Let it fall on Locksley Hall, with rain or hail, or
fire or snow;
For the mighty wind arises, roaring seaward, and I
go.
ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON.
SONG.
“A weary lot is thine, fair maid,
A weary lot is thine!
To pull the thorn thy brow to braid,
And press the rue for wine!
A lightsome eye, a soldier’s mien,
A feather of the blue,
A doublet of the Lincoln green—
No more of me you knew,
My
love!
No more of me you knew.
“The morn is merry June, I trow—
The rose is budding fain;
But she shall bloom in winter snow
Ere we two meet again.”
He turned his charger as he spake,
Upon the river shore;
He gave his bridle-rein a shake,
Said, “Adieu for evermore,
My love!
And adieu for evermore.”
SIR WALTER SCOTT.
AULD ROBIN GRAY.
When the sheep are in the fauld and the kye a’
at hame,
When a’ the weary world to sleep are gane,
The waes o’ my heart fa’ in showers frae
my e’e,
While my gudeman lies sound by me.
Young Jamie lo’ed me weel, and sought me for
his bride;
But saving a crown, he had naething else beside.
To mak’ the crown a pound, my Jamie gaed to
sea;
And the crown and the pound, they were baith for me!
He hadna been awa’ a week but only twa,
When my mither she fell sick, and the cow was stown
awa;
My father brak his arm—my Jamie at the
sea—
And Auld Robin Gray came a-courtin’ me.
My father couldna work,—my mither couldna
spin;
I toiled day and night, but their bread I couldna
win;
And Rob maintained them baith, and, wi’ tears
in his e’e,
Said, “Jennie for their sakes, will you marry
me?”
My heart it said na, for I looked for Jamie back;
But hard blew the winds, and his ship was a wrack;
His ship was a wrack! Why didna Jamie dee?
Or why was I spared to cry, Wae is me!
My father argued sair—my mither didna speak,
But she looked in my face till my heart was like to
break;
They gied him my hand, but my heart was in the sea;
And so Auld Robin Gray, he was gudeman to me.
I hadna been his wife, a week but only four,
When, mournfu’ as I sat on the stane at the
door,
I saw my Jamie’s ghaist—I couldna
think it he,
Till he said, “I’m come hame, love, for
to marry thee!”
O sair, sair did we greet, and mickle did we say:
Ae kiss we took—nae mair—I bad
him gang away.
I wish that I were dead, but I’m no like to
dee,
And why do I live to say, Wae is me!
I gang like a ghaist, and I carena to spin;
I darena think o’ Jamie, for that wad be a sin.
But I will do my best a gude wife aye to be,
For Auld Robin Gray, he is kind unto me.
LADY ANNE BARNARD.