Transcription
a Symposium of Scottish Songs. THERE was ance held a gran' meetin' o' Scottish sangs. The date thereof was some time afore or after the year " Auchty-nine ;" the place canna be fixed wi' the same exactness, but it was probably near " The Banks an' Braes o' Bonnie Doon," in honour o' the " Lad that was born in Kyle." " Macgregor's Gathering" was naething tae this. Sangs cam poorin' in frae every quarter. Here cam " Jolly shepherds that whistle through the glen," an' " Braw, braw lads frae Gala Water ;" an' there was abundance o' national music in the shape o' " A Hundred Pipers, an' a', an' a'," accompanied by " The Pibroch o' Donal' Dhu;" while yonder, in gallant array, "The Campbells are comin'," "The Bonnets o' Bonnie Dundee," an' a numerous company o' others. It was moved by " Auld Robin Gray," an' seconded by " The Laird o' Cockpen," that " Logie o' Buchan " tak the honoured place in "The Old Arm Chair." The repast that followed wasna what mortals would be apt to think the choicest, the delicacies bein' sic as " The Haggis o' Dunbar,""Bannocks o' Barley Meal,""Caller Herrin'," an' "Cauld Kail in Aberdeen." For this meetin', hooever, "Willie brewed a peck o' maut," an' Neil Gow had no' yet bade " Fareweel tae Whisky," so that, after a', they micht hae sung something else on the occasion than " Contented wi' little, an' cantie wi' mair." Amang the ladies o' high rank present were " Annie Laurie," " Mary Morrison," " Bonnie Bessie Lee," " Roy's Wife o' Aldivalloch," " Highland Mary," "Bonnie Jean," "The Lassie wi' the lint white locks," " Maggie Lauder," an' " Auld Joe Nicholson's Bonnie Nannie ;" while prominent amang the other sex were "John Anderson, my jo, John," "Duncan Gray," "Tarn Glen," "John Grumlie," " Wanderin' Willie," "Jock o' Hazeldean," "The Rantin', Roarin' Hielanman," "Johnnie Cope," "Alister M'Alister," an' "The Sodger Laddie." The Chairman gave an account o' his wan- derings, which had extended frae " Maidenkirk tae John o' Groats." He had seen "The Bonnie Woods o' Craigie Lea," had wandered by the banks o' " Afton Water," amang the "The Braes o' Ballochmyle" and " The Birks o' Aberfeldy." Mony hours had he spent amang " The bloom o' my ain native heather;" he had plucked mony " A Rosebud by his Early Walk," an' kent by name a' " The Flowers o' the Forest." But where'er he strayed he had never forgotten that he was " Woo'd an' Married an' a'," an' that, " For the Sake o' Somebody," he lo'ed best " My Ain Fireside." At every point o' the compass he had consoled himsel' wi' " I'll awa' tae Nannie, O;" an' indeed, he hoped they would a' be able to say at the close o' life, " Happy we've been a' thegither." " Duncan Gray " havin' just been rejected by Maggie," was in a very morose mood ?wished he was " Where Helen lies," said " She was fair an' fause that caused his smart," an', to cheer himsel' up, sang "Oh, are ye sleepin', Maggie ?" at the end o' which "Maggie Lauder" requested him tae "Behave himsel' afore folk." "John Grumlie swore by the licht o' the moon" that "Ance he wished he'd ne'er been married," an' for this purpose he had gane "O'er the water tae Charlie," but that noo he had learned that his wife was " A Winsome Wee Thing," an' that as she " Lo'ed him best ava'," he should henceforth go " Marching Along," with the motto, " Hame, Sweet Hame." At this stage entered " Dainty Davie," accom- panied by " Jessie, the Flower o' Dunblane," an' "When she cam' ben, she bobbit, she bobbit." Envious a little o' her sister, " Annie Laurie" whispered, "Gang doun the burn, Davie," an' then " Whistle and I'll come tae ye, my lad." Davie took her at her word, an' in goin' hummed " Dinna think, bonnie lassie, I'm gaun tae leave ye." The " Laird o' Cockpen " thocht there was " Nae luck aboot the hoose," where sic sentimental sangs were sung ; he didna care for "A kiss ahint the door," "Come under my plaidie," "Dinna ask me gin I lo'e thee," " My Nannie, O," " O could I wi' Fancy stray," an' sic like. He preferred some- thing he could clutch; for instance, " Gie me a lass wi' a lump o' land," " Hey for a lass wi' a tocher," an' " Jenny's Bawbee." " The Rantin', Roarin' Hielan- man " suggested that for the remainder of the evenin' the laird should be tied up in " Rab Rorrison's Bonnet," but Rab interposed, sayin', " It canna, mauna, wunna be." After this there was a dance. " John Anderson " began tae play " Within a mile o' Edinbro' Toun," when he was interrupted by " Jock o' Hazeldean," wha wished him tae play first " God save the King." "Never mind the king," cried "Bonnie Prince Charlie," wha was immediately knocked doon wi' a brainch o' " The Auld Oak Tree " by " Johnnie Cope." As he recovered he grumbled oot that he didna like "A' that an,' a that," when he was politely requested to " Whistle ower the lave o't." So the evenin' passed away, till the chairman intimated that, as he " Saw the mune, an' kent her horn," an' as some o' them had evidently rather mair than " A wee drappie in their e'e," it was time to break up, because it wasna becomin' for sic celebrities as them tae sing " We'll not go home till morning." They took the hint, but before leavin' had a final chorus to " Meet again some other nicht" for "The Days o' Auld Lang Syne." W. S.
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Probable period of publication:
1880-1900 shelfmark: RB.m.143(021)
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