Page:Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918.djvu/590

 JANE ELLIOT 480 A Lament for Flodden

I'VE heard them Jilting at our ewe-milking, Lasses a* lilting before dawn o* dayj But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning

The Flowers of the Forest arc a 5 wede away. At bughts, in the morning, nae blythe lads are scorning,

Lasses are lonely and dowie and wae ; Nae daffing, nae gabbing, but sighing and sabbing,

Ilk ane lifts her leglin and hies her away. In hairst, at the shearing, nae youths, now arc jeering,

Bandsters are lyart, and runkled, and gray At fair or at preaching, nae wooing, nae flecching

The Flowers of the Forest aic a 1 wede awav. At e'en, in the gloaming, nae swankics are roaming

'Bout stackb wi' the lasses at bogle to play, But ilk ane sits eerie, lamenting her dearie

The Flowers of the Forest are a' wcdc away.

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. 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

loaning-] lane, field-track, wede] weeded, bug-hfs] sheep- folds daffing] joking leglin] milk-pail hairst] harvest bandsteis] binders, lyart] gray-haired runkled] wrinkled. flecching] coaxing. swankies] lusty lads. bogle] bogy, hide-and-seek.

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