Flowers of the Forest
2019 Obituaries
I’ve heard the lilting, at the yowe-milking,
Lasses a-lilting before dawn o’ day;
But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning;
“The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away”.
As buchts, in the morning, nae blythe lads are scorning;
The lasses are lonely and dowie and wae.
Nae daffin’, nae gabbin’, but sighing and sobbing,
Ilk ane lifts her leglen, and hies her away.
In hairst, at the shearing, nae youths now are jeering,
The Bandsters are lyart, and runkled and grey.
At fair or at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching,
The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away.
At e’en, in the gloaming, nae swankies are roaming,
’Bout stacks wi’ the lasses at bogle to play.
But ilk ane sits drearie, lamenting her dearie,
The Flowers of the Forest are a’ wede away.
Dule and wae for the order sent our lads to the Border;
The English, for ance, by guile wan the day:
The Flowers of the Forest, that foucht aye the foremost,
The prime o’ our land are cauld in the clay.
We’ll hae nae mair lilting, at the yowe-milking,
Women and bairns are dowie and wae.
Sighing and moaning, on ilka green loaning,
The Flowers of the forest are all wede away.
“Flowers of the Forest” is an ancient Scottish folk tune. The original lyrics are unknown, but the melody is thought to have been first recorded between AD 1615-1625. Several lyrical versions have been added to the tune, most notably those of Jean Elliot in 1756. Utilizing popular poetry selections, she framed the tune as a lament to the deaths of 10,000 Scottish soldiers, who perished along with King James IV and a large number of the nobility, at the Battle of Flodden Field. The song, written in Scots, describes the grief of women and children at the loss of their loved ones. Bagpipe versions of the song are played at memorial services, funerals and other occasions, such as events held on Remembrance Day which commemorate the war dead. Many individuals in the Commonwealth know the tune simply as “The Lament”. Here, we lament the recent passing of our members.
– The Editor
2019
