Page:Galloway shepherds.pdf/2

(2)

The Galloway.

S I lay a musing the shepherds among,

Up one of them started and sang me a song,

He sang it so sweetly which caus’d me to stay,

To the praise of the Stewartry of brave Galloway.

This country abounds with fresh water and lochs,

Dividing the same into mountains and trochs,

With pleasant fine valleys, where fishes do play,

That nourishes the Stewartry of brave Galloway.

There’s both doe and roe in our mountains so high

Skipping to and fro just as they pass by;

There’s both wool and cloath, to buy if you may,

That enriches the Stewartry of brave Galloway.

One question I then at the shepherd did spier,

What kind of inhabitants there be that live here?

What mighty fine places, I see as I stray,

And wondrous fine people in fair Galloway.

Then one of them sang more sweet than the rest,

He turn’d himself round, and thus he addrest,

We have the noble Stewarts that have lived here,

For more than the space of nine hundred year.

Dalrymples, and Gordons, and Murrays so gay,

Agnews, and M'Dougals, and likewise Park, Hay

The Adairs, and the Murdochs, and also Dunbars,

M'Gussocks & Maxwells, that were ancient in wars

The Moores live among us, & likewise the Browns

Cathcarts, and M Gleans, in different towns;

The Blairs we have here, sir, and likewise M‘Gees,

M'Jorrows, M'Frisels, and the bold M‘Mees.

We are so taught speaking from different lands,

We have almost forgot we belong to the Clans;

But Jock our flock is straying and I must not stay,

To tell you the brave names that are in Galloway.