Irish land,My dear—We e’er saw Irish land.Now a’ is done that men can do,And a’ is done in vain;My love and native land, farewell,For I maun cross the main,My dear—For I maun cross the main.He turn’d him right and round aboutUpon the Irish shore;And gae his bridle-reins a shake,With, Adieu for evermore,My dear—With, Adieu for evermore!The sodger frae the wars returns,The sailor frae the main;But I hae parted frae my love,Never to meet again,My dear—Never to meet again.When day is gane, and night is come,And a’ folk bound to sleep,I think on him that’s far awa’,The lee-lang night, and weep,My dear—The lee-lang night, and weep.

IT was a’ for our rightfu’ KingWe left fair Scotland’s strand;It was a’ for our rightfu’ KingWe e’er saw Irish land,My dear—We e’er saw Irish land.

Now a’ is done that men can do,And a’ is done in vain;My love and native land, farewell,For I maun cross the main,My dear—For I maun cross the main.

He turn’d him right and round aboutUpon the Irish shore;And gae his bridle-reins a shake,With, Adieu for evermore,My dear—With, Adieu for evermore!

The sodger frae the wars returns,The sailor frae the main;But I hae parted frae my love,Never to meet again,My dear—Never to meet again.

When day is gane, and night is come,And a’ folk bound to sleep,I think on him that’s far awa’,The lee-lang night, and weep,My dear—The lee-lang night, and weep.

lee-lang] livelong.

506.

Ca’ the yowes to the knowes,Ca’ them where the heather grows,Ca’ them where the burnie rows,My bonnie dearie.Hark! the mavis’ evening sangSounding Clouden’s woods amang.Then a-faulding let us gang,My bonnie dearie.We’ll gae down by Clouden side,Through the hazels spreading wide,O’er the waves that sweetly glideTo the moon sae clearly.Yonder Clouden’s silent towers,Where at moonshine midnight hoursO’er the dewy bending flowersFairies dance sae cheery.Ghaist nor bogle shalt thou fear;Thou’rt to Love and Heaven sae dear,Nocht of ill may come thee near,My bonnie dearie.Fair and lovely as thou art,Thou hast stown my very heart;I can die—but canna part,My bonnie dearie.While waters wimple to the sea;While day blinks in the lift sae hie;Till clay-cauld death shall blin’ my e’e,Ye shall be my dearie.Ca’ the yowes to the knowes...

Ca’ the yowes to the knowes,Ca’ them where the heather grows,Ca’ them where the burnie rows,My bonnie dearie.

Hark! the mavis’ evening sangSounding Clouden’s woods amang.Then a-faulding let us gang,My bonnie dearie.

We’ll gae down by Clouden side,Through the hazels spreading wide,O’er the waves that sweetly glideTo the moon sae clearly.

Yonder Clouden’s silent towers,Where at moonshine midnight hoursO’er the dewy bending flowersFairies dance sae cheery.

Ghaist nor bogle shalt thou fear;Thou’rt to Love and Heaven sae dear,Nocht of ill may come thee near,My bonnie dearie.

Fair and lovely as thou art,Thou hast stown my very heart;I can die—but canna part,My bonnie dearie.

While waters wimple to the sea;While day blinks in the lift sae hie;Till clay-cauld death shall blin’ my e’e,Ye shall be my dearie.

Ca’ the yowes to the knowes...

lift] sky.

1750-1819

507.

ANGEL, king of streaming morn;Cherub, call’d by Heav’n to shine;T’ orient tread the waste forlorn;Guide ætherial, pow’r divine;Thou, Lord of all within!Golden spirit, lamp of day,Host, that dips in blood the plain,Bids the crimson’d mead be gay,Bids the green blood burst the vein;Thou, Lord of all within!Soul, that wraps the globe in light;Spirit, beckoning to arise;Drives the frowning brow of night,Glory bursting o’er the skies;Thou, Lord of all within!

ANGEL, king of streaming morn;Cherub, call’d by Heav’n to shine;T’ orient tread the waste forlorn;Guide ætherial, pow’r divine;Thou, Lord of all within!

Golden spirit, lamp of day,Host, that dips in blood the plain,Bids the crimson’d mead be gay,Bids the green blood burst the vein;Thou, Lord of all within!

Soul, that wraps the globe in light;Spirit, beckoning to arise;Drives the frowning brow of night,Glory bursting o’er the skies;Thou, Lord of all within!

508.

THEE too, modest tressèd maid,When thy fallen stars appear;When in lawn of fire array’dSov’reign of yon powder’d sphere;To thee I chant at close of day,Beneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.Throned in sapphired ring supreme,Pregnant with celestial juice,On silver wing thy diamond streamGives what summer hours produce;While view’d impearl’d earth’s rich inlay,Beneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.Glad, pale Cynthian wine I sip,Breathed the flow’ry leaves among;Draughts delicious wet my lip;Drown’d in nectar drunk my song;While tuned to Philomel the lay,Beneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.Dew, that od’rous ointment yields,Sweets, that western winds disclose,Bathing spring’s more purpled fields,Soft’s the band that winds the rose;While o’er thy myrtled lawns I strayBeneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.

THEE too, modest tressèd maid,When thy fallen stars appear;When in lawn of fire array’dSov’reign of yon powder’d sphere;To thee I chant at close of day,Beneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.

Throned in sapphired ring supreme,Pregnant with celestial juice,On silver wing thy diamond streamGives what summer hours produce;While view’d impearl’d earth’s rich inlay,Beneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.

Glad, pale Cynthian wine I sip,Breathed the flow’ry leaves among;Draughts delicious wet my lip;Drown’d in nectar drunk my song;While tuned to Philomel the lay,Beneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.

Dew, that od’rous ointment yields,Sweets, that western winds disclose,Bathing spring’s more purpled fields,Soft’s the band that winds the rose;While o’er thy myrtled lawns I strayBeneath, O maiden Moon! thy ray.

1762-1850

509.

OTIME! who know’st a lenient hand to laySoftest on sorrow’s wound, and slowly thence(Lulling to sad repose the weary sense)The faint pang stealest unperceived away;On thee I rest my only hope at last,And think, when thou hast dried the bitter tearThat flows in vain o’er all my soul held dear,I may look back on every sorrow past,And meet life’s peaceful evening with a smile:As some lone bird, at day’s departing hour,Sings in the sunbeam, of the transient showerForgetful, though its wings are wet the while:—Yet ah! how much must this poor heart endure,Which hopes from thee, and thee alone, a cure!

1762-1851

510.

THE chough and crow to roost are gone,The owl sits on the tree,The hush’d wind wails with feeble moan,Like infant charity.The wild-fire dances on the fen,The red star sheds its ray;Uprouse ye then, my merry men!It is our op’ning day.Both child and nurse are fast asleep,And closed is every flower,And winking tapers faintly peepHigh from my lady’s bower;Bewilder’d hinds with shorten’d kenShrink on their murky way;Uprouse ye then, my merry men!It is our op’ning day.Nor board nor garner own we now,Nor roof nor latchèd door,Nor kind mate, bound by holy vowTo bless a good man’s store;Noon lulls us in a gloomy den,And night is grown our day;Uprouse ye then, my merry men!And use it as ye may.

Both child and nurse are fast asleep,And closed is every flower,And winking tapers faintly peepHigh from my lady’s bower;Bewilder’d hinds with shorten’d kenShrink on their murky way;Uprouse ye then, my merry men!It is our op’ning day.

Nor board nor garner own we now,Nor roof nor latchèd door,Nor kind mate, bound by holy vowTo bless a good man’s store;Noon lulls us in a gloomy den,And night is grown our day;Uprouse ye then, my merry men!And use it as ye may.

1765-1847

511.

ACHILD’s a plaything for an hour;Its pretty tricks we tryFor that or for a longer space—Then tire, and lay it by.But I knew one that to itselfAll seasons could control;That would have mock’d the sense of painOut of a grievèd soul.Thou straggler into loving arms,Young climber-up of knees,When I forget thy thousand waysThen life and all shall cease.

ACHILD’s a plaything for an hour;Its pretty tricks we tryFor that or for a longer space—Then tire, and lay it by.

But I knew one that to itselfAll seasons could control;That would have mock’d the sense of painOut of a grievèd soul.

Thou straggler into loving arms,Young climber-up of knees,When I forget thy thousand waysThen life and all shall cease.

1766-1845

512.

I’m wearin’ awa’, JohnLike snaw-wreaths in thaw, John,I’m wearin’ awa’To the land o’ the leal.There’s nae sorrow there, John,There’s neither cauld nor care, John,The day is aye fairIn the land o’ the leal.Our bonnie bairn’s there, John,She was baith gude and fair, John;And O! we grudged her sairTo the land o’ the leal.But sorrow’s sel’ wears past, John,And joy’s a-coming fast, John,The joy that’s aye to lastIn the land o’ the leal.Sae dear’s the joy was bought, John,Sae free the battle fought, John,That sinfu’ man e’er broughtTo the land o’ the leal.O, dry your glistening e’e, John!My saul langs to be free, John,And angels beckon meTo the land o’ the leal.O, haud ye leal and true, John!Your day it’s wearin’ through, John,And I’ll welcome youTo the land o’ the leal.Now fare-ye-weel, my ain John,This warld’s cares are vain, John,We’ll meet, and we’ll be fain,In the land o’ the leal.

Our bonnie bairn’s there, John,She was baith gude and fair, John;And O! we grudged her sairTo the land o’ the leal.But sorrow’s sel’ wears past, John,And joy’s a-coming fast, John,The joy that’s aye to lastIn the land o’ the leal.

Sae dear’s the joy was bought, John,Sae free the battle fought, John,That sinfu’ man e’er broughtTo the land o’ the leal.O, dry your glistening e’e, John!My saul langs to be free, John,And angels beckon meTo the land o’ the leal.

O, haud ye leal and true, John!Your day it’s wearin’ through, John,And I’ll welcome youTo the land o’ the leal.Now fare-ye-weel, my ain John,This warld’s cares are vain, John,We’ll meet, and we’ll be fain,In the land o’ the leal.

1770-1835

513.

WHERE the pools are bright and deep,Where the grey trout lies asleep,Up the river and over the lea,That’s the way for Billy and me.Where the blackbird sings the latest,Where the hawthorn blooms the sweetest,Where the nestlings chirp and flee,That’s the way for Billy and me.Where the mowers mow the cleanest,Where the hay lies thick and greenest,There to track the homeward bee,That’s the way for Billy and me.Where the hazel bank is steepest,Where the shadow falls the deepest,Where the clustering nuts fall free,That’s the way for Billy and me.Why the boys should drive awayLittle sweet maidens from the play,Or love to banter and fight so well,That’s the thing I never could tell.But this I know, I love to playThrough the meadow, among the hay;Up the water and over the lea,That’s the way for Billy and me.

WHERE the pools are bright and deep,Where the grey trout lies asleep,Up the river and over the lea,That’s the way for Billy and me.

Where the blackbird sings the latest,Where the hawthorn blooms the sweetest,Where the nestlings chirp and flee,That’s the way for Billy and me.

Where the mowers mow the cleanest,Where the hay lies thick and greenest,There to track the homeward bee,That’s the way for Billy and me.

Where the hazel bank is steepest,Where the shadow falls the deepest,Where the clustering nuts fall free,That’s the way for Billy and me.

Why the boys should drive awayLittle sweet maidens from the play,Or love to banter and fight so well,That’s the thing I never could tell.

But this I know, I love to playThrough the meadow, among the hay;Up the water and over the lea,That’s the way for Billy and me.

514.

BONNIE Kilmeny gaed up the glen;But it wasna to meet Duneira’s men,Nor the rosy monk of the isle to see,For Kilmeny was pure as pure could be.It was only to hear the yorlin sing,And pu’ the cress-flower round the spring;The scarlet hypp and the hindberrye,And the nut that hung frae the hazel tree;For Kilmeny was pure as pure could be.But lang may her minny look o’er the wa’,And lang may she seek i’ the green-wood shaw;Lang the laird o’ Duneira blame,And lang, lang greet or Kilmeny come hame!

514.yorlin] the yellow-hammer. hindberrye] bramble. minny] mother. greet] mourn.

WHEN many a day had come and fled,When grief grew calm, and hope was dead,When mess for Kilmeny’s soul had been sung,When the bedesman had pray’d and the dead bell rung,Late, late in gloamin’ when all was still,When the fringe was red on the westlin hill,The wood was sere, the moon i’ the wane,The reek o’ the cot hung over the plain,Like a little wee cloud in the world its lane;When the ingle low’d wi’ an eiry leme,Late, late in the gloamin’ Kilmeny came hame!‘Kilmeny, Kilmeny, where have you been?Lang hae we sought baith holt and den;By linn, by ford, and green-wood tree,Yet you are halesome and fair to see.Where gat you that joup o’ the lily scheen?That bonnie snood of the birk sae green?And these roses, the fairest that ever were seen?Kilmeny, Kilmeny, where have you been?’Kilmeny look’d up with a lovely grace,But nae smile was seen on Kilmeny’s face;As still was her look, and as still was her e’e,As the stillness that lay on the emerant lea,Or the mist that sleeps on a waveless sea.For Kilmeny had been, she knew not where,And Kilmeny had seen what she could not declare;Kilmeny had been where the cock never crew,Where the rain never fell, and the wind never blew.But it seem’d as the harp of the sky had rung,And the airs of heaven play’d round her tongue,

‘Kilmeny, Kilmeny, where have you been?Lang hae we sought baith holt and den;By linn, by ford, and green-wood tree,Yet you are halesome and fair to see.Where gat you that joup o’ the lily scheen?That bonnie snood of the birk sae green?And these roses, the fairest that ever were seen?Kilmeny, Kilmeny, where have you been?’

Kilmeny look’d up with a lovely grace,But nae smile was seen on Kilmeny’s face;As still was her look, and as still was her e’e,As the stillness that lay on the emerant lea,Or the mist that sleeps on a waveless sea.For Kilmeny had been, she knew not where,And Kilmeny had seen what she could not declare;Kilmeny had been where the cock never crew,Where the rain never fell, and the wind never blew.But it seem’d as the harp of the sky had rung,And the airs of heaven play’d round her tongue,

westlin] western. its lane] alone, by itself. low’d] flamed. eiry leme] eery gleam. linn] waterfall. joup] mantle.

WHEN she spake of the lovely forms she had seen,And a land where sin had never been;A land of love and a land of light,Withouten sun, or moon, or night;Where the river swa’d a living stream,And the light a pure celestial beam;The land of vision, it would seem,A still, an everlasting dream.In yon green-wood there is a waik,And in that waik there is a wene,And in that wene there is a maike,That neither has flesh, blood, nor bane;And down in yon green-wood he walks his lane.In that green wene Kilmeny lay,Her bosom happ’d wi’ flowerets gay;But the air was soft and the silence deep,And bonnie Kilmeny fell sound asleep.She kenn’d nae mair, nor open’d her e’e,Till waked by the hymns of a far countrye.She ‘waken’d on a couch of the silk sae slim,All striped wi’ the bars of the rainbow’s rim;And lovely beings round were rife,Who erst had travell’d mortal life;And aye they smiled and ’gan to speer,‘What spirit has brought this mortal here?’—‘Lang have I journey’d, the world wide,’A meek and reverend fere replied;‘Baith night and day I have watch’d the fair,Eident a thousand years and mair.

In yon green-wood there is a waik,And in that waik there is a wene,And in that wene there is a maike,That neither has flesh, blood, nor bane;And down in yon green-wood he walks his lane.

In that green wene Kilmeny lay,Her bosom happ’d wi’ flowerets gay;But the air was soft and the silence deep,And bonnie Kilmeny fell sound asleep.She kenn’d nae mair, nor open’d her e’e,Till waked by the hymns of a far countrye.

She ‘waken’d on a couch of the silk sae slim,All striped wi’ the bars of the rainbow’s rim;And lovely beings round were rife,Who erst had travell’d mortal life;And aye they smiled and ’gan to speer,‘What spirit has brought this mortal here?’—

‘Lang have I journey’d, the world wide,’A meek and reverend fere replied;‘Baith night and day I have watch’d the fair,Eident a thousand years and mair.

swa’d] swelled. waik] a row of deep damp grass. wene]? whin, a furze-bush. maike] a mate, match, equal. his lane] alone, by himself. happ’d] covered. speer] inquire. fere] fellow. eident] unintermittently.

YES, I have watch’d o’er ilk degree,Wherever blooms femenitye;But sinless virgin, free of stainIn mind and body, fand I nane.Never, since the banquet of time,Found I a virgin in her prime.Till late this bonnie maiden I sawAs spotless as the morning snaw:Full twenty years she has lived as freeAs the spirits that sojourn in this countrye:I have brought her away frae the snares of men,That sin or death she never may ken.’—They clasp’d her waist and her hands sae fair,They kiss’d her cheek and they kemed her hair,And round came many a blooming fere,Saying, ‘Bonnie Kilmeny, ye’re welcome here!Women are freed of the littand scorn:O blest be the day Kilmeny was born!Now shall the land of the spirits see,Now shall it ken what a woman may be!Many a lang year, in sorrow and pain,Many a lang year through the world we’ve gane,Commission’d to watch fair womankind,For it’s they who nurice the immortal mind.We have watch’d their steps as the dawning shone,And deep in the green-wood walks alone;By lily bower and silken bed,The viewless tears have o’er them shed;Have soothed their ardent minds to sleep,Or left the couch of love to weep.

They clasp’d her waist and her hands sae fair,They kiss’d her cheek and they kemed her hair,And round came many a blooming fere,Saying, ‘Bonnie Kilmeny, ye’re welcome here!Women are freed of the littand scorn:O blest be the day Kilmeny was born!Now shall the land of the spirits see,Now shall it ken what a woman may be!Many a lang year, in sorrow and pain,Many a lang year through the world we’ve gane,Commission’d to watch fair womankind,For it’s they who nurice the immortal mind.We have watch’d their steps as the dawning shone,And deep in the green-wood walks alone;By lily bower and silken bed,The viewless tears have o’er them shed;Have soothed their ardent minds to sleep,Or left the couch of love to weep.

kemed] combed.

WE have seen! we have seen! but the time must come,And the angels will weep at the day of doom!‘O would the fairest of mortal kindAye keep the holy truths in mind,That kindred spirits their motions see,Who watch their ways with anxious e’e,And grieve for the guilt of humanitye!O, sweet to Heaven the maiden’s prayer,And the sigh that heaves a bosom sae fair!And dear to Heaven the words of truth,And the praise of virtue frae beauty’s mouth!And dear to the viewless forms of air,The minds that kyth as the body fair!‘O bonnie Kilmeny! free frae stain,If ever you seek the world again,That world of sin, of sorrow and fear,O tell of the joys that are waiting here;And tell of the signs you shall shortly see;Of the times that are now, and the times that shall be.’—They lifted Kilmeny, they led her away,And she walk’d in the light of a sunless day;The sky was a dome of crystal bright,The fountain of vision, and fountain of light:The emerald fields were of dazzling glow,And the flowers of everlasting blow.Then deep in the stream her body they laid,That her youth and beauty never might fade;And they smiled on heaven, when they saw her lieIn the stream of life that wander’d bye.And she heard a song, she heard it sung,She kenn’d not where; but sae sweetly it rung,

WE have seen! we have seen! but the time must come,And the angels will weep at the day of doom!

‘O would the fairest of mortal kindAye keep the holy truths in mind,That kindred spirits their motions see,Who watch their ways with anxious e’e,And grieve for the guilt of humanitye!O, sweet to Heaven the maiden’s prayer,And the sigh that heaves a bosom sae fair!And dear to Heaven the words of truth,And the praise of virtue frae beauty’s mouth!And dear to the viewless forms of air,The minds that kyth as the body fair!

‘O bonnie Kilmeny! free frae stain,If ever you seek the world again,That world of sin, of sorrow and fear,O tell of the joys that are waiting here;And tell of the signs you shall shortly see;Of the times that are now, and the times that shall be.’—They lifted Kilmeny, they led her away,And she walk’d in the light of a sunless day;The sky was a dome of crystal bright,The fountain of vision, and fountain of light:The emerald fields were of dazzling glow,And the flowers of everlasting blow.Then deep in the stream her body they laid,That her youth and beauty never might fade;And they smiled on heaven, when they saw her lieIn the stream of life that wander’d bye.And she heard a song, she heard it sung,She kenn’d not where; but sae sweetly it rung,

kyth] show, appear.

IT fell on the ear like a dream of the morn:‘O, blest be the day Kilmeny was born!Now shall the land of the spirits see,Now shall it ken what a woman may be!The sun that shines on the world sae bright,A borrow’d gleid frae the fountain of light;And the moon that sleeks the sky sae dun,Like a gouden bow, or a beamless sun,Shall wear away, and be seen nae mair,And the angels shall miss them travelling the air.But lang, lang after baith night and day,When the sun and the world have elyed away;When the sinner has gane to his waesome doom,Kilmeny shall smile in eternal bloom!’—They bore her away, she wist not how,For she felt not arm nor rest below;But so swift they wain’d her through the light,’Twas like the motion of sound or sight;They seem’d to split the gales of air,And yet nor gale nor breeze was there.Unnumber’d groves below them grew,They came, they pass’d, and backward flew,Like floods of blossoms gliding on,In moment seen, in moment gone.O, never vales to mortal viewAppear’d like those o’er which they flew!That land to human spirits given,The lowermost vales of the storied heaven;From thence they can view the world below,And heaven’s blue gates with sapphires glow,More glory yet unmeet to know.

They bore her away, she wist not how,For she felt not arm nor rest below;But so swift they wain’d her through the light,’Twas like the motion of sound or sight;They seem’d to split the gales of air,And yet nor gale nor breeze was there.Unnumber’d groves below them grew,They came, they pass’d, and backward flew,Like floods of blossoms gliding on,In moment seen, in moment gone.O, never vales to mortal viewAppear’d like those o’er which they flew!That land to human spirits given,The lowermost vales of the storied heaven;From thence they can view the world below,And heaven’s blue gates with sapphires glow,More glory yet unmeet to know.

gleid] spark, glow. elyed] vanished.

THEY bore her far to a mountain green,To see what mortal never had seen;And they seated her high on a purple sward,And bade her heed what she saw and heard,And note the changes the spirits wrought,For now she lived in the land of thought.She look’d, and she saw nor sun nor skies,But a crystal dome of a thousand dyes:She look’d, and she saw nae land aright,But an endless whirl of glory and light:And radiant beings went and came,Far swifter than wind, or the linkèd flame.She hid her e’en frae the dazzling view;She look’d again, and the scene was new.She saw a sun on a summer sky,And clouds of amber sailing bye;A lovely land beneath her lay,And that land had glens and mountains gray;And that land had valleys and hoary piles,And marlèd seas, and a thousand isles.Its fields were speckled, its forests greenAnd its lakes were all of the dazzling sheen,Like magic mirrors, where slumbering layThe sun and the sky and the cloudlet gray;Which heaved and trembled, and gently swung,On every shore they seem’d to be hung;For there they were seen on their downward plainA thousand times and a thousand again;In winding lake and placid firth,Little peaceful heavens in the bosom of earth.

She saw a sun on a summer sky,And clouds of amber sailing bye;A lovely land beneath her lay,And that land had glens and mountains gray;And that land had valleys and hoary piles,And marlèd seas, and a thousand isles.Its fields were speckled, its forests greenAnd its lakes were all of the dazzling sheen,Like magic mirrors, where slumbering layThe sun and the sky and the cloudlet gray;Which heaved and trembled, and gently swung,On every shore they seem’d to be hung;For there they were seen on their downward plainA thousand times and a thousand again;In winding lake and placid firth,Little peaceful heavens in the bosom of earth.

marlèd] variegated, parti-coloured.

KILMENY sigh’d and seem’d to grieve,For she found her heart to that land did cleave;She saw the corn wave on the vale,She saw the deer run down the dale;She saw the plaid and the broad claymore,And the brows that the badge of freedom bore;And she thought she had seen the land before.She saw a lady sit on a throne,The fairest that ever the sun shone on!A lion lick’d her hand of milk,And she held him in a leish of silk;And a leifu’ maiden stood at her knee,With a silver wand and melting e’e;Her sovereign shield till love stole in,And poison’d all the fount within.Then a gruff untoward bedesman came,And hundit the lion on his dame;And the guardian maid wi’ the dauntless e’e,She dropp’d a tear, and left her knee;And she saw till the queen frae the lion fled,Till the bonniest flower of the world lay dead;A coffin was set on a distant plain,And she saw the red blood fall like rain;Then bonnie Kilmeny’s heart grew sair,And she turn’d away, and could look nae mair.Then the gruff grim carle girn’d amain,And they trampled him down, but he rose again;And he baited the lion to deeds of weir,Till he lapp’d the blood to the kingdom dear;

She saw a lady sit on a throne,The fairest that ever the sun shone on!A lion lick’d her hand of milk,And she held him in a leish of silk;And a leifu’ maiden stood at her knee,With a silver wand and melting e’e;Her sovereign shield till love stole in,And poison’d all the fount within.

Then a gruff untoward bedesman came,And hundit the lion on his dame;And the guardian maid wi’ the dauntless e’e,She dropp’d a tear, and left her knee;And she saw till the queen frae the lion fled,Till the bonniest flower of the world lay dead;A coffin was set on a distant plain,And she saw the red blood fall like rain;Then bonnie Kilmeny’s heart grew sair,And she turn’d away, and could look nae mair.

Then the gruff grim carle girn’d amain,And they trampled him down, but he rose again;And he baited the lion to deeds of weir,Till he lapp’d the blood to the kingdom dear;

leifu’] lone, wistful. girn’d] snarled. weir] war.

AND weening his head was danger-preef,When crown’d with the rose and clover leaf,He gowl’d at the carle, and chased him awayTo feed wi’ the deer on the mountain gray.He gowl’d at the carle, and geck’d at Heaven,But his mark was set, and his arles given.Kilmeny a while her e’en withdrew;She look’d again, and the scene was new.She saw before her fair unfurl’dOne half of all the glowing world,Where oceans roll’d, and rivers ran,To bound the aims of sinful man.She saw a people, fierce and fell,Burst frae their bounds like fiends of hell;Their lilies grew, and the eagle flew;And she herkèd on her ravening crew,Till the cities and towers were wrapp’d in a blaze,And the thunder it roar’d o’er the lands and the seas.The widows they wail’d, and the red blood ran,And she threatened an end to the race of man;She never lened, nor stood in awe,Till caught by the lion’s deadly paw.O, then the eagle swink’d for life,And brainyell’d up a mortal strife;But flew she north, or flew she south,She met wi’ the gowl o’ the lion’s mouth.With a mooted wing and waefu’ maen,The eagle sought her eiry again;But lang may she cower in her bloody nest,And lang, lang sleek her wounded breast,

She saw before her fair unfurl’dOne half of all the glowing world,Where oceans roll’d, and rivers ran,To bound the aims of sinful man.She saw a people, fierce and fell,Burst frae their bounds like fiends of hell;Their lilies grew, and the eagle flew;And she herkèd on her ravening crew,Till the cities and towers were wrapp’d in a blaze,And the thunder it roar’d o’er the lands and the seas.The widows they wail’d, and the red blood ran,And she threatened an end to the race of man;She never lened, nor stood in awe,Till caught by the lion’s deadly paw.O, then the eagle swink’d for life,And brainyell’d up a mortal strife;But flew she north, or flew she south,She met wi’ the gowl o’ the lion’s mouth.

With a mooted wing and waefu’ maen,The eagle sought her eiry again;But lang may she cower in her bloody nest,And lang, lang sleek her wounded breast,

gowl’d] howled. geck’d] mocked. arles] money paid on striking a bargain; fig. a beating. lened] crouched. swink’d] laboured. brainyell’d] stirred, beat. mooted] moulted.

BEFORE she sey another flight,To play with the norland lion’s might.But to sing the sights Kilmeny saw,So far surpassing nature’s law,The singer’s voice wad sink away,And the string of his harp wad cease to play.But she saw till the sorrows of man were bye,And all was love and harmony;Till the stars of heaven fell calmly away,Like flakes of snaw on a winter day.Then Kilmeny begg’d again to seeThe friends she had left in her own countrye;To tell of the place where she had been,And the glories that lay in the land unseen;To warn the living maidens fair,The loved of Heaven, the spirits’ care,That all whose minds unmeled remainShall bloom in beauty when time is gane.With distant music, soft and deep,They lull’d Kilmeny sound asleep;And when she awaken’d, she lay her lane,All happ’d with flowers, in the green-wood wene.When seven lang years had come and fled,When grief was calm, and hope was dead;When scarce was remember’d Kilmeny’s name,Late, late in a gloamin’ Kilmeny came hame!And O, her beauty was fair to see,But still and steadfast was her e’e!Such beauty bard may never declare,For there was no pride nor passion there;

BEFORE she sey another flight,To play with the norland lion’s might.

But to sing the sights Kilmeny saw,So far surpassing nature’s law,The singer’s voice wad sink away,And the string of his harp wad cease to play.But she saw till the sorrows of man were bye,And all was love and harmony;Till the stars of heaven fell calmly away,Like flakes of snaw on a winter day.

Then Kilmeny begg’d again to seeThe friends she had left in her own countrye;To tell of the place where she had been,And the glories that lay in the land unseen;To warn the living maidens fair,The loved of Heaven, the spirits’ care,That all whose minds unmeled remainShall bloom in beauty when time is gane.

With distant music, soft and deep,They lull’d Kilmeny sound asleep;And when she awaken’d, she lay her lane,All happ’d with flowers, in the green-wood wene.When seven lang years had come and fled,When grief was calm, and hope was dead;When scarce was remember’d Kilmeny’s name,Late, late in a gloamin’ Kilmeny came hame!And O, her beauty was fair to see,But still and steadfast was her e’e!Such beauty bard may never declare,For there was no pride nor passion there;

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