The History and Poetry of the Scottish Border: Their Main Features and RelationsJ. Maclehose, 1878 - 556 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
amid ancient Angles Anglo-Saxon appears Arthur ballad bard battle Beltane Bernicia bonny Books of Wales Border braes Brigantes Britons Bryneich burn Castle Celtic century Church Clyde common Cornish Cumbria Cymric Damnonii David district doubt Douglas Earl early Edward England English Erceldoune Ettrick fair fairy feeling feudal Firth Forest frae Gaelic Gala Water glen green Guledig haugh heart hills Historia Britonum James King Kingdom of Strathclyde lairds land language Lord Lowlands of Scotland Melrose Merlin minstrel Minstrelsy mountain nature Nennius night northern Northumbria o'er original Otterbourne Peblis Peebles Peeblesshire period Picts poem poet poetry probably reference Rhymour river romance root Saxon Scandinavian scene scenery Scots Scott Scottish shepherd Sir Simon Fraser Skene song spirit stones stream supposed Taliessin Teviot tower tradition Traquair Tweed Tweeddale Tweedside Urien vale valley Welsh wild Wood of Caledon words Yarrow
Popular passages
Page 317 - Of a' the airts the wind can blaw I dearly like the West, For there the bonnie lassie lives, The lassie I lo'e best : There wild woods grow, and rivers row, And mony a hill between ; But day and night my fancy's flight Is ever wi' my Jean. I see her in the dewy flowers, I see her sweet and fair : I hear her in the tunefu...
Page 282 - It fell about the Lammas tide, When the muir-men win their hay, The doughty Douglas bound him to ride Into England, to drive a prey. He chose the Gordons and the Graemes, With them the Lindesays, light and gay But the Jardines wald not with him ride, And they rue it to this day.
Page 362 - Be Yarrow stream unseen, unknown, It must, or we shall rue it, We have a vision of our own, Ah! why should we undo it?
Page 322 - Scarba's Isle, whose tortured shore Still rings to Corrievrekeu's roar, And lonely Colonsay ; — Scenes sung by him who sings no more ! His bright and brief career is o'er, And mute his tuneful strains ; Quenched is his lamp of varied lore, That loved the light of song to pour ; — A distant and a deadly shore Has LEYDEN'S cold remains...
Page 341 - It was a barren scene, and wild, Where naked cliffs were rudely piled ; But ever and anon between Lay velvet tufts of loveliest green ; And well the lonely infant knew Recesses where the wall-flower grew, And honey-suckle loved to crawl Up the low crag and ruined wall.
Page 91 - The which if any wrought on any one With woven paces and with waving arms, The. man so wrought on ever seem'd to lie Closed in the four walls of a hollow tower, From which was no escape for evermore ; And none could find that man for evermore, Nor could he see but him who wrought the charm Coming and going, and he lay as dead And lost to life and use and name and fame.
Page 364 - Mild dawn of promise ! that excludes All profitless dejection ; Though not unwilling here to admit A pensive recollection. , Where was it that the famous Flower Of Yarrow Vale lay bleeding ? His bed perchance was yon smooth mound On which the herd is feeding: And haply from this crystal pool, Now peaceful as the morning, The Water-wraith ascended thrice — And gave his doleful warning. Delicious is the Lay that sings The haunts of happy Lovers, The path that leads them to the grove, The leafy grove...
Page 316 - THY braes were bonny, Yarrow stream, When first on them I met my lover ; Thy braes how dreary, Yarrow stream, When now thy waves his body cover ! For ever now, O Yarrow stream ! Thou art to me a stream of sorrow ; For never on thy banks shall I Behold my Love, the flower of Yarrow. He promised me a milk-white steed To bear me to his father's bowers ; He promised me a little page To squire me to his father's towers ; He promised me a wedding-ring...
Page 273 - The cock doth craw, the day doth daw, The channerin' worm doth chide ; Gin we be mist out o' our place, A sair pain we maun bide. ' Fare ye weel, my mother dear ! Fareweel to barn and byre ! And fare ye weel, the bonny lass, That kindles my mother's fire.
Page 274 - Though thou art young, and tender of age, I think thou art true to me. " Come, tell me all that thou hast seen, And look thou tell me true! Since I from Smaylho'me tower have been, What did thy Lady do?