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| THERE lived a lass in Inverness, | |
| She was the pride of a’ the town; | |
| Blythe as the lark on gowan-tap, | |
| When frae the nest but newly flown. | |
| At kirk she wan the auld folks’ love, | 5 |
| At dance she wan the young men’s een; | |
| She was the blythest aye o’ the blythe, | |
| At wooster-trystes or Hallowe’en. | |
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| As I came in by Inverness, | |
| The simmer sun was sinking down; | 10 |
| O, there I saw the weel-faur’d lass, | |
| And she was greeting through the town; | |
| The gray-haired men were a’ i’ the streets, | |
| And auld dames crying, (sad to see!) | |
| “The flower o’ the lads of Inverness | 15 |
| Lie dead upon Culloden-lee!” | |
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| She tore her haffet-links of gowd, | |
| And dighted aye her comely ee; | |
| “My father’s head ’s on Carlisle wall, | |
| At Preston sleep my brethren three! | 20 |
| I thought my heart could haud nae mair, | |
| Nae tears could ever blin’ my ee; | |
| But the fa’ o’ ane has burst my heart, | |
| A dearer ane there couldna be! | |
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| “He trysted me o’ love yestreen, | 25 |
| Of love-tokens he gave me three; | |
| But he ’s faulded i’ the arms o’ weir, | |
| O, ne’er again to think o’ me! | |
| The forest flowers shall be my bed, | |
| My food shall be the wild berrie, | 30 |
| The fa’ o’ the leaf shall cover me cauld, | |
| And waukened again I winna be.” | |
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| O weep, O weep, ye Scottish dames, | |
| Weep till ye blin’ a mither’s ee; | |
| Nae reeking ha’ in fifty miles, | 35 |
| But naked corses, sad to see. | |
| O, spring is blythesome to the year, | |
| Trees sprout, flowers spring, and birds sing hie; | |
| But, O, what spring can raise them up, | |
| That lie on dread Culloden-lee? | 40 |
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| The hand o’ God hung heavy here, | |
| And lightly touched foul tyrannie; | |
| It struck the righteous to the ground, | |
| And lifted the destroyer hie. | |
| “But there ’s a day,” quo’ my God in prayer, | 45 |
| “When righteousness shall bear the gree; | |
| I ’ll rake the wicked low i’ the dust, | |
| And wauken, in bliss, the gude man’s ee!” | |
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