Commentary
Verse 1: 'Bonnie Scotland! I adore thee / Now I wander sadly o'er thee, / Thy enchantments will restore me / Bonnie, bonnie Scotland! / Mid the rays of summer weather / Sweetly blooms thy mountain heather; / Love and beauty sport together; / Bonnie bonnie Scotland Oh.' This is one of many songs that have been written in praise of Scotland's landscape. The recurring phrase 'Thy enchantments will restore me' suggests that it is narrated from the point of view of someone who has just returned to the country from abroad. Laments and sentimental songs written by exiled or returning natives about Scotland and Ireland are common around the world, as both these countries experienced high levels of emigration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Early ballads were dramatic or humorous narrative songs derived from folk culture that predated printing. Originally perpetuated by word of mouth, many ballads survive because they were recorded on broadsides. Musical notation was rarely printed, as tunes were usually established favourites. The term 'ballad' eventually applied more broadly to any kind of topical or popular verse.
View Transcription | Download PDF Facsimile
|
