Robert Burns: Raving Winds Around Her Blowing: I composed these verses on Miss Isabella M’Leod of Raza, alluding to her feelings on the death of her sister, and the still more melancholy death of her sister’s husband, the late Earl of Loudoun, who shot himself out of sheer heart-break at some mortifications he suffered, owing to the deranged state of his finances.-R.B., 1971.

Raving Winds Around Her Blowing I composed these verses on Miss Isabella M’Leod of Raza, alluding to her
feelings on the death of her sister, and the still more melancholy death of
her sister’s husband, the late Earl of Loudoun, who shot himself out of sheer
heart-break at some mortifications he suffered, owing to the deranged state
of his finances.-R.B., 1971.
1788
Type: Song
Tune: M’Grigor of Roro’s Lament.

Raving winds around her blowing,
Yellow leaves the woodlands strowing,
By a river hoarsely roaring,
Isabella stray’d deploring-

“Farewell, hours that late did measure
Sunshine days of joy and pleasure;
Hail, thou gloomy night of sorrow,
Cheerless night that knows no morrow!

“O’er the past too fondly wandering,
On the hopeless future pondering;
Chilly grief my life-blood freezes,
Fell despair my fancy seizes.

“Life, thou soul of every blessing,
Load to misery most distressing,
Gladly how wouldlI resign thee,
And to dark oblivion join thee!”

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