Lay me no' in cold earth for to rest
but gi' to me such parting as befits one who did kneel
before our Bonnie Prince, (his soul be blest)
and bear my skull high. Leave it lookin' ever on Loch Shiel.
For I was one who fled no' from the fight
but with all Scottish heart an' mighty soul my sword did wield
and gave all, 'neath the banner Jacobite
from the day Prince Charlie's foot first touched th' shores o' blue Loch Shiel.
Though no' MacDonald born, I bore wi' pride
the fortunes o' that clan o' my wife's birth, through woe and weal
and niver did ask more than but to bide
wi' kith and kin together on th' shores o' blue Loch Shiel.
Head high, an' footsteps firm on Scottish earth
I bore my father's claymore cross the heather-dotted fields.
Among the first to taste of battle there at Perth,
as red blood flowed, my heart drew comfort from the mem'ry of Loch Shiel.
Derby lost, ere winter drew her cruel
embrace about us we made back for Glasgow to the scree
of bagpipes. There we rested through the Yule
an' in dreams I held my Cara on the shores of blue Loch Shiel
Winter we held.... 'twas Spring that brought the test
an' no' alone was I to fall beneath the Butcher's steel
there in the cursed shade of Inverness,
beneath a weeping sky the very blue of dear Loch Shiel.
So bear me, lads, back to Glenfinnan. Aye,
but make no marker there. 'Tis nought of grief I'd ha' ye feel!
Gi' me to the fires, there on that shore where I would die...
and bear my skull high. Leave it lookin' ever on Loch Shiel.
© by eric lee
Author notes
This is a very personal story for me: the highlander in question was an ancestor of mine, David MacClaren, a bastard of the Laird MacClaren who wed into the Clan MacDonald in 1739, and (after fathering two sons and a daughter) became embroiled in the final attempt of the Stuarts to reclaim Scotland...what was known as the Jacobite Rebellion.
In August of 1745, after the disatrous failures of the Earl of Mar, Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite Banner again and began his march in Glenfinan with the full support of the MacDonald. He took Perth, and marched on to Edinburgh, where he met the English under General Cope in the Battle of Prestonpans on September 21, routed them and became (for two short months) Master of Scotland.
Charlie marched as far as Derby, but his hopes of raising troops along the way failed miserably, and by December 6th he was once more in retreat, pursued by Cope's replacement, King George II's 25 year old third son, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland ('Butcher' Cumberland).
The Scots entered Glasgow on Christmas Day, and rested for ten days before falling back to falkirk, where they again defeated Cumberland's advance forces under the command of the brutal General Henry Hawley. Unable to admit to his tactical errors, Hawley blamed his own men for the loss and executed 60 on the field for cowardice. The Jacobites continued north pursued by a force led by the Duke of Cumberland.
The end came for the Jacobite cause on Wednesday 16 April 1746 at Drummossie Moor near Inverness. In less than an hour the fresh, well-fed government force, which outnumbered the tired half-starved Jacobites two to one, defeated them for the first and last time. The key to their success was the effectiveness of their artillery, which they had in abundance, and used to pulverize the Jacobites. David lost his right leg to artillery fire.
Ian MacDonald (the brother of David's wife, Cara ) tried to bring the badly-wounded David back to Glenfinnan, but he died of a raging fever before they reached home. By his own request, accordig to Ian, David was not buried on St. Finnan's Isle, the traditional MacDonald burial ground. Ian burned David's body on the shore of the Loch, then he and his sons bore the skull up the slopes of Sgurr nan Coireachan and set it into a cairn, overlooking the loch.
Written May 29th, 2003
A contest entry
- Family Laments On All Wars Contest of ( past and present ) by misticmoonlite.
500 points, ended December 28, 2005, 11 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 15 of 15
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Ooh. I've commented on this before.
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I don't care how many times you come, Jo...your input on anything Scottish is always more than welcome!
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We have a bloody history, us Scots, and if we can't talk about "the Scottish civil war" it's probably more to do with the fact that practically every war we ever fought had Scots on both sides. The Jacobite rebellion is no exception to this, of course.
Your approach to the Scottish accent is not the same as I would have used, probably because we have different ideas as to how the words are normally pronounced (for instance, I would generally pronouce "never" as "niver" so it wouldn't occur to me to change the e to an i). It still rings true, for all that.
Interesting rhythm to choose. The refrain of "Loch Shiel" is very effective and has the feel of Scots songs from that period.
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Read the title and had to tune in. This is has a classic feel, strong and vibrant. Wonderful use of vernacular to give an authentic aroma!
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Such a Tale!!!
Your Scottish voice came flowing through this poem straight to my heart! I am of the clan McWilliams formerly {Macoilliams) from the Isle of Man! Such a deed, only a scotsman would do for a friend! I love the tale and could sit for hours and read. Thank you so very much for this history and the way you so adeptly brought it to life!
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not sure which my Scottish ancestors.
fall within my family line.
though this reminds me of tales retold within my own family.
well done my friend!
Bill Whitehorn
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fantastic, I enjoyed your author's notes immensely. The poem narrates itself and leaves the reader in a place and time long gone and far away. An excellent read.
Rory
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I like the story of your ancesters, very intrigueing and historical.. glad you got the chance to enter this thank you and good luck in the contest..Linda
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Thanks, Jo.
It's hard to write a mode of speech I was exposed to for just that one year! I can hear it in my head, and it's beautiful...I can even hear the difference between the way my great-Uncle spoke it and my younger cousins...but I was fifteen!
I know, now, how I should have written that one line, and I'm on my way to change it. If you see any other glitches...please point to them for me? -
There's so little I can say to this. It rings like a true Scots' folk-song, filled with honour and pride and the acceptance of one who has fought long for a battle and had to, finally, let it go.
It took me a few readings to find the rhythm of the piece, partially because my fiance is watching "100 greatest albums" in the background, and the songs all have very regular beats, which clashes! The first two lines didn't help much either -- you'll have noticed that the first line isn't iambic, as the first and third of the following verses are?
I also can't fit "but gi' to me the funeral befits one who did kneel" into any sort of rhythm. I stress it thus: "but GI' to me the FUNeral beFITS one who did kneel"... ahh, I see where the conflict lies! It's the word "funeral", which is only just three syllables in my accent, almost "fun'ral", which is why my mind kept groping for an 'as' before 'befits'. When I space the syllables evenly it all falls into place. That's hard for me, though, because the rest of it flows so well in a Scottish accent.
It's a very strange part of the Scottish heritage, the Jacobean times. It's remembered as a time of blood and hardship, struggle and nationalism, glory and battles and plaid. It marked both the end of Scotland as a nation and the beginning, for what would Scottish culture be without the Bonnie Prince? It lives in the hearts of all Scots in the patina of dislike for all things English which survives to this day. It evokes great sadness for those who gave their all without complaint and endured the terrible price of failure.
Sometimes I wonder whether Bonnie Prince Charlie has been better for Scotland as the tragically romantic defeated prince than he'd have been if he'd succeeded to become King. But I'm just rambling now...
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Very clever. Like the way you've tried to import an accent in there
Very enjoyable Your very good aren't you? I think I'll go read a really really early one. 
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awesome. this does more then fit the challenge.
you not only described a historic event and made it interesting, you even went into the indigenious tongue and showed how its personal to you.
this is written amazingly well, and i can really tell that you know how to write in this language.
anyway, thank you for sharing and congrats.
you deserved it.
Katie o) -
very good representation of the scottish accent! the jacobite rebellion was going to be my topic, too, but now I'll have to pick another one because I certainly can't compete with this!
Edited on May 31, 6:39 p.m. because '>.>'. -
Greetings from Scotland This poem touched me... thank you.. good luck in the contest
Blessings and Smiles
~LadySterlight~ -
This is beautifully written (reminded me of braveheart) The scottish accent really works towards setting the atmosphere as well as the wording
great job !!
Ness
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