| |
| THE GOWAN glitters on the sward, | |
| The lavrock ’s in the sky, | |
| And colley on my plaid keeps ward, | |
| And time is passing by. | |
| Oh no! sad and slow! | 5 |
| I hear nae welcome sound; | |
| The shadow of our trysting-bush, | |
| It wears so slowly round! | |
| |
| My sheep-bell tinkles frae the west, | |
| My lambs are bleating near; | 10 |
| But still the sound that I lo’e best, | |
| Alack! I canna hear! | |
| Oh no! sad and slow! | |
| The shadow lingers still; | |
| And like a lanely ghaist I stand, | 15 |
| And croon upon the hill. | |
| |
| I hear below the water roar, | |
| The mill wi’ clacking din; | |
| And Luckey scolding frae the door, | |
| To bring the bairnies in. | 20 |
| Oh no! sad and slow! | |
| These are nae the sounds for me; | |
| The shadow of our trysting-bush, | |
| It creeps sae drearily! | |
| |
| I coft yestreen from chapman Tam | 25 |
| A snood o’ bonnie blue, | |
| And promis’d when our trysting cam, | |
| To tie it round her brow. | |
| Oh no! sad and slow! | |
| The time it winna pass! | 30 |
| The shadow of that weary thorn | |
| Is tether’d on the grass. | |
| |
| O now I see her on the way, | |
| She ’s past the Witch’s knowe; | |
| She ’s climbing up the Brownie’s brae; | 35 |
| My heart is in a lowe. | |
| Oh no! sad and slow! | |
| ’Tis glamrie I hae seen; | |
| The shadow of that hawthorn bush | |
| Will move nae mair till e’en. | 40 |
| |
| My book o’ grace I’ll try to read, | |
| Tho’ con’d wi’ little skill; | |
| When colley barks, I’ll raise my head, | |
| And find her on the hill. | |
| Oh no! ’tis nae so! | 45 |
| The time will ne’er be gane! | |
| The shadow of the trysting-bush | |
| Is fix’d like ony stane. | |
| |
