Brisk as a bridegroom gaun to wed, For blithesome Sir John Barleycorn Had charm'd them sae, this simmer's morn, That, what wi' drams, and many a horn, And reaming bicker, The ferley is, withouten scorn, They walk'd sae sicker. As through the town their banners fly, Frae windows low, frae windows high, A' that could find a neuk to spy Were leaning o'er : The streets, stair-heads, and carts forbye Were a' uproar ! Frae the Freer's Vennel, through and through, Care seem'd to've bid Dumfries adieu ! Housewives forgat to bake or brew, Owerjoy'd, the while, To view their friends a' marching now In warlike style! To see his face whom she loo'd best, Hab's wife was there amang the rest ; And, as wi' joy her sides she prest,. Like mony mae, Her exultation was exprest In words like thae : "Wow! but it maks ane's heart lowp light To see auld fowk sae cleanly dight! But on the meeker maiden's part, Deep sighs, the language o' the heart, A flame whilk a' the gloss of art Frae rank to rank while thousands hustle, In front, like waving corn, they rustle; The royal cause of a' this bustle, Suspended frae a painted pole, A glimpse o't sae inspir'd the whole, That auld and young, wi' heart and soul, Their heads were cocking, Keen as ye've seen, at bridals droll, Maids catch the stocking! In honour o' this gaudy thing, And eke in honour o' the king, A fouth o' flow'rs the gard'ners bring, And frame sweet posies Of a' the relics o' the spring, And simmer's roses! Amang the flow'ry forms they weave, There's Adam to the life, and Eve: She, wi' the apple in her neeve, Enticing Adam; While Satan's laughing, in his sleeve, At him and madam! The lily white, the vi'let blue, The heather-bells of azure hue, Heart's-ease for lovers kind and true, Whate'er their lot, And that dear flow'r to friendship due, Forget-me-not' A' thae, and wi' them, mingled now, Pinks and carnations not a few, Fresh garlands, glitt'ring wi' the dew And yellow broom, Athort the scented welkin threw A rich perfume! Perfume, congenial to the clime, The sweetest in the sweetest time! The merry bells, in jocund chime, Rang through the air, And minstrels play'd in strains sublime, To charm the fair! And fairer than our Nithsdale fair, Or handsomer, there's nane elsewhere! Pure as the streams that murmur there, In them ye'll find That virtue and the graces rare Are a' enshrin'd! Lang may the bonnie bairns recline On plenty's bosom, saft and kind! And, O! may I, ere life shall dwine To its last scene, Return, and a' my sorrows tine, LOGAN'S BRAES. "By Logan's streams that rin sae deep, "Nae mair at Logan kirk will he 'At e'en, when hope amaist is gane, I dauner out, or sit alane, Sit alane beneath the tree Where aft he kept his tryst wi' me. O! cou'd I see thae days again, My lover skaithless, an' my ain! Belov'd by frien's, rever'd by faes, We'd live in bliss on Logan braes." While for her love she thus did sigh,1 While sair she grat on Logan braes. Says he, What gars thee greet sae sair, What fills thy heart sae fu' o' care? An' playfu' skip on Logan braes." gane, When I wi' grief did herd alane, I These three stanzas are by an anonymous author, and were added after Mayne's death. MRS GRANT. 1745-1814. MRS GRANT of Carron, the author of 66 Roy's Wife," one of the sprightliest songs in the language, was born near Aberlour, at the mouth of the Spey, about 1745. She was latterly married to Dr Murray of Bath, and died about 1814. She has often been confounded with Mrs Grant of Laggan, a lady more celebrated for her prose than her poetry, but who also has written one good song, commonly known as the "Blue Bells of Scotland," although it has no reference to those flowers. "Roy's Wife" is one of the most living favourites, and has the distinction of being rendered into Latin by Dr Lindsay Alexander of Edinburgh. ROY'S WIFE. Roy's wife of Alldivalloch, Roy's wife of Alldivalloch, Wat ye how she cheated me, As I cam' o'er the Braes o' Balloch. She vow'd, she swore, she wad be mine, We'el could she dance the Highland walloch; How happy I had she been mine, Or I been Roy of Ardivalloch! Her face sae fair, her e'en sae clear, Her wee bit mou' sae sweet and bonny; To me she ever will be dear, Though she's for ever left her Johnnie. Ben gaed our gudeman, And ben gaed he; And there he spied a sturdy man Where nae man should be. How cam' this man here? How can this be? A man! quo' she : And blinder mat ye be ; It's a new milking maid My mither sent to me. A maid! quo' he : Ay, a maid, quo' she. Far hae I ridden, And muckle hae I seen, But lang-bearded maidens Saw I never nane. CROMLET'S LILT. [Burns gives the following account of the origin of this beautiful poem, the authorship of which he assigns to the hero. It is quite evident, however, that as it now stands, it is not a composition of the times of the Reformation : In the latter end of the 16th century, the Chisholms were proprietors of the estate of Cromlecks (now possessed by the Drummonds). The eldest son of that family was very much attached to a daughter of Sterling of Ardoch, commonly known by the name of Fair Helen of Ardoch. At that time the opportunities of meeting betwixt the sexes were more rare, consequently more sought after than now; and the Scottish ladies, far from priding themselves on extensive literature, were thought sufficiently booklearned if they could make out the Scriptures in their mother tongue. Writing was entirely out of the line of female education. At that period the most of our young men of family sought a fortune or found a grave in France. Cromlus, when he went abroad to the war, was obliged to leave the management of his correspondence with his mistress to a lay brother of the monastery of Dunblain, in the immediate neighbourhood of Cromleck, and near Ardoch. This man, unfortunately, was deeply sensible of Helen's charms. He artfully prepossessed her with stories to the disadvantage of Cromlus; and by misinterpreting or keeping up the letters and messages intrusted to his care, he entirely irritated both. All connection was broken off betwixt them; Helen was inconsolable; and Cromlus has left behind him, in the ballad called "Cromlet's Lilt," a proof of the elegance of his genius as well as the steadiness of his love. When the artful monk thought time had sufficiently softened Helen's sorrow, he proposed himself as a lover. Helen was obdurate; but at last overcome by the persuasions of her brother, with whom she lived, and who, having a family of thirtyone children, was probably very well pleased to get her off his hands, she submitted rather than consented to the ceremony: but there her compliance ended; and, when forcibly put into bed, she started quite frantic from it, screaming out, that after three gentle taps on the wainscot, at the bed head, she heard Cromlus's voice crying, Helen, Helen, mind me! Cromlus soon after coming home, the treachery of the confidant was discovered,―her marriage disannulled, and Helen became Lady Cromlecks.] |