___ KEEN blaws the win’ o’er the braes o’ Gleniffer, The auld castle’s turrets are cover’d wi’ snaw; How chang’d frae the time when I met wi’ my lover, Amang the broom bushes by Stanely green shaw: The wild flow’rd o’ simmer war’ spread a’ sae bonny, The mavis sang sweet frae the green birken tree; But far to the camp they hae march’d my dear Johnnie, An’ now, it is winter, wi’ nature an’ me. Then ilk thing around us was blithesome an’ cheery, Yon cauld sleety cloud skiffs alang the bleak mountain, THE BRAES O' GLENIFFER
Air—“Bonny Dundee.” ______ 1 KEEN blaws the win’ o’er the braes o’ Gleniffer, 2 The auld castle’s turrets are cover’d wi’ snaw; 3 How chang’d frae the time when I met wi’ my lover, 4 Amang the broom bushes by Stanely green shaw: 5 The wild flow’rs o’ simmer war’ spread a’ sae bonny, 6 The mavis sang sweet frae the green birken tree; 7 But far to the camp they hae march’d my dear Johnnie, 8 An’ now, it is winter, wi’ nature an’ me. 9 Then ilk thing around us was blythsome an’ cheery, 10 Then ilk thing around us was bonny an’ braw: 11 Now naething is heard but the wind whistlin’ dreary, 12 An naething is seen but the wide-spreading snaw: 13 The trees are a’ bare, an’ the birds mute and dowie, 14 They shake the cauld drift frae their wings as they flee, 15 An’ chirp out their plaints, seeming wae for my Johnnie, 16 ’Tis winter wi’ them, an’ ’tis winter wi’ me. 17 Yon cauld sleety cloud skiffs alang the bleak mountain, 18 An’ shakes the dark firs on the stey rocky brae, 19 While down the deep glen bawls the snaw-flooded foun- tain 20 That murmur’d sae sweet to my laddie an’ me: 21 It’s no its loud roar on the wint’ry win’ swellin’, 22 It's no the cauld blast brings the tears i’ my e’e, 23 For, O gin I saw but my bonny Scots callan, 24 The dark days o’ winter war’ simmer to me! |
Title: The Gleniffer braes are a range of hills south of Paisley running along the border of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, containing the forest of Passeleth. Robert Tannahill is honored today by the Tannahill Walkway and Tannahill Well established in his name. brae: a hill or hillside
Subtitle: A very slow, very old Gaelic air composed for the fiddle. bonny: beautiful, pretty, fair; handsome, attractive; a term of endearment. 1. blaws: Sc. form of Eng. blow. 2. auld: Sc. form of Eng. old. 2. castle's turrets: the turrets of Stanely Castle. Refers to a massive fortalice to the south of Paisley, probably early 15th c. It formerly sat on an island in a marsh and is now partly submerged by the Paisley Reservoir. Tannahill would have known the castle as an abandoned ruin, but not submerged because the Reservoir was not built until 1838 (Semple 167; "Stanely Castle"; "Paisley, Stanely Castle."). 4. shaw: a small wood; a thicket, coppice, grove. 4. Stanely: lands on the western part of Paisley containing the castle mentioned above. 6. mavis: the song-thrush. 6. birken: made of or consisting of birch. 9. blythsome: blithesome, now adapted to Eng. 9. ilk: each, every. 10. braw: brave. Of things: fine, splendid, illustrious. 11. naething: nothing, not anything 13. dowie: sad, melancholy, dreary, dismal. 14. cauld: cold, in various physical applications. 15. plaints: A statement of complaint, esp. one brought formally to a court or arbiter 15. wae: Sc. form of Eng. woe. 16. skiff: to move in a light airy manner, barely touching the ground; to skim, glide, skip 17. alang: Sc. form of Eng. along. 18. stey: of a hill, cliff, road, ascent, etc.: steep; rising sharply; difficult to ascend or climb 23. gin: if. 23. callan: a stripling, a young man; a boy |