Close ×

Search EBBA

Advanced Search

EBBA 31442

British Library - Roxburghe
Ballad XSLT Template
A delectable new Ballad, Entituled Leader.
Haughs and Yarow.
To its own proper Tune.

WHen Phoebus bright, the AZure-skies
with golden rayes enlightneth,
These things sublunar he espies;
Herbs, Trees, and Plants he quickneth

Among all those he makes his choise,
and gladlie goes he thorow.
With radiant beams, and silver streams,
through Leader-Haughs and Yarow.

When Aries the day and night,
in equal length divideth;
Old frosty Saturn takes the flight,
no longer he abideth:

Then Flora Queen, with Mantle green
Casts off her former sorrow,
And vows to dwel with Caeres sell
in Leader-Haughs and Yarow.

Pan Playing on his Oaten Reed,
with Shepherds him attending,
Doth here resort their flocks to feed,
the Hills and Haughs commending:

With bottle, bag, and staff with knag,
and all singing Good morrow,
They swear no Fields more pleasure yeeld:
then Leader Haughs and Yarow.

One House there stands on Leader side
surmounting my descryving:
With Ease-rooms rair, and windows fair
like Daedalus contriving:

Men passing by do often say
in South it has no marrow:
It stands as fair on Leader side
as New-wark does on Yarow.

A mile below, who lift to rise,
theyl hear the Mavls singing,
Into St. Leonards bank shel bide,
sweet Birks her head or-hinging:

The Lintwhite loud, and Progne proud,
with tender throats and narrow,
Into St. Leonards banks do sing,
as sweesle as in Yarow.

The Lapwing lilteth ore the Lee,
with nible wings she sporteth,
But vows shel not come near the Tree,
where Philomel resorteth:

By break of day, the Lark can say,
Ile bid you all good-morrow,
Ile yont and yell, for I may dwel
in Leader-Haughs and Yarow.

Park Wanton-walls and Wooden-clough,
the East and Wester Mainses,
The Forrest of Lawders fair enough,
the Corns are good in Blainslies:

Where Oats are fine, and sold by kind,
that if ye search all thorow
Mearns, Buchati, Mar, none better are;
then Leader Haughs and Yarow.

In Burn milne-bog, and Whiteslead Shaws
the fearful Hare she haunteth,
Bridge-haugh and Broad-wood-shiel she knaws
to the Chapel-wood frequenteth

Yet when she lrks to Kai[d]slie birks,
she runs and sighs for sorrow,
That she should leave sweet Leader-haughs
and cannot win to Yarow.

What sweet[er Musick] would you hear,
then hounds and beigles crying
The hare waits not, but flees for [f]ear,
their hard persuit defying;

But yet her strength it fails at length,
no bielding ca[n] sh[e] borrow,
At Hoggs, Clackmay, nor Sorlesfield:
but longs to be at Yarow.

For Rockwood, Ringwood, Reva, Almer,
still thinking for to view her,
But O to fail her strength begins,
no cunning can rescue her.

Or dube and dike, or seugh and syke,
shel run the fields all thorow,
Yet ends her days in Leader-haughs
and bids farewel to Yarow.

Thou Erslington and Coldon-Knowes,
where Humes had once commanding;
And Dry grange with thy milk-white ewes
twixt Tweed and Leader standing:

The birds that flees through Red-path
and Gladswood banks all thorow,
May chant and sing sweet Leader-haughs
and the bony banks of Yarow,

But Burn cannot his grief asswage,
while as his days endureth,
To see the changes of this age,
which day and time procureth:

For many a place stands in hard case,
where Burns were blyth besorrow,
With Humes that dwelt on Leader side,
and Scots that dwelt in Yarow.

The Words of Burn
The Violer.

WHat? shall my Viol silent be,
or leave her wonted scriding?
But choise some sadder Elegie,
not sports and mirds deriding:

It must be fain with lower strain,
then it was wont besorrow,
To sound the praise of Leader haughs,
and the bony banks of Yarow.

But floods hath overflown the banks,
the greenish Haughs disgracing,
And trees in woods grows thin in ranks,
about the fields defacing:

For waters waxes, woods doth wind
more, if I could for sorrow,
In rurul verse, I could rehearse,
of Leader haughs and Yarow.

But sighs and sobs orsets my breath,
sore saltish tears forth sending,
All things sublunar here on earth,
are subject to an ending:

So must my song, though somewhat long,
yet late at even and morrow,
Ile sing and sing, sweet Leader-haughs,
and the bony banks of Yarow.
Hic terminus haeret.


FINIS.

View Raw XML