Then from this world of doubts and sighs, LOGAN BRAES.1 By Logan's streams, that rin sae deep, But, waes my heart! thae days are gane, Nae mair at Logan kirk will he At e'en, when hope amaist is gane, While for her love she thus did sigh, "What can I do but weep and mourn? 1 This favourite lyric, consisting originally of two stanzas, was first printed in 1789. Burns thought highly of it. Mayne subsequently added the third stanza The last three, attributed to another and an anonymous author, are certainly much inferior in style. They first appeared a few months after Mayne's death, in 1836.-ED. I now hae conquer'd a' my faes, We'll happy live on Logan braes." Then straight to Logan kirk they went, THE TROOPS WERE EMBARKED. The troops were all embark'd on board, They parted from their dearest friends, For him she fled from soft repose, A seraph in an infant's frame Reclined upon her arm; Now heighten'd every charm: She thought, if fortune had but smiled- But when she look'd upon his child, "Ah! who will watch thee as thou sleep'st? Who'll sing a lullaby, Or rock thy cradle when thou weep'st, On board the ship, resigned to fate, He saw her lonely on the beach; "O Rosabel! though forced to go, With thee my soul shall dwell, And Heaven, who pities human woe, Will comfort Rosabel!" JOHN HAMILTON. BORN 1761-DIED 1814. Up in the Morning Early" is one of the oldest among the ancient Scottish airs. From the opening of the old song, "Cold and raw the wind does blaw," it has sometimes been called "Cold and raw." Burns wrote the fol Early:" "Cauld blaws the wind frae east to west, Sae loud and shrill I hear the blast, Up in the morning's no for me, Up in the morning early; JOHN HAMILTON, one of the minor minstrels of Scotland, of whose personal history few particulars are known, was born in the year 1761, and for many years carried on the business of publishing and selling music in Edinburgh. He also enjoyed considerable re-lowing brief version of "Up in the Morning putation as a teacher of instrumental music. Among his pupils was a young lady of fortune and rank, whom he wooed, won, and married, in opposition to the wishes of her aristocratic connections. As the Moor won the fair Venetian by recounting his martial deeds, so the musical Hamilton gained his good fortune through his rhyming talents, which he directed towards the young lady with great skill and effect. Several of his lyrics are deservedly popular, and are to be met with in many collections of songs and ballads. Mr. Hamilton is also known as the composer of a number of beautiful Scottish melodies. He enjoyed the friendship of James Sibbald, the editor of the Chronicle of Scottish Poetry, who was attracted by his musical talents, and in whose bachelor quarters they spent many a gleesome evening together, in company with other littérateurs. Hamilton died September 23, 1814, in the fifty-third year of his age. "The birds sit chittering in the thorn, A' day they fare but sparely; Up in the morning, &c." Hamilton's version is much longer, and is perhaps the best, as well as the most widely known of his productions. It is a pity that the name of the old poet, who originally had the boldness to announce his antipathy to early rising, has not come down to posterity. The bard of the Seasons would have certainly entertained a high regard for him. UP IN THE MORNIN' EARLY. Cauld blaws tne wind frae north to south; The sheep are cow'rin' in the heuch; Loud roars the blast amang the woods, Now, up in the mornin's no for me The sun peeps ower yon southland hills, Just blinks a wee, then sinks again; When snaw blaws in at the chimney-cheek, Ae morn, last ouk, as I gaed out A jolly, rantin' Highlandman. I ne'er had seen sae braw a lad As this young rantin' Highlandman. He said, "My dear, ye're sune asteer; Cam' ye to hear the lav'rock's sang? Oh, wad ye gang and wed wi' me, And wed a rantin' Highlandman? In summer days, on flow'ry braes, When frisky are the ewe and lamb, I'se row ye in my tartan plaid, And be your rantin' Highlandman. "Wi' heather-bells, that sweetly smell, I'll deck your hair, sae fair and lang, If ye'll consent to scour the bent Wi' me, a rantin' Highlandman. We'll big a cot, and buy a stock, Syne do the best that e'er we can; Then come, my dear, ye needna fear To trust a rantin' Highlandman." His words, sae sweet, gaed to my heart, Then, though my kin should scauld and ban, I'll ower the hill, or whare he will, Wi' my young rantin' Highlandman. MISS FORBES' FAREWELL TO BANFF. Farewell, ye fields and meadows green! With my young swain a while to rove. To hear the feather'd warblers sing. The azure sky, the hills around, Gave double beauty to the scene; The lofty spires of Banff in view— On every side the waving grain. The tales of love my Jamie told, In such a saft an' moving strain, Have so engaged my tender heart, I'm loath to leave the place again. But if the Fates will be sae kind As favour my return once more, For to enjoy the peace of mind In those retreats I had before: Now, farewell, Banff! the nimble steeds Do bear me hence-I must away; Yet time, perhaps, may bring me back, To part nae mair from scenes so gay. I wadna exchange them for country sport; Spring, summer, an' harvest successive renew, The fruits of my labour by holding the plough. But saitens an' silks they wad hae unco few, Without the effects of my holding the plough. My Peggy at hame is far better than they, She's ten times mair frank, an' is equally gay; What though, when I happen to gae to the town, Baith carding an' spinning fu' weel she can do, ROBERT LOCHORE. BORN 1762- DIED 1852. ROBERT LOCHORE, the author of metrical tales which in the early part of the present century were published as little pamphlets, and were very popular in the west of Scotland, also several songs still held in much repute, was born at Strathaven, Lanarkshire, July 7, 1762. At the age of thirteen he was appren- | ticed to a shoemaker; and for many years carried on that business in Glasgow on his own account. Mr. Lochore was a citizen highly respected as a Christian philanthropist, a promoter of public improvements, and as the founder of the Glasgow Annuity Society. He devoted much leisure time in early life to poetic composition, and addressed numerous rhyming epistles to his correspondents. A number of poems contributed to various periodicals were collected by Mr. Lochore, and issued anonymously about the year 1815, in a small volume entitled "Tales in Rhyme, and Minor Pieces; in the Scottish Dialect." He married Isobel Browning of Ayrshire, at Paisley, June 7, 1786, and died in Glasgow, April 27, 1852, in his ninetieth year, leaving a large amount of unpublished MSS. in the possession of his eldest son, the Rev. Alexander Lochore, M. A., D. D., of Drymen, Stirlingshire. These include the recollections of his long life, and contain much valuable and amusing information concerning men and events of the past century, which it is to be hoped may hereafter be published, together with a selection from his manuscript poems. His "Last Speech of the Auld Brig of Glasgow on being condemned to be taken down," written when he was in his eightyeighth year, is a very spirited production, and the more remarkable considering the great age the author had attained. Among the poet's intimate acquaintances in early life was Robert Burns, with whom and his bonnie Jean Lochore spent many evenings, and he often related the circumstance of seeing Burns reproved on the cutty stool by the Rev. Mr. Auld, familiarly known as "Daddy Auld." |