Woman And The Weed poem – Andrew Lang poems

(FOUNDED ON A NEW ZEALAND MYTH.) In the Morning of Time, when his fortunes began, How bleak, how un-Greek, was the Nature of Man! From his wigwam, if ever he ventured to roam, There was nobody waiting to welcome him home; For the Man had been made, but the woman had NOT, And […]

Willie’s Ladye poem – Andrew Lang poems

Willie has ta’en him o’er the faem, He’s wooed a wife, and brought her hame; He’s wooed her for her yellow hair, But his mother wrought her meikle care; And meikle dolour gar’d her dree, For lighter she can never be; But in her bow’r she sits with pain, And Willie mourns o’er […]

Waly, Waly poem – Andrew Lang poems

O waly, waly, up the bank, O waly, waly, down the brae. And waly, waly, yon burn side, Where I and my love wont to gae. I leaned my back unto an aik, An’ thocht it was a trustie tree, But first it bow’d and syne it brak, Sae my true love did […]

Valentine In Form Of Ballade poem – Andrew Lang poems

The soft wind from the south land sped, He set his strength to blow, From forests where Adonis bled, And lily flowers a-row: He crossed the straits like streams that flow, The ocean dark as wine, To my true love to whisper low, To be your Valentine. The Spring half-raised her drowsy head, […]

Three Portraits Of Prince Charles poem – Andrew Lang poems

1731 BEAUTIFUL face of a child, Lighted with laughter and glee, Mirthful, and tender, and wild, My heart is heavy for thee! 1744 Beautiful face of a youth, As an eagle poised to fly forth To the old land loyal of truth, To the hills and the sounds of the North: Fair face, […]

The Wife Of Usher’s Well poem – Andrew Lang poems

There lived a wife at Usher’s Well, And a wealthy wife was she; She had three stout and stalwart sons, And sent them oer the sea, They hadna been a week from her, A week but barely ane, When word came to the carline wife That her three sons were gane. They hadna […]

The Twa Sisters poem – Andrew Lang poems

There liv’d twa sisters in a bower, Hey Edinbruch, how Edinbruch. There liv’d twa sisters in a bower, Stirling for aye: The youngest o’ them, O, she was a flower! Bonny Sanct Johnstonne that stands upon Tay. There came a squire frae the west, Hey Edinbruch, how Edinbruch. There cam a squire frae […]

The Queen’s Marie poem – Andrew Lang poems

Marie Hamilton’s to the kirk gane, Wi ribbons in her hair; The king thought mair o Marie Hamilton, Than ony that were there. Marie Hamilton’s to the kirk gane, Wi ribbons on her breast; The king thought mair o Marie Hamilton, Than he listend to the priest. Marie Hamilton’s to the kirk gane, […]

The Odyssey poem – Andrew Lang poems

AS one that for a weary space has lain Lull’d by the song of Circe and her wine In gardens near the pale of Proserpine, Where that Aeaean isle forgets the main, And only the low lutes of love complain, And only shadows of wan lovers pine- As such an one were glad […]

The Moon’s Minion poem – Andrew Lang poems

Thine eyes are like the sea, my dear, The wand’ring waters, green and grey; Thine eyes are wonderful and clear, And deep, and deadly, even as they; The spirit of the changeful sea Informs thine eyes at night and noon, She sways the tides, and the heart of thee, The mystic, sad, capricious […]

The Loving Ballad Of Lord Bateman poem – Andrew Lang poems

Lord Bateman was a noble lord, A noble lord of high degree; He shipped himself all aboard of a ship, Some foreign country for to see. He sailed east, he sailed west, Until he came to famed Turkey, Where he was taken and put to prison, Until his life was quite weary. All […]

The Laird Of Waristoun poem – Andrew Lang poems

Down by yon garden green, Sae merrily as she gaes; She has twa weel-made feet, And she trips upon her taes. She has twa weel-made feet; Far better is her hand; She’s as jimp in the middle As ony willow wand. “Gif ye will do my bidding, At my bidding for to be, […]

The Heir Of Lynne poem – Andrew Lang poems

Of all the lords in faire Scotland A song I will begin: Amongst them all dwelled a lord Which was the unthrifty Lord of Lynne. His father and mother were dead him froe, And so was the head of all his kinne; He did neither cease nor blinne To the cards and dice […]

The Fairy’s Gift poem – Andrew Lang poems

The Fays that to my christ’ning came (For come they did, my nurses taught me), They did not bring me wealth or fame, ‘Tis very little that they brought me. But one, the crossest of the crew, The ugly old one, uninvited, Said, “I shall be avenged on YOU, My child; you shall […]

The Elphin Nourrice poem – Andrew Lang poems

I heard a cow low, a bonnie cow low, An’ a cow low down in yon glen; Lang, lang will my young son greet, Or his mither bid him come ben. I heard a cow low, a bonnie cow low, An’ a cow low down in yon fauld; Lang, lang will my young […]

The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow poem – Andrew Lang poems

Late at e’en, drinking the wine, And ere they paid the lawing, They set a combat them between, To fight it in the dawing. “Oh, stay at hame, my noble lord, Oh, stay at hame, my marrow! My cruel brother will you betray On the dowie houms of Yarrow.” “Oh, fare ye weel, […]

The Douglas Tragedy poem – Andrew Lang poems

“Rise up, rise up now, Lord Douglas,” she says, “And put on your armour so bright; Let it never be said that a daughter of thine Was married to a lord under night. “Rise up, rise up, my seven bold sons, And put on your armour so bright, And take better care of […]

The Burial Of Moliere poem – Andrew Lang poems

Dead–he is dead! The rouge has left a trace On that thin cheek where shone, perchance, a tear, Even while the people laughed that held him dear But yesterday. He died,–and not in grace, And many a black-robed caitiff starts apace To slander him whose Tartuffe made them fear, And gold must win […]

The Broomfield Hill poem – Andrew Lang poems

There was a knight and lady bright Set trysts amo the broom, The one to come at morning eav, The other at afternoon. “I’ll wager a wager wi’ you,” he said, “An hundred marks and ten, That ye shall not go to Broomfield Hills, Return a maiden again.” “I’ll wager a wager wi’ […]

The Bonny Hind poem – Andrew Lang poems

O May she comes, and may she goes, Down by yon gardens green, And there she spied a gallant squire As squire had ever been. And may she comes, and may she goes, Down by yon hollin tree, And there she spied a brisk young squire, And a brisk young squire was he. […]

The Bonnie House O’ Airly poem – Andrew Lang poems

It fell on a day, and a bonnie summer day, When the corn grew green and yellow, That there fell out a great dispute Between Argyle and Airly. The Duke o’ Montrose has written to Argyle To come in the morning early, An’ lead in his men, by the back O’ Dunkeld, To […]

The Bonnie Earl Moray poem – Andrew Lang poems

A. Ye Highlands, and ye Lawlands Oh where have you been? They have slain the Earl of Murray, And they layd him on the green. “Now wae be to thee, Huntly! And wherefore did you sae? I bade you bring him wi you, But forbade you him to slay.” He was a braw […]

The Battle Of Killie-Crankie poem – Andrew Lang poems

Clavers and his Highlandmen Came down upo’ the raw, man, Who being stout, gave mony a clout; The lads began to claw then. With sword and terge into their hand, Wi which they were nae slaw, man, Wi mony a fearful heavy sigh, The lads began to claw then. O’er bush, o’er bank, […]

The Battle Of Harlaw–Evergreen Version poem – Andrew Lang poems

Frae Dunidier as I cam throuch, Doun by the hill of Banochie, Allangst the lands of Garioch. Grit pitie was to heir and se The noys and dulesum hermonie, That evir that dreiry day did daw! Cryand the corynoch on hie, Alas! alas! for the Harlaw. I marvlit what the matter meant; All […]

St. Andrew’s Bay poem – Andrew Lang poems

NIGHT. Ah, listen through the music, from the shore, The “melancholy long-withdrawing roar”; Beneath the Minster, and the windy caves, The wide North Ocean, marshalling his waves Even so forlorn–in worlds beyond our ken - May sigh the seas that are not heard of men; Even so forlorn, prophetic of man’s fate, Sounded […]

Sir Hugh; Or The Jew’s Daughter poem – Andrew Lang poems

Four-and-twenty bonny boys Were playing at the ba, And by it came him sweet Sir Hugh, And he playd o’er them a’. He kickd the ba with his right foot And catchd it wi his knee, And throuch-and-thro the Jew’s window He gard the bonny ba flee. He’s doen him to the Jew’s […]

Scythe Song poem – Andrew Lang poems

MOWERS, weary and brown, and blithe, What is the word methinks ye know, Endless over-word that the Scythe Sings to the blades of the grass below? Scythes that swing in the grass and clover, Something, still, they say as they pass; What is the word that, over and over, Sings the Scythe to […]

A Scot To Jeanne D’Arc poem – Andrew Lang poems

DARK Lily without blame, Not upon us the shame, Whose sires were to the Auld Alliance true; They, by the Maiden’s side, Victorious fought and died; One stood by thee that fiery torment through, Till the White Dove from thy pure lips had passed, And thou wert with thine own St. Catherine at […]

Rose The Red And White Lily poem – Andrew Lang poems

O Rose the Red and White Lilly, Their mother dear was dead, And their father married an ill woman, Wishd them twa little guede. Yet she had twa as fu fair sons As eer brake manis bread, And the tane of them loed her White Lilly, And the tither lood Rose the Red. […]

Robin Hood And The Potter poem – Andrew Lang poems

In schomer, when the leves spryng, The bloschems on every bowe, So merey doyt the berdys syng Yn wodys merey now. Herkens, god yemen, Comley, corteysse, and god, On of the best that yever bar bou, Hes name was Roben Hode. Roben Hood was the yemans name, That was boyt corteys and fre; […]

Robin Hood And The Monk poem – Andrew Lang poems

In somer when the shawes be sheyne, And leves be large and longe, Hit is full mery in feyre foreste To here the foulys song. To se the dere draw to the dale, And leve the hilles hee, And shadow hem in the leves grene, Vndur the grene-wode tre. Hit befell on Whitsontide, […]

Robin Hood And The Butcher poem – Andrew Lang poems

Come, all you brave gallants, and listen awhile, With hey down, down, an a down, That are in the bowers within; For of Robin Hood, that archer good, A song I intend for to sing. Upon a time it chanced so, Bold Robin in forrest did ‘spy A jolly butcher, with a bonny […]

A Portrait Of 1783 poem – Andrew Lang poems

Your hair and chin are like the hair And chin Burne-Jones’s ladies wear; You were unfashionably fair In ’83; And sad you were when girls are gay, You read a book about Le vrai Merite de l’homme, alone in May. What CAN it be, Le vrai merite de l’homme? Not gold, Not titles […]

On Calais Sands poem – Andrew Lang poems

ON Calais Sands the gray began, Then rosy red above they gray; The morn with many a scarlet van Leaped, and the world was glad with May! The little waves along the bay Broke white upon the shelving strands; The sea-mews flitted white as they On Calais Sands! On Calais Sands must man […]

Mary Ambree poem – Andrew Lang poems

When captaines couragious, whom death cold not daunte, Did march to the siege of the citty of Gaunt, They mustred their souldiers by two and by three, And the formost in battle was Mary Ambree. When [the] brave sergeant-major was slaine in her sight, Who was her true lover, her joy, and delight, […]

Love Gregor; Or, The Lass Of Lochroyan poem – Andrew Lang poems

“O wha will shoe my fu’ fair foot? And wha will glove my hand? And wha will lace my middle jimp, Wi’ the new-made London band? “And wha will kaim my yellow hair, Wi’ the new made silver kaim? And wha will father my young son, Till Love Gregor come hame?” “Your father […]

Les Roses de Sâdi poem – Andrew Lang poems

This morning I vowed I would bring thee my roses, They were thrust in the band that my bodice encloses; But the breast-knots were broken, the roses went free. The breast-knots were broken; the roses together Floated forth on the wings of the wind and the weather, And they drifted afar down the […]