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Broadside entitled 'Morag's Fary Glen' |
CommentaryVerse 1: 'Ye ken whar you wee burnie, love, / Rins roarin' to the sea ; / And tumbles o'er its rocky beds, Like spirits wild and free. The mellow maves tunes his lay, / The blackbird swells his not ; / And little robin sweetly sings, / Above the woody grot.' The ballad was published by the Poet's Box of Dundee. The spelling in this ballad is inconsistent, which is not uncommon in broadsides. The word 'fairy' is spelt two ways: as in the title (which is probably a misprint), and as 'farey'. Morag's Fairy Glen is still a popular attraction in Dunoon, Argyllshire, and was gifted to the town in 1929. Although not mentioned here, the song was written by William Cameron (1801-77). It is not clear what the connection between the different Poet?s Boxes were. They almost certainly sold each other?s sheets. It is known that John Sanderson in Edinburgh often wrote to the Leitches in Glasgow for songs and that later his brother Charles obtained copies of songs from the Dundee Poet?s Box. There was also a Poet?s Box in Belfast from 1846 to 1856 at the address of the printer James Moore, and one at Paisley in the early 1850s, owned by William Anderson. 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.
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Probable period of publication:
1880-1900 shelfmark: L.C.Fol.70(35a)
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