Leader-haughs and Yarow.
To its own proper Tune.
WHen
Phoebus bright the Azure Skies
with golden rayes enlightneth,
These things sublunar he espics,
herbs, trees, and plants he quick'neth:
Among all those he makes his choise,
and gladlie goes he thorow,
With radiant beams, and silver streams,
through
Leader-Haughs and
Yarow.
When
Aries the day and night
in equal length divideth,
Old frosty
Saturn takes the flight
no longer he abideth:
Then
Flora Queen, with Mantle green,
casts off her deadly sorrow,
And vows to dwell with
Ceres sell
in
Leader-Haughs and
Yarrow.
Pan playing with his Oaten
[...]eed,
with shepherds him attending,
Doth here resort their flocks to feed,
the hills and haughs commending;
With bottle, bag, and staff with knag,
and all singing good morrow;
They swear no fields more pleasure yields
than
Leader-haughs and
Yarrow.
One house there stands on
Leader side,
surmounting my descryving,
With ease-rooms rare, and windows fair,
like
Daedalus contriving:
Men passing by, do often say,
in south it hath no marrow;
It stands as fair on
Leader side,
as
New-wark does on
Yarrow.
A mile below, who list to ride,
they'l hear the Mavis singing;
Into
St. Leonards Bank she'l bide,
sweet Birks her head o're-hinging:
The Linewhite loud, and Progue proud,
with tender throats and narrow,
Into St.
Leonards Banks do sing
as sweet
[...]e as in
Yarrow.
The
Lapwing lilteth o're the
Lee,
with
[...]imble wings she sporteth;
But vows she'l not come near the tree
where
Philomel resorteth:
By break of day the Lark can say,
she bid you all good-morrow;
I'l
[...] you
[...] and yell for
[...] may dwell
[...]
[...]eader-haughs and
Yarow.
Park Wanton-walls, and
Wooden-Cleugh,
the East and Wester Mainses,
The Forrest of
Lawder's fair enough,
the Corns are good in
Blainslies;
Where Oats are fine, and sold by kind,
that if we search all thorow
Me
[...]s, Bnchan. Marr, none better are,
than
Leader-
[...]aughs and
Yarow.
In
Burn-Miln Boge, &
White-slede shaws,
[...] fearful Hare she haunteth;
Bridge-haugh & Broad-wood sheil she knaws
to the
Chapel-wood frequenteth:
Yet when she irks, to
Kaiaslie Birks
she runs and sighs for sorrow,
That she should leave sweet
Leader haughs
and cannot win to
Yarow.
What sweetet musick would you hear,
than Hounds and Beigles crying?
The Hare waits not, but flees for fear,
their hard pursuits defying.
But yet her strength it fails at length,
no beilding can she borrow
At
Haggs, Cleckmae, nor
Sorlesfield,
but longs to be at
Yarow.
For
Rock-wood, Rink-wood, Rival, Almer,
still thinking for to view her.
But O to fail her strength begins,
no cunning can rescue her:
O're dubb and dyke, o're seugh and syke,
she I run the fields all thorow;
Yet ends her days in
[...]eader-haughs,
and bids farwell to
Yarow.
Thou
Erslingtouu and
Colding-knowes,
where
Humes had once commanding
And
Dry Grange with thy milk white Ews
'twixt
Tweed and
Leader standings
The birds that flees through
Red-path trees
and
Gledswood Banke all thorow,
May chant and
[...]ng, sweet
Leader-haughs,
and the bonny Banks of
Yarrow.
But
Burn cannot his grief asswage,
while as his days endureth,
To see the changes of his age,
which day and time procureth.
For many a place stands in hard case,
where
Burns was blyth beforrow,
With
Humes that dwelt on
Leader side,
and
Scots that dwelt in
Yarow.
The words of Burn the Violer.
WHat? shall my Viol silent be,
or leave her wonted scriding?
But choise some sadder Elegie,
no sports and mirds deriding:
It must be fain with lower strain,
than it was wont beforrow,
To sound the praise of
Leader-haughs,
and the bonny Banks of
Yarrow.
But Floods have overflown the Banks,
the greenish Haughs disgracing,
And Trees in Woods grows thin in ranks
about the fields defacing.
For Waters waxes, Woods doth waind,
more, if could for sorrow,
In rural Verse, I could rehearse,
of
Leader-haughs and
Yarow.
But sighs and sobs o'rsets my breath,
sore saltish tears forth sending.
All things Sublu
[...]ar here on earth
are subject to an ending;
So must my Song, though somewhat long,
yet late at even and morrow,
I'le sigh and sing, sweet
Leader-haughs,
and the bo
[...]y Banks of
Yarow.
Hic terminus haeres.
FINIS.