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 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-75m-7,'61 ( 0143 7s4) 444 ANG3LES C128s S n=!;s of the . ; .= . . A 000 493 862 7 PR ^0 C128s