Letter to James Barr: 19 July 1806
Mr J.
Barr Musician [W]t Small Parcel } Kilbarchan [#] Paisley 19thJuly
1806 My
Worthy Friend According to promise I here send you the two verses
to “Arrochar.” perhaps they are little better than the last. I believe the
language is too weak for the Subject, however, they posses the advantage over
the others of being founded on a real Occurrence. The Battle of Falkirk was
Wallace’s last, in which he was defeated with the loss of almost his whole
Army. — I am Sensible that to give Words suitable to the poignancy of his grief
on Such a trying reverse of fortune, would require all
the fine and soul-melting energy of a Campbell or a Burns. ——-- The
Lament. Thou
dark-winding Carron once pleasing to see, Thou never, to me, can’st give
pleasure again, My
brave Caladonians lie low on the lee, And thy Streams are deep ting’d ˄with˄
the blood of the Slain! ’Twas
base-hearted treach’ry that doom’d our undoing -- My poor bleeding country, what more
can I do? Ev’n
Valour looks pale o’er the red field of ruin, And Freedom beholds her best wariors
laid low. ___________________ Farewell,
ye dear Partners of peril! farewell! Tho’ buried you lie in one wide
bloody grave, Your
deeds Shall ennoble the place where you fell, And your Names be enroll’d with the
sons of the brave; But
I, a poor outcast, in exile must wander, Perhaps, like a traitor, ignobly
must die! On
thy wrongs, O my country! indignant I ponder, -- Ah! woe to
the hour when thy Wallace must fly! I have sent a copy of it into
Leslie, along with the one to “Forneth house.” and two or three others,
they will probably be in next Number, Mr McLaren
thinks but meanly of the above, but as I was writing any way, I wrote it with
the rest —---- Give
my respects to my good friend J. Buchanan, tell him I am impatient to see his
commentaries, but by no means to hurry himself farther than is convenient. —
With regard to Tunes, any of the following will please me — “Mrs
Baird’s favourite” — Shannon’s flow’ry banks” — Mrs Hamilton
of Wishaw’s Strathspey” — “The braes of Aberainder” “The birks of Aberfeldie” –
“Scenes of Wo, Scenes of Pleasure”—“My only Jo an’ deary, O”— “Bottles an’
Glasses, or, “Dinna think bonny lassie”— R.
Tannahill Emendations: Wt
• [à]t Copy Text: MS Robertson 1/5 Previous Publication: Notes: |