O luely, luely cam she in And luely she lay doun: I kent her by her caller lips And her briests sae sma' and roun'. A' thru the nicht we spak nae word Nor sinder'd bane frae bane: A' thru the nicht I heard her hert Gang soundin' wi' [my]1 ain. It was about the waukrife hour [Whan]2 cocks begin [to]3 craw That she smool'd saftly thru the mirk Afore the day wud daw. Sae luely, luely cam she in Sae luely was she gaen And wi' her a' my simmer days Like they had never been.
Three Scottish Songs
by James MacMillan (b. 1959)
1. Scots Song  [sung text checked 1 time]
Authorship:
- by William Soutar (1898 - 1943), "The tryst", appears in Poems in Scots, The Moray Press, first published 1935
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Das Stelldichein", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Confirmed with Scottish Poems, ed. by Gerard Carruthers, Everyman's Library, 2009, page 94.
1 MacMillan: "ma"2 Scott: "When"
3 MacMillan: "tae"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor] , Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
2. Ballad  [sung text checked 1 time]
O! shairly ye hae seen my love Down whaur the waters wind: He walks like ane wha fears nae man And yet his e’en are kind. O! shairly ye hae seen my love At the turnin o’ the tide; For then he gethers in the nets [Doun be]1 the waterside. O! lassie I hae seen your love At the turnin o’ the tide; And he was wi’ the fisher-folk [Doun be]1 the waterside. The fisher-folk were at their trade No far frae Walnut Grove; They gether’d in their dreepin nets And fund your ain true love.
Authorship:
- by William Soutar (1898 - 1943), "Ballad", written 1943, appears in Collected Poems, first published 1948
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View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with William Soutar, Poems in Scots and English, selected by W R Aitken, Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1972, page 95
1 MacMillan: "Down by"Research team for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor] , Mike Pearson
3. The children  [sung text checked 1 time]
Upon the street they lie
Beside the broken stone:
The blood of children stares from the broken stone.
Death came out of the sky
In the bright afternoon:
Darkness slanted over the bright afternoon.
Again the sky is clear
But upon earth a stain:
The earth is darkened with a darkening stain:
A wound which everywhere
Corrupts the hearts of men:
The blood of children corrupts the hearts of men.
Silence is in the air:
The stars move to their places:
Silent and serene the stars move to their places:
[ ... ]
Authorship:
- by William Soutar (1898 - 1943), "The children", written 1937
See other settings of this text.
Confirmed with William Soutar, Poems in Scots and English, selected by W R Aitken, Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1972, page 29.
Research team for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor] , Mike Pearson