| Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. |
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| Jane Elliot. 1727–1805 |
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| 466. A Lament for Flodden |
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| I'VE heard them lilting at our ewe-milking, | |
| Lasses a' lilting before dawn o' day; | |
| But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning— | |
| The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away. | |
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| At bughts, in the morning, nae blythe lads are scorning, | 5 |
| Lasses are lonely and dowie and wae; | |
| Nae daffing, nae gabbing, but sighing and sabbing, | |
| Ilk ane lifts her leglin and hies her away. | |
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| In hairst, at the shearing, nae youths now are jeering, | |
| Bandsters are lyart, and runkled, and gray: | 10 |
| At fair or at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching— | |
| The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away. | |
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| At e'en, in the gloaming, nae swankies are roaming | |
| 'Bout stacks wi' the lasses at bogle to play; | |
| But ilk ane sits eerie, lamenting her dearie— | 15 |
| The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away. | |
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| Dool and wae for the order sent our lads to the Border! | |
| The English, for ance, by guile wan the day; | |
| The Flowers of the Forest, that fought aye the foremost, | |
| The prime of our land, lie cauld in the clay. | 20 |
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| We'll hear nae mair lilting at our ewe-milking; | |
| Women and bairns are heartless and wae; | |
| Sighing and moaning on ilka green loaning— | |
| The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away. | |
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GLOSS: loaning] lane, field-track. wede] weeded. bughts] sheep-folds. daffing] joking. leglin] milk-pail. hairst] harvest. bandsters] binders. lyart] gray-haired. runkled] wrinkled. fleeching] coaxing. swankies] lusty lads. bogle] bogy, hide-and-seek. dool] mourning. |
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