FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   >>  
n the bonnie banks of Yarrow.' * * * * * "Four has he hurt, and five has slain; On the bloody braes of Yarrow, Till that stubborn knight came him behind, And ran his body thorough. * * * * * "Yestreen I dream'd a dolefu' dream; I fear there will be sorrow! I dream'd I pu'd the heather green Wi' my true love on Yarrow. * * * * * "She kiss'd his cheek, she kaimed his hair; She search'd his wounds all thorough; She kiss'd them till her lips grew red, On the dowie houms of Yarrow." A fragment of rare beauty, believed to be based on the same incident (unlikely however) was one of Scott's special favourites. Rather does it shrine a similar tragedy, one of many such which must have been common enough in those troubled and lawless times. How melting is the pathos of the following verses, for instance! "Willie's rare and Willie's fair, And Willie's wondrous bonny, And Willie's hecht to marry me, Gin e'er he married ony. "Yestreen I made my bed fu' braid, This night I'll make it narrow, For a' the livelong winter night, I'll lie twin'd of my marrow. She sought him east, she sought him west, She sought him braid and narrow; Syne, in the cleaving of a craig She found him drown'd in Yarrow. Somewhat akin is the "Lament of the Border Widow," located at Henderland, in Meggetdale, not far from St. Mary's Loch. In the preface to this ballad in the "Minstrelsy," Scott states that it was "obtained from recitation in the Forest of Ettrick, and is said to relate to the execution of Cockburn of Henderland, a Border freebooter, hanged over the gate of his own tower by James V. in the course of that memorable expedition in 1529 which was fatal to Johnie Armstrong, Adam Scott of Tushielaw, and many other marauders." The grave of "Perys of Cockburne and hys wyfe Marjory" on a wooded knoll at Henderland, is still pointed out. But the historicity of the ballad has been questioned from the statement (which seems to be correct) that Cockburn was actually executed at Edinburgh, instead of at his own home. There is no evidence, however, to assume that the ballad commemorates this particular occurrence or that it has any connection with the grave referred to. For genuine balladic merit it will be dif
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   >>  



Top keywords:
Yarrow
 

Willie

 

Henderland

 

ballad

 

sought

 
Cockburn
 
Yestreen
 

narrow

 
Border
 

Ettrick


relate

 

hanged

 
freebooter
 

execution

 
Lament
 

located

 
Somewhat
 
cleaving
 

Meggetdale

 

Minstrelsy


states

 

obtained

 

recitation

 

preface

 

Forest

 

evidence

 

Edinburgh

 

executed

 

statement

 

questioned


correct

 
assume
 

commemorates

 

genuine

 

referred

 
balladic
 

connection

 
occurrence
 

historicity

 
Johnie

Armstrong
 

Tushielaw

 
expedition
 
memorable
 

marauders

 

wooded

 
pointed
 

Marjory

 
Cockburne
 

search