Flowers of the Forest
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Flowers of the Forest |
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The Flowers of the Forest ceremony for departed love ones has
become a tradition in the Scottish community. It is an on-going part of the
major Scottish Highland Games and Festivals around the world to recognize those
family members that have departed over the past year.
The song /poem "The Flowers of the Forest" was written by Jean Elliot in the 18th
century and is a reworking of an older song about the non-return of the large
number of Scottish soldiers after the Battle of Flodden.
The defeat at Flodden in 1513 when Scotland lost thousands of her
men, many of her nobles, and her king James IV, to an invading English army.
Rather like the Battle of Culloden over two centuries later, Flodden remains a
painful and unresolved issue in the national psyche. That's why 'The Flowers Of
The Forest' is rarely sung or played as a performance piece, being generally
reserved for special occasions only. Armistice Day commemorations would be such.
The following are the words to the song/poem below the song is definitions of
unfamiliar words in the song/poem.
| 'I've heard them
lilting at the yowe-milking, Lasses a-lilting before the dawn o' day; But
now they are moaning on ilka green loaning; The Flowers of the Forest are a'
wede awae.
At buchts in the morning, nae blythe lads are scorning The lassies are lonely and dowie and wae; Nae daffin', nae gabbin, but sighing and sabbing Ilk ane lifts her leglin and hies her awae. In hairst, at the shearing, nae youths now are jeering; The bandsters are lyart and runkled and grey; At fair or at preaching, nae wooing, nae fleeching: The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede awae. |
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At e'en in the gloaming, nae swankies are roaming 'Bout stacks wi' the lasses at bogle to play But ilk ane sits drearie lamenting her dearie - The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede awae. Dule and wae for the order, sent our lads tae the Border! The English, for aince, by guile wan the day; The Flowers of the Forest that focht aye the foremost The pride o' our land, are cauld in the clay. We'll hear nae mair lilting at the yowe-milking; Women and bairns are heartless and wae; Sighing and moaning on ilka green loaning: The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away'. |
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yowe - ewe; ilka - each, every; loaning - road to a grazing; wede - withered; buchts - cattle pens; dowie - sad; daffin' - having fun/being licentious; leglin - milking pail; hairst - harvest; bandsters - harvesters; lyart - grizzled; fleeching - cajoling/flattering; swankies - young bloods; bogle - hide-and-seek; dule - grief. |
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