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The lovers being together one day by the river Kirtle, a rival suitor suddenly appeared on the opposite bank, and pointed his gun. Helen threw herself before her sweetheart, received the bullet in her breast, and died in his arms. Then Adam Fleming fought with his guilty rival, and slew him." —W. Allingham, Book of Ballads.

[blocks in formation]

1. 24. rive it gair by gair. Tear it into strips.

1. 26. syne. Then.

1. 31. sleiding. A woven coat.

1. 32. row. Roll.

1. 70. dule and wae.

No. II. LOCHINVAR.

mion.

Grief and woe.

A song sung by Lady Heron, in Scott's Mar

No. 12. BLACK-EYED SUSAN. This ballad was set to music by Richard Leveridge. Hazlitt speaks of it as “one of the most delightful songs imaginable."

No. 13. SALLY IN OUR ALLEY. "A little masterpiece in a very difficult style; Catullus himself could hardly have bettered it. In grace, tenderness, simplicity, and humor, it is worthy of the ancients; and even more so, from the completeness and unity of the picture presented.". W. G. Palgrave.

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No. 14. AULD ROBIN GRAY. The author of this ballad has herself related the peculiar circumstances under which it was written. A friend of hers used to sing at her father's house in Balcarras an old Scottish melody of which she was passionately fond. This old melody was marred by the introduction of objectionable words, and Lady Barnard (then Lady

Lindsay) conceived the idea of eliminating this feature by singing the air to different words, and giving to its plaintive tones some little history of virtuous distress in humble life. The song, as it is here printed, was accordingly written, and became a great favorite. But its authorship remained a secret until 1823, when it was divulged by Lady Barnard herself, in a letter to Sir Walter Scott. The title "Robin Gray " was taken from the name of a herdsman in Lord Balcarras's service.

No. 15. JEANIE MORRISON.

1. 5. Beltane e'en. In Ireland on June 21, and in Scotland on May-Day, a fire was kindled on the hills, and the young people danced around it, feasting on milk and eggs. The word Beltane means Bel's fire,

and the custom is supposed to have been a relic of the worship of Baal. 1. 6. Yule. Christmas.

[blocks in formation]

1. 16. blithe blinks o' langsyne. Happy moments of the past.

1. 22. leir ilk ither lear. Learn each other learning.

1. 27. loof. Palm.

1. 36. cleeked. Hooked, clung.

1. 38. skail't. Dismissed, closed.

1. 39. speel the braes. Climb the hills.

1. 50. deavin'. Deafening.

1. 51. burnside. Brookside.

1. 61. Knowe abune the burn. Knoll above the brook.

M

Lyrics of Love.

For ofttimes a love-song like a hymn of praise springeth spontaneously from the singer's heart, having been wrought therein through the rapturous contemplation of human beauty and perfect

ness.

Such a song ministereth to the delight of all poetic natures and pointeth them to still loftier ideals of thought and life. And there be love-songs of another sort, mere airy nothings, full of artificial conceits tricked out with strained metaphors and far-fetched figures of speech. These last, like soap-bubbles, are not devoid of beauty, but they are fragile and lifeless, evanescent and cold.

I.

- CECIL DEVEREUX.

OLD LOVE SONG.

BLOW, northern wind, send

Thou me my sweeting; blow

Northern wind, blow, blow, blow. . . .

She's a coral of goodness,

She's a ruby of rich fulness,

She's a crystal of clearness,

And banner of beauty,

She's a lily of largess,
She is parnenke pronesse,
She is salsecle of sweetness
And lady of lealty.

Blow, northern wind, send
Thou me my sweeting; blow
Northern wind, blow, blow.

2.

MY SWETE SWETYNG.

Ан! my swete swetyng,

My lytyl pretie swetyng!
My swetyng wyl I loue whereuer I goe:
She is soe proper and pure,

Stedfaste, stabyll, and demure,
There is nonne suche, ye may be sure,
As my swete swetyng.

In all thys worlde, as thynketh mee,
Is nonne soe plesaunte to my 'ee,
That I am gladde soe ofte to see,
As my swete swetynge.

When I beholde my swetyng swete,
Her face, her haundes, her minion fete,
They seeme to mee ther is nonne soe mete
As my swete swetynge.

Above alle others prayse must I,
And loue my pretie pigsnye;

For nonne I finde so womanlie

As my swete swetynge.

She is soe proper and pure,
Stedfaste, stabyll, and demure,

--

There is nonne suche, ye may be sure,
As my swete swetynge.

3.

IN PRAISE OF DAPHNE.

My Daphne's hair is twisted gold,
Bright stars a-piece her eyes do hold,
My Daphne's brow enthrones the graces,
My Daphne's beauty stains all faces,
On Daphne's cheek grow rose and cherry,
But Daphne's lip a sweeter berry;
Daphne's snowy hand but touched does melt,
And then no heavenlier warmth is felt;
My Daphne's voice tunes all the spheres,
My Daphne's music charms all ears;
Fond am I thus to sing her praise,
These glories now are turned to bays.

-JOHN LYLY.

4.

PHILLIS.

PHILLIS is my only joy,

Faithless as the winds or seas;
Sometimes coming, sometimes coy,
Yet she never fails to please.

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