6005 
 
 Caldcr 
 Songs of the Plough
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 
 James J. McBride 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Margaret McBride
 
 ROBERT H. CALDER 
 
 Hey for the ploo an* the plooman 
 
 Aberdeen :: William Smith & Sons 
 
 The Bon'Accord Press 
 
 1919
 
 NOTE 
 
 "The Dying Ploughboy and Other Verses" has 
 been accorded such a favourable reception the second 
 edition being now out of print that the writer is in- 
 duced to offer this further small collection of verses, 
 "Songs of the Plough," at a time when the importance 
 of agriculture to the nation has been very clearly shown. 
 
 December ; 1919.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 HEY FOR THE PLOO 4 
 
 A PLACIE O' MY AIN 7 
 
 STRAUCHT AN* STEADY ...... 9 
 
 HOWKIN' WORMS 10 
 
 THE YOUNG PLOOMAN .II 
 
 FAREWELL TO GLENCOILA 12 
 
 THE LAD OF GLENCOILA 13 
 
 PLOUGH IN HOPE 14 
 
 THE FALLOW 15 
 
 VIS NATURAE l6 
 
 YOKE AN' LOWSE 17 
 
 THE 'PRENTICE PIPER 19
 
 HEY FOR THE PLOO 
 
 EY for the ploo, the ploo, 
 
 Hey for the ploo an' the plooman ; 
 To work an' do weel wi' the ploo 
 Is the best thing a body can do, man. 
 
 The plooman, as ony can tell, 
 
 Is blest wi' a gude occupation, 
 For gin he does weel for himsel' 
 
 He likewise does weel for the nation. 
 
 iley for the ploo, etc. 
 
 The ploo-wark may be a bit teuch, 
 
 But the ploo-wark is hairtsome and healthy, 
 An' he that has health and eneuch 
 
 May weel be ca'd wonderfu' wealthy. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, etc.
 
 Their neighbours some ardently love, 
 
 An' study how best they can bleed them ; 
 
 But the plooman sic pranks is above, 
 He honestly labours to feed them. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, etc. 
 
 There are trades that the country could spare, 
 They only lick up the odd shillin', 
 
 But the ploo will be needit fu' sair 
 
 As lang's there are mou's needin' fillin'. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, etc. 
 
 The greatest, the least i' the land, 
 Whaever they be if they're human, 
 
 The subject should weel understand 
 
 An' mind what they owe to the plooman. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, etc. 
 
 Big changes the ploo has come through 
 Since handled by auld Cincinnatus, 
 
 But the nation aye prosperous grew 
 That accorded the ploo a gude status. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, etc.
 
 The ploo wi' its couter o' steel 
 Nae little does Nature require o't, 
 
 An' in truth she enjoys it sae weel 
 In its season she never will tire o't. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, etc. 
 
 Man aye at the ploo maun haud on 
 
 An' fill the appointed condition, 
 Till earth e'en itsel' is worn done, 
 
 An' a' gangs to clean crockanition. 
 
 Hey for the ploo, the ploo, 
 
 Hey for the ploo an' the plooman ; 
 
 To work an' do weel wi' the ploo 
 
 Is the best thing a body can do, man.
 
 A PLACIE O' MY AIN 
 
 T isna silly thochts o' ease, 
 
 It isna love o' change, 
 That set me on the chance to seize 
 Frae servant ranks to range ; 
 But when there's bits o' land to let 
 
 I own I wad be fain 
 On fair an' decent terms to get 
 A plaicie o' my ain. 
 
 Anither ye can never sair' 
 
 As ye will sair' yereel', 
 Bestowin' time an' skill an' care 
 
 As aye they best may tell ; 
 Half-heartit wark wad nae be done, 
 
 Nor labour slack an' vain, 
 My best I aye wad ware upon 
 
 A plaicie o' my ain. 
 
 I micht be careless o' my gear 
 
 An' squander like the lave, 
 Had I nae object bricht and clear 
 
 For which to win an' save ;
 
 But a' the siller I can mak' 
 
 An' a' that I can hain 
 I tichtly grip wi' aim to tak' 
 
 A placie o' my ain. 
 
 The lad wha raithers corn than caff 
 
 Aspires to mak' a hame, 
 Nae dismal, dreary, puir pit-aff 
 
 But something worth the name ; 
 I've speered at Tib, she says she will, 
 
 An' when my name she's ta'en, 
 I wish and hope to tak' her till 
 
 A placie o' my ain.
 
 STRAUCHT AN' STEADY 
 
 first time that Peg to the ploo-heid was yokit 
 .She fidged i' the theets, an' she caper't an' jokit ; 
 Thocht I, afore lang we'll convince ye, my leddy, 
 Your business here is to pu' straucht an' pu' steady. 
 
 An' Peg, I maun say, wasna dreich i' the learnin', 
 But soon got the gait o' baith drawin' an' turnin' ; 
 She micht be at times, like mysel', a bit heady, 
 But fair weel disposed to pu' straucht an' pu' steady. 
 
 An' fowk, too, when first they at wark tak' their places 
 Are whiles a wee skittish, an' kick owre the traces ; 
 It's weel if ere lang they gie up bein' giddy, 
 An' learn like the mear to pu' straucht an' pu' steady. 
 
 For wha are maist like to win honour an' blessin', 
 An' feel the enjoyment o' fortune's caressin' ? 
 They wha at a' seasons are willin' an' ready 
 In duty's ticht theets to pu' straucht an' pu' steady.
 
 HOWKIN' WORMS 
 
 EASTS, birds, an' fowk, each mither's son, 
 
 Hae o' themsel's a michty notion, 
 An' deem the earth an' a' thereon 
 For their behoof maun be in motion. 
 
 The painter chap, wha likes a view, 
 An' sees me in the field afore him, 
 
 May think I yoke an' drive the ploo 
 To liven up the landscape for him. 
 
 My pair theirsel's, the horse and mear, 
 May think that I, a human sinner, 
 
 Just keep them haulin', tuggin' here 
 To mak' them ready for their dinner. 
 
 That craw that close ahin' me jinks 
 An' keeps his craw-remarks repeatin', 
 
 I wadna wonder though he thinks 
 
 I'm howkin' worms to haud him eatin'.
 
 THE YOUNG PLOOMAN 
 
 WEEL-PLOOED rig I like to view, 
 An' weel I like a gude-gaun ploo, 
 But in my life there's something new, 
 A dearer ploy attracts me noo. 
 
 The gloamin' dim that daylicht ends 
 To lowsin-time new sweetness lends, 
 An' me on lichtsome foot it sends 
 To where the field o' love extends. 
 
 An' weel I ken the way to Kate, 
 An' weel I ken the place to wait ; 
 Whate'er the hour it's ne'er ower late 
 Her kind regards to cultivate. 
 
 Oh, brichtly then love's sun doth shine, 
 The summer flowers ne'er bloomed sae fine ; 
 My bliss maun surely be divine 
 The day that I can ca' her mine.
 
 FAIRWELL TO GLENCOILA 
 
 HAREWELL to Glencoila each height and each 
 hollow 
 Where lightsome of heart I have followed the 
 
 plough, 
 
 A different trade I am summoned to follow 
 And far other scenes are awaiting me now. 
 
 The foes of my country, insulting pretenders, 
 Would shatter and stamp on its honour and laws, 
 
 And Liberty calls to her friends and defenders 
 To rally and stand for her rights and her cause. 
 
 Dear comrades, farewell, 'tis a sorrow to leave you, 
 The thought of your friendship shall ever be dear ; 
 
 May no act or conduct of mine ever grieve you 
 Nor grudge to my memory a sigh or a tear. 
 
 And thou, lovely maiden, my bosom's best treasure, 
 The pain of this parting no language can tell : 
 
 Accepting what fate to my fortunes shall measure, 
 
 My country, and comrades, and sweetheart Farewell,
 
 THE LAD OF GLENCOILA 
 
 green leaves return at the breath of the spring, 
 And the birds seek the cover to build and to sing, 
 The lapwing returns to his haunt on the lea, 
 But the lad of Glencoila returns not to me. 
 
 The warm light returns to the brow of the ben, 
 
 And the stream sparkles bright as it winds down the glen, 
 
 The angler again on its banks wanders free, 
 
 But the lad of Glencoila returns not to me. 
 
 Oh, gallant he looked as he marched to the war, 
 Where hardships and dangers were lurking afar ; 
 His life for his king and his country gave he, 
 And the lad of Glencoila returns not to me. 
 
 How can I the flowers and the sunshine enjoy ? 
 How shall I the long lonely hours now employ ? 
 Dark sorrow my constant companion must be 
 Since the lad of Glencoila returns not to me.
 
 PLOUGH IN HOPE 
 
 YE, truly he that ploughs should plough in hope, 
 Not lag in doubt nor in despondence mope, 
 But plough in hope, that for his toiling hard 
 He in due time shall reap his due reward. 
 
 He who his manhood to the plough shall give, 
 In manly fashion by the plough should live ; 
 He with the plough who does the best he can 
 Doth best fulfil the destiny of man. 
 
 The nation that contemns and starves the plough 
 Itself shall starve and in decay shall bow ; 
 The nation that doth on the plough depend 
 Shall know prosperity that will not end. 
 
 Respect the plough, thy grateful feelings show, 
 For what on thee such blessings doth bestow ; 
 Revere the plough, good times it will afford 
 When strife and hate have perished with the sword. 
 
 4
 
 THE FALLOW 
 
 EARS and years I have been fallow, 
 Idle, languid, useless, sallow ; 
 Now I hail the plough returning 
 Soon^to satisfy my yearning. 
 
 Long my state I have been loathing, 
 Growing what is good for nothing, 
 Scarce a blade or cheerful blossom 
 On my rugged, barren bosom. 
 
 Idleness is irksome, wasteful, 
 Both to land and man distasteful ; 
 Earth's enjoyment is in bearing, 
 Growing, giving, yielding, sharing. 
 
 Welcome then the stalwart horses, 
 Welcome then the ploughshare's forces ; 
 Let the ploughman's foot come o'er me 
 And to fruitfulness restore me. 
 
 1917.
 
 VIS NATURAE 
 
 MONG the bowers of Invergappy 
 There was a man lived long and happy 
 His only med'cine, I assure ye, 
 The same as Adam's vis naturae. 
 
 His eye was bright, his cheek was ruddy, 
 His whole appearance was a study ; 
 In health robust, serene and pure aye, 
 The blest result of vis naturae. 
 
 On nauseous nostrums, salts and senna, 
 He never spent a single penny ; 
 If ails he had the ready cure aye 
 For all his ails was vis naturae. 
 
 Whate'er the season or the weather 
 He found them pleasant altogether ; 
 Himself to them he did inure aye 
 Backed up, sustained by vis naturae. 
 
 So I advise you, too, to try it ; 
 But stay ! you need not rush to buy it ; 
 Just live a natural life and you're a 
 Delightful jar of vis naturae. 
 
 16
 
 YOKE AN' LOWSE 
 
 OWSE an' yoke, lowse an' yoke, 
 That's the way wi' fairmin' folk ; 
 Yoke an' lowse, yoke an' lowse, 
 That's the way that produce growes. 
 
 When frae the east the mornin' broke 
 The youthfu' plooman joyed to yoke ; 
 But when the gloamin' decked the knowes 
 . Gude faith he wasna sweer to lowse. 
 
 But when he meat an' sleep had ta'en 
 Wi' strength renewed he till't again, 
 An' kept his naggies steppin' prime 
 Till it again was lowsin'-time. 
 
 An' eident back an' fore he gaed, 
 An' furr on furr he deftly laid, 
 Regairdless baith o' cauld an' shower 
 Till a' the field he had gane ower.
 
 Thus to the waitin' rigs for lang 
 The plooman aft did come an' gang, 
 Till frae his labour hard an' sair 
 Ae time he lowsed to yoke nae mair. 
 
 The plooman maybe didna ken 
 That he had come to his amen, 
 But ken or no' it didna mak', 
 He cam' awa' an' ne'er gaed back. 
 
 An' syne ere lang the kindly soil, 
 Weel-pleased an' gratefu' for his toil, 
 Received him to its cosy breast 
 An faulded him in peacefu' rest.
 
 O 
 
 THE 'PRENTICE PIPER 
 
 OR Jock took a notion a piper to be, 
 An' a roch stan' o' pipes frae a gangrel bocht he, 
 An' set to the learnin' an fowk twa or three 
 Had reason to ken o' his learnin'. 
 
 For the soun's that he made an' the din that he raised 
 Were sic that the stars in the sky seemed amazed, 
 An' he near-gar't the mortals beside him gang crazed 
 Sae fearsome was Jock at his learnin'. 
 
 A fine mairchin' tune he would bravely assail, 
 An' the hearer micht think he was noo to prevail, 
 But there soon cam' a doonbrak, a scraich, an' a wail 
 
 That proclaimed he was only but learnin'. 
 
 But hae patience an' something may come i' the net, 
 The 'prentice can only gie 'prentice wark yet, 
 But a spring we can dance till sometime we may get, 
 If Jock doesna dee i' the learnin'.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
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