A BOOK OF SCOTTISH VERSE

Edited by MAURICE LINDSAY

Fourth Edition

SUB GOttingen 7 214 732 649

2002 A 731

ROBERT HALE • LONDON CONTENTS

Acknowledgements xvii Preface to the Fourth Edition xx

ANON. From The Orygynale Cronykil, 1420 Cantus 1 JOHN BARBOUR, 1320P-1395 Freedom 1 The Battle of Bannockbum 2 ANDREW OF WYNTOUN, 1360P-1425? Macbeth's Dream 5 KING JAMES THE FIRST OF SCOTLAND, 1394-1437 From The Kingis Quair 6 ROBERT HENRYSON, 1425P-1506? Robene and Makyne 12 The Abbey Walk 17 The Taill of the Uponlandis Mous and the Burges Mous 19 From The Testament ofCresseid 27 The Praise of Age 39 WILLIAM DUNBAR, 1460P-1520? From The Twa Mariit Wemen and the Wedo 40 The Golden Targe 42 To a Lady 52 The Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins 52 Amends to the Tailors and Soutars 57 Meditation in Winter 58 Lament for the Makaris 60 0 wretch, beware 63 Rorale coeli desuper 64 Done is a battle on the dragon black 66 The Ballad ofKynd Kittok 67 GAVIN DOUGLAS, 1475P-1522 An Evening and Morning in June 69 An Evening and Morning in Winter 72 SIR DAVID LYNDSAY, 1490-1555 The Pardoner's Sermon 74 Complaint of the Common Weill of Scotland 75 vi CONTENTS SIR RICHARD MAITLAND, 1496-1586 Against the Thieves ofLiddesdale 78 ALEXANDER SCOTT, fl. 1547-1584 A Rondel of Love 81 Hence, hairt, with her that must depairt 82 Return thee, hairt 83 Lament of the Master ofErskine 85 To love unlovit 86 ALEXANDER MONTGOMERIE, 1540P-1610? The Nicht is Neir Gane 87 An Admonition to Young Lassies 89 Sweethairt, rejoice in mind 90 Adieu to his Mistress 91 JOHN STEWART OF BALDYNNIS, 1550P-1605? Medoro's Inscription for a Cave 93 JAMES MELVILLE, 1556-1614 Robin at My Window 94 ALEXANDER HUME, 1557P-1609 Of the Day Estivall 95 MARK ALEXANDER BOYD, 1563-1601 Sonnet 103 ANON. From The Gude and Godtie BaUatis, 1567 Go, heart, unto the lamp oflicht 104 Ane Sang of the Birth of Christ... 105 Welcome, Fortune 106 All my love, leave me not 107 ANON. From the Banatyne Manuscript, 1568 The Wife of Auchtermuchty 108 The Bewteis of the Fute-Ball 112 The Reeds in the Loch Sayis 112 My heart is heich above 112 Blest, blest and happy he 114 WILLIAM FOWLER, 1560-1612 Ship-broken men whom stormy seas sore toss 115 ANON. Old Ballads Sir Patrick Spens 115 The Battle of Otterbourne 119 The Border Widow's Lament 123 CONTENTS vii Kinmont Willie 124 Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead 131 Bonny George Campbell 138 Edom o' Gordon 139 The Bonny Earl o' Moray 143 The Twa Corbies 144 Lord Randal 145 Edward 147 The Dowie Houms o' Yarrow 149 Rare Willy drowned in Yarrow 151 Clyde's Water 152 Helen of Kirkconnell 155 Bessie Bell and Mary Gray 156 The Lowlands o' Holland 157 Marie Hamilton 158 The Gipsy Laddie 161 Barbara Allen 163 Thomas the Rhymer 164 Binnorie 167 The Wife of Usher's Well 169 Tarn Lin 171 Fair Annie 179 Get up and Bar the Door 183 SIR ROBERT AYTON, 1570-1638 Inconstancy Reproved 185 To an Inconstant Mistress 186 The Exercise of Affection 187 WILLIAM DRUMMOND OF HAWTHORNDEN, 1585-1649 / know that all beneath the moon decays 188 Sleep, Silence' child, sweet father of soft rest 189 Like the Idalian queen 189 Phoebus, arise 190 For the Baptist 191 Doth then the world go thus, doth all thus move? 192 JAMES GRAHAM, MARQUIS OF MONTROSE, 1612-1650 My dear and only Love 192 Lines on the Execution of King Charles the First 193 ANON. From The Tea-Table Miscellany, 1724-1737 The Gaberlunzie Man 194 Waly, Waly 197 Jocky said tojeany 198 viii CONTENTS LADY GRISELL BAILLIE, 1665-1746 There ance was a may 199 ALLAN RAMSAY, 1686-1758 The Lass o'Patie's Mill 200 My Peggy 201 Look up to Pentland's tow'ring tap 202 Up in the Air 205 JAMES THOMSON, 1700-1748 Winter 206 To Amanda 214 To Fortune 215 Enchanted Ground 215 Finis 217 ANON. Low doun in the Broom 217 Aye Waukin' 0! 219 ALISON RUTHERFORD (MRS. COCKBURN), 1712-1794 The Flowers of the Forest 220 TOBIAS SMOLLETT, 1721-1771 Ode to Leven Water 220 JOHN SKINNER, 1721-1807 Tullochgorum 221 JEAN ELLIOT, 1727-1805 The Flowers of the Forest 224 WILLIAM JULIUS MICKLE, 1734-1788 The Sailor's Wife 225 ROBERT CUNNINGHAME-GRAHAM OF GARTMORE, 1735-1797 If doughty deeds 227 JAMES BEATTIE, 1735-1803 An Epitaph 228 MICHAEL BRUCE, 1746-1767 To the Cuckoo 229 From Elegy: In Spring 230 JOHN LOGAN, 1748-1788 The Braes of Yarrow 231 ROBERT FERGUSSON, 1750-1774 The Daft Days 233 Braid Claith 235 The Farmer's Ingle 237 The Lee Rigg 241 CONTENTS ix LADY ANNE LINDSAY, 1750-1825 Auld Robin Gray 242 ROBERT BURNS, 1759-1796 Robin ' 244 Epistle to William Simpson, Ochiltree 245 Holy Willie's Prayer 249 Whistle o 'er the lave o 't 252 Macpherson 's Farewell 253 From The Jolly Beggars 254 From The Vision 255 From A Winter Night 256 To a Mouse 257 Epistle to James Smith 259 Tarn o'Shanter 265 Contented wi'little 272 0 merry hae I been teethin' a heckle 273 The Rigs o'Barley 273 I'll aye ca' in by yon town 274 A red, red rose 275 My Tocher's the Jewel 276 The Lea Rig 276 Aefond kiss 277 My Bonnie Mary 278 The banks ofDoon 279 Bess and her Spinning-wheel 279 Tarn Glen 281 Somebody 282 Duncan Gray 282 0, /or ane-andrtwenty 284 0 whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad 284 The Farewell 285 Auld Lang Syne 286 JOHN MAYNE, 1759-1836 From Glasgow 287 LADYNAIRNE, 1766-1845 The Laird o'Cockpen 292 WiTZ )ie no come AaeA again ? 293 JAMES HOGG, 1770-1835 Lock the door, Lariston 294 The Witch o'Fife 296 A Witch's Chant 297 Bonny Kilmeny gaed up the glen 298 The Village of Balmaquhapple 300 x CONTENTS SIR WALTER SCOTT, 1771-1832 My own, my native land! 301 November in Ettrick Forest 302 March, march, Ettrick and Teviotdale 304 Harlaw 304 Bannockburn 306 Flodden 307 Coronach 309 Love 310 Rosabelle 311 A weary lot is thine 313 Lochinvar 313 Proud Maisie 315 Lucy Ashton 's Song 316 DonaM Camf 316 The Sun upon the Weirdlaw Hill 319 ANON. Epitaph on John Murray, 1777 319 From David Herd's Scottish Songs, 1776 False luve! and hae ye played me this ? 320 Kind Robin Lo 'es Me 320 THOMAS CAMPBELL, 1777-1844 Freedom and Love 322 Florine 323 The River of Life 323 ALLAN CUNNINGHAM, 1784-1842 The sun rises bright in France 324 Home, hame, home 325 A wet sheet and a flowing sea 326 ANON. Canadian Boat Song 326 LADYJOHN SCOTT, 1810-1900 The Comin' o'the Spring 327 Ettrick 329 ALEXANDER SMITH, 1830-1867 Glasgow 329 Barbara . 333 JAMES THOMSON, 1834-1882 The City of Dreadful Night (Sections IV, X, XX) 336 DAVID GRAY, 1838^1861 Sonnet I (from In the Shadows) 343 THOMAS DAVIDSON, 1838-1870 And there will I be buried 344 CONTENTS XI Love's Last Suit 344 ANDREW LANG, 1844-1912 Almce Matres 345 Clevedon Church 347 Lost Love 348 Twilight on Tweed 349 ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, 1850-1894 Blows the wind today 350 In the Highlands 350 Romance 351 Requiem 352 JOHN DAVIDSON, 1857-1909 Greenock 352 In Romney Marsh 353 I haunt the hills that overlook the sea 354 A Runnable Stag 356 Thirty Bob a Week 359 The Last Journey 362 VIOLET JACOB, 1863-1946 Tarn i'the Kirk 363 The Wild Geese 364 MARION ANGUS, 1866-1946 Mary's Song 365 Alas! Poor Queen 366 DAVID RORIE, 1867-1946 The Pawky Duke 367 RACHEL ANNAND TAYLOR, 1876-1960 The Princess of Scotland 369 HAROLD MONRO, 1879-1932 Week-end Sonnet No. 1 370 Solitude 371 SIR ALEXANDER GRAY, 1882-1968 Scotland 372 On a Cat, Ageing 373 The Deil o'Bogie 374 ANDREW YOUNG, 1885-1971 The Scarecrow 375 The Dead Crab 376 HELEN B. CRUICKSHANK, 1886-1975 Shy Geordie 376 The Wishin'Well 377 EDWIN MUIR, 1887-1959 Scotland, 1941 378 xn CONTENTS The Little General 379 The Road 380 The Old Gods 381 One foot in Eden 382 In love for long 382 A Birthday 384 CM. GRIEVE ('HUGH MacDIARMID'), 1892-1978 The Eemis-Stane 385 In the Hedge-Back 385 The Watergaw 386 OJesu Parvule 386 Wheesht, wheesht 387 The Love-sick Lass 387 Scunner 388 Empty Vessel 388 0 wha's the bride? 389 Milk-wort and bog-cotton 389 0 ease my spirit 390 With the Herring Fishers 390 Cattle Show 391 From The Glass of Pure Water 392 EWART ALAN MACKINTOSH, 1893-1916 InMemoriam, Private D. Sutherland 394 WILLIAM SOUTAR, 1888-1943 The Gowk 396 The Tryst 396 The Children 397 ROBERT GARIOCH, 1909-1981 Sisyphus 398 And they were richt 399 Nemo canem impune lacessit 400 GEORGE BRUCE, 1909- The Fisherman 400 Tom on the Beach 401 Kinnaird Head 402 A Gateway to the Sea—St. Andrews 403 NORMAN MacCAIG, 1910-1996 Summer Farm 404 Water Tap 405 Byre 406 Aspects 406 November Night, Edinburgh 407 Street Preacher 407 CONTENTS xiii SYDNEY TREMAYNE, 1912-1986 North of Berwick 408 The Galloway Shore 409 DOUGLAS YOUNG, 1913-1973 The Ballant o' the Laird's Bath 411 LastLauch 413 RUTHVENTODD, 1914-1978 To A Very Beautiful Lady 413 G.S. FRASER, 1915-1980 Flemish Primitive 414 To a Scottish Poet 415 The traveller has regrets 416 On the Persistence of Humanity 417 GEORGE CAMPBELL HAY, 1915-1984 The Old Fisherman 418 Stillgyte, man? 419 SYDNEY GOODSIR SMITH, 1915-1975 Loch Leven 419 Elegy XIII 420 Ye spier me 427 Hamewith 427 W.S. GRAHAM, 1917-1986 From The Nightfishing 428 TOM SCOTT, 1918-1995 Auld Sanct-Aundrians—Brand the Builder 431 MAURICE LINDSAY, 1918- Hurlygush 434 At Hans Christian Andersen's Birthplace, Odense, Denmark 434 Shetland Pony 435 Picking Apples 436 ALEXANDER SCOTT, 1920-1989 Scrievin 437 Haar in Princes Street 437 Recipe: To mak a ballant 438 Ballade of Beauties 439 EDWIN MORGAN, 1920- Aberdeen Train 440 King Bitty 440 Absence 441 From the Domain of Arnheim 442 xiv CONTENTS GEORGE MACKAY BROWN, 1921-1996 The Lodging 444 Wedding 444 Old Fisherman with Guitar 445 IAN HAMILTON FINLAY, 1925- Bedtime 445 Twice 446 ALASTAIR MACKIE, 1925- Mongol Quine 447 In Absentia 448 IAIN CRICHTON SMITH, 1928-1998 Old Woman 449 Luss Village 450 At the Firth of Lome 450 Two Girls Singing 451 ALASTAIR REID, 1926- Isle ofArran 451 The Fall 452 TOM BUCHAN, 1931- The Week-end Naturalist 452 The Everlasting Astronauts 454 STEWART CONN, 1936- Visiting Hour 454 Todd 455 JAMES AITCHISON, 1939- Landscape with Lapwings 456 The Last Clean Bough 456 Dipper Territory 457 The Inheritance 458 DOUGLAS DUNN, 1942- The Drying-Green 458 Listening 459 The Harp of Renfrewshire 460 War Blinded 461 ALAN BOLD, 1943-1998 Space for Colour 462 The Realm of Touching 462 STANLEY ROGER GREEN, 1944- Death's-Head Moth 463 The Old Bing 464 CONTENTS xv LIZ LOCHHEAD, 1948- Tam Lin's Lady 465 Poem for My Sister 468 ANDREW GREIG, 1951- Sapper 469 The Glove 469 In Galloway 470 KATEY.A. BONE, 1897-1991 Catlike x. 471 FLORA GARRY, 1900-2000 Rostov-on-Don (1942) 472 ALBERT D. MACKIE, 1904-1985 Molecatcher 472 J.K. ANNAND, 1908-1993 In the Kirkyaird 473 HAMISH HENDERSON, 1919- The Flyting o' Life and Death 474 WILLIAM NEILL, 1922- A Celtic History 476 Bull 476 KEN MORRICE, 1925- To a Shy Girl at a Party 477 NORMAN KREITMAN 1927- Lizard 477 ALASDAIR MACLEAN, 1928- After Culloden 478 GEORGE MACBETH, 1932- Alsatian 481 Shotts 482 HAMISH BROWN, 1936- A Salting of Snow 482 KENNETH WHITE, 1936- Heron of the Snows 483 ELLIE MCDONALD, 1937- Widdershins 484 ROBIN FULTON, 1937- Forecastfor a Quiet Night 484 Essentials 485 ALAN JACKSON, 1938- Person 485 xvi CONTENTS JENNI DAICHES, 1941- Horse in Glasgow 486 TOM LEONARD, 1944- The Voyeur ' 487 VALERIE GILLIES, 1948- Hibernator 487 For a Son's First Birthday 488 We Meet Again 489 JIM C. WILSON, 1948- The Beasts 489 Last Summer in the Hebrides 490 ALASTAIR REID, 1955- A Lesson in Music 490 The Manse 491 JOHN BURNSIDE, 1955- Out of Exile 492 Lost 493 Tundra's Edge 493 ELIZABETH BURNS, 1957- Scotland 494 Seas . 494 ROBERT CRAWFORD, 1959- Scotch Broth 495 GERRY CAMBRIDGE, 1959- Fallen Maple Leaves 496 KATHLEEN JAMIE, 1962- Arraheids 496 Rooms 497 Mrs McKellar, her martyrdom 497 The Way We Live - 498 KATE CLANCHY, 1965- Timetable 499 One Night When We Paused Half-way 500 Men from the Boys 500 We Have Some Urgent Messages 501 RODDY LUMSDEN, 1966- Yeah Yeah Yeah 501 KENNETH C. STEVEN, 1968- Solway 502 Barvas 502