Scottish Poetry Selection
- Bonnie Wood O' Craigielea
Bonnie Wood O' Craigielea
Thou bonnie wood o' Craigielea!
Thou bonnie wood o' Craigielea!
Near thee I pass'd life's early day,
And won my Mary's heart in thee.The brume, the brier, the birken bush,
Blume bonnie o'er thy flowery lee,
An a the sweets that ane can wish
Frae Nature's han, are strewed on thee.Far ben thy dark green plantin's shade,
The cushat croodles am'rously,
The mavis, doon thy bughted glade,
Gars echo ring frae ev'ry tree.Awa, ye thochtless, murd'rin gang
Wha tear the nestlins ere they flee!
They'll sing you yet a cantie sang,
Then, oh! in pity let them be!Whan Winter blaws, in sleety showers,
Frae aff the Norlan hills sae hie,
He lichtly skiffs thy bonnie bow'rs,
As laith tae harm a flow'r in thee.Though fate should drag me south the line,
Or o'er the wide Atlantic sea,
The happy hours I'll ever mind
That I, in youth, hae spent in thee.Meaning of unusual words:
brume=broom
birken=beech
han=hand
ben=within
cushat croodles=woodpigeon nestles
mavis=thrush
bughted=sheltered
gars=makes
cantie=tuneful
lichtly skiffs=lightly skim
laith=loath
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
