The Battle Of Harlaw--evergreen Version Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAABCDEF GHIHHCHC JGJKGFGA LGLGGCGC GMGMMGMG GCGCCNCN BCBCCBCB GOGOOMOM GBGBBBBB GBGHHGHG GGGGGHGH BHBHHHHH HHHHHBHH MHGHHBHH HPHPPHPH HHHHGBHB HGHGGBGH BOBOOGOG GOGOOBOB OHOHHGHG GGGGGGGG GHGBBGBG GHGHHGBG MGMGGHGH GGGGPHGH BMBGGGHG GGGMHBHB OPHPPBPB HHHHHGHG BMBMM| Frae Dunidier as I cam throuch | A |
| Doun by the hill of Banochie | A |
| Allangst the lands of Garioch | A |
| Grit pitie was to heir and se | B |
| The noys and dulesum hermonie | C |
| That evir that dreiry day did daw | D |
| Cryand the corynoch on hie | E |
| Alas alas for the Harlaw | F |
| - | |
| I marvlit what the matter meant | G |
| All folks were in a fiery fariy | H |
| I wist nocht wha was fae or freind | I |
| Yet quietly I did me carrie | H |
| But sen the days of auld King Hairy | H |
| Sic slauchter was not hard nor sene | C |
| And thair I had nae tyme to tairy | H |
| For bissiness in Aberdene | C |
| - | |
| Thus as I walkit on the way | J |
| To Inverury as I went | G |
| I met a man and bad him stay | J |
| Requeisting him to mak me quaint | K |
| Of the beginning and the event | G |
| That happenit thair at the Harlaw | F |
| Then he entreited me to tak tent | G |
| And he the truth sould to me schaw | A |
| - | |
| Grit Donald of the Ysles did claim | L |
| Unto the lands of Ross sum richt | G |
| And to the governour he came | L |
| Them for to haif gif that he micht | G |
| Wha saw his interest was but slicht | G |
| And thairfore answerit with disdain | C |
| He hastit hame baith day and nicht | G |
| And sent nae bodward back again | C |
| - | |
| But Donald richt impatient | G |
| Of that answer Duke Robert gaif | M |
| He vow'd to God Omniyotent | G |
| All the hale lands of Ross to half | M |
| Or ells be graithed in his graif | M |
| He wald not quat his richt for nocht | G |
| Nor be abusit like a slaif | M |
| That bargin sould be deirly bocht | G |
| - | |
| Then haistylie he did command | G |
| That all his weir men should convene | C |
| Ilk an well harnisit frae hand | G |
| To melt and heir what he did mein | C |
| He waxit wrath and vowit tein | C |
| Sweirand he wald surpryse the North | N |
| Subdew the brugh of Aberdene | C |
| Mearns Angus and all Fyfe to Forth | N |
| - | |
| Thus with the weir men of the yles | B |
| Wha war ay at his bidding bown | C |
| With money maid with forss and wyls | B |
| Richt far and neir baith up and doun | C |
| Throw mount and muir frae town to town | C |
| Allangst the lands of Ross he roars | B |
| And all obey'd at his bandown | C |
| Evin frae the North to Suthren shoars | B |
| - | |
| Then all the countrie men did yield | G |
| For nae resistans durst they mak | O |
| Nor offer batill in the feild | G |
| Be forss of arms to beir him bak | O |
| Syne they resolvit all and spak | O |
| That best it was for thair behoif | M |
| They sould him for thair chiftain tak | O |
| Believing weil he did them luve | M |
| - | |
| Then he a proclamation maid | G |
| All men to meet at Inverness | B |
| Throw Murray land to mak a raid | G |
| Frae Arthursyre unto Spey ness | B |
| And further mair he sent express | B |
| To schaw his collours and ensenzie | B |
| To all and sindry mair and less | B |
| Throchout the bounds of Byne and Enzie | B |
| - | |
| And then throw fair Strathbogie land | G |
| His purpose was for to pursew | B |
| And whatsoevir durst gainstand | G |
| That race they should full sairly rew | H |
| Then he bad all his men be trew | H |
| And him defend by forss and slicht | G |
| And promist them rewardis anew | H |
| And mak them men of mekle micht | G |
| - | |
| Without resistans as he said | G |
| Throw all these parts he stoutly past | G |
| Where sum war wae and sum war glaid | G |
| But Garioch was all agast | G |
| Throw all these feilds be sped him fast | G |
| For sic a sicht was never sene | H |
| And then forsuith he langd at last | G |
| To se the bruch of Aberdene | H |
| - | |
| To hinder this prowd enterprise | B |
| The stout and michty Erl of Marr | H |
| With all his men in arms did ryse | B |
| Even frae Curgarf to Craigyvar | H |
| And down the syde of Don richt far | H |
| Angus and Mearns did all convene | H |
| To fecht or Donald came sae nar | H |
| The ryall bruch of Aberdene | H |
| - | |
| And thus the martial Erle of Marr | H |
| Marcht with his men in richt array | H |
| Befoir his enemis was aware | H |
| His banner bauldly did display | H |
| For weil enewch they kent the way | H |
| And all their semblance well they saw | B |
| Without all dangir or delay | H |
| Come haistily to the Harlaw | H |
| - | |
| With him the braif Lord Ogilvy | M |
| Of Angus sheriff principall | H |
| The constable of gude Dunde | G |
| The vanguard led before them all | H |
| Suppose in number they war small | H |
| Thay first richt bauldlie did pursew | B |
| And maid thair faes befor them fall | H |
| Wha then that race did sairly rew | H |
| - | |
| And then the worthy Lord Salton | H |
| The strong undoubted Laird of Drum | P |
| The stalwart Laird of Lawristone | H |
| With ilk thair forces all and sum | P |
| Panmuir with all his men did cum | P |
| The provost of braif Aberdene | H |
| With trumpets and with tuick of drum | P |
| Came schortly in thair armour schene | H |
| - | |
| These with the Earle of Marr came on | H |
| In the reir ward richt orderlie | H |
| Thair enemies to sett upon | H |
| In awfull manner hardilie | H |
| Togither vowit to live and die | G |
| Since they had marchit mony mylis | B |
| For to suppress the tyrannie | H |
| Of douted Donald of the Ysles | B |
| - | |
| But he in number ten to ane | H |
| Right subtile alang did ryde | G |
| With Malcomtosch and fell Maclean | H |
| With all thair power at thair syde | G |
| Presumeand on their strenth and pryde | G |
| Without all feir or ony aw | B |
| Richt bauldie battil did abyde | G |
| Hard by the town of fair Harlaw | H |
| - | |
| The armies met the trumpet sounds | B |
| The dandring drums alloud did touk | O |
| Baith armies byding on the bounds | B |
| Till ane of them the feild sould bruik | O |
| Nae help was thairfor nane wald jouk | O |
| Ferss was the fecht on ilka syde | G |
| And on the ground lay mony a bouk | O |
| Of them that thair did battil byd | G |
| - | |
| With doutsum victorie they dealt | G |
| The bludy battil lastit lang | O |
| Each man fits nibours forss thair felt | G |
| The weakest aft tymes gat the wrang | O |
| Thair was nae mowis thair them amang | O |
| Naithing was hard but heavy knocks | B |
| That eccho mad a dulefull sang | O |
| Thairto resounding frae the rocks | B |
| - | |
| But Donalds men at last gaif back | O |
| For they war all out of array | H |
| The Earl of Marris men throw them brak | O |
| Pursewing shairply in thair way | H |
| Thair enemys to tak or slay | H |
| Be dynt of forss to gar them yield | G |
| Wha war richt blyth to win away | H |
| And sae for feirdness tint the feild | G |
| - | |
| Then Donald fled and that full fast | G |
| To mountains hich for all his micht | G |
| For he and his war all agast | G |
| And ran till they war out of sicht | G |
| And sae of Ross he lost his richt | G |
| Thocht mony men with hem he brocht | G |
| Towards the yles fled day and nicht | G |
| And all he wan was deirlie bocht | G |
| - | |
| This is quod he the richt report | G |
| Of all that I did heir and knaw | H |
| Thocht my discourse be sumthing schort | G |
| Tak this to be a richt suthe saw | B |
| Contrairie God and the kings law | B |
| Thair was spilt mekle Christian blude | G |
| Into the battil of Harlaw | B |
| This is the sum sae I conclude | G |
| - | |
| But yet a bonnie while abide | G |
| And I sall mak thee cleirly ken | H |
| What slaughter was on ilkay syde | G |
| Of Lowland and of Highland men | H |
| Wha for thair awin haif evir bene | H |
| These lazie lowns micht weil be spared | G |
| Chased like deers into their dens | B |
| And gat their wages for reward | G |
| - | |
| Malcomtosh of the clan heid cheif | M |
| Macklean with his grit hauchty heid | G |
| With all thair succour and relief | M |
| War dulefully dung to the deid | G |
| And now we are freid of thair feid | G |
| They will not lang to cum again | H |
| Thousands with them without remeid | G |
| On Donald's syd that day war slain | H |
| - | |
| And on the uther syde war lost | G |
| Into the feild that dismal day | G |
| Chief men of worth of mekle cost | G |
| To be lamentit sair for ay | G |
| The Lord Saltoun of Rothemay | P |
| A man of micht and mekle main | H |
| Grit dolour was for his decay | G |
| That sae unhappylie was slain | H |
| - | |
| Of the best men amang them was | B |
| The gracious gude Lord Ogilvy | M |
| The sheriff principal of Angus | B |
| Renownit for truth and equitie | G |
| For faith and magnanimitie | G |
| He had few fallows in the field | G |
| Yet fell by fatall destinie | H |
| For he naeways wad grant to yield | G |
| - | |
| Sir James Scrimgeor of Duddap knicht | G |
| Grit constabill of fair Dunde | G |
| Unto the dulefull deith was dicht | G |
| The kingis cheif bannerman was he | M |
| A valiant man of chevalrie | H |
| Whose predecessors wan that place | B |
| At Spey with gude King William frie | H |
| 'Gainst Murray and Macduncan's race | B |
| - | |
| Gude Sir Allexander Irving | O |
| The much renowit laird of Drum | P |
| Nane in his days was bettir sene | H |
| When they war semblit all and sum | P |
| To praise him we sould not be dumm | P |
| For valour witt and worthyness | B |
| To end his days he ther did cum | P |
| Whose ransom is remeidyless | B |
| - | |
| And thair the knicht of Lawriston | H |
| Was slain into his armour schene | H |
| And gude Sir Robert Davidson | H |
| Wha provost was of Aberdene | H |
| The knicht of Panmure as was sene | H |
| A mortall man in armour bricht | G |
| Sir Thomas Murray stout and kene | H |
| Left to the warld thair last gude nicht | G |
| - | |
| Thair was not sen King Keneths days | B |
| Sic strange intestine crewel stryf | M |
| In Scotland sene as ilk man says | B |
| Whare mony liklie lost thair lyfe | M |
| Whilk maid divo | M |
Andrew Lang
(1)
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