Tuesday 21 October 2014

Lament of a Highland Woman

This is a poem of a highland woman, I wrote in two movements. The first movement of the is a her side of a conversation with her husband and the second movement is her coming to see him after the battle.


My love, do not leave for the call of war
I will not have you die
As so many who left did before

The king has soldiers and knights to aid
his cause so lost. You need not lie
deep in the earth, your frozen corpse laid

My love, forget you that we have a bairn?
A bonny lass who keeps your heart and eye
For her be more than 'neath a cairn

Fine! Go now, love, for you'll not stay
To battle you march, my heart you'll bear
I'll think not of your lily flesh
We shall lay no dirt in your bright red hair


II

Have you seen my love? They say he fought today.
My truest love, the lad with bright red hair
his lily flesh, and his eyes are blue
Have you seen my love? I know he is not slain!

I walked through the field to find my soldier fair
with his lily flesh and his bright red hair
I'll hear not that mine own love so true
Had been taken down, and closed his eyes so blue

I walked among the many slain, to find my soldier fair
Wailing girls knelt beside there loves, their cries echoed as I walked through the mud
I searched high and low for my love's bright hair
Lying near a horse, I saw his lily flesh and bright red blood.

I dug his gave deep in the earth so bare
I wept for him as I built his cairn
My true loves eyes, I closed so blue
And I laid the dirt in his bright red hair.


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