 | The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay |  |
335
HIGHLAND MAIDENS.
I
Oh, bonnie are the heather-bellsUpon the mountains growing;
Oh, bonnie are the bluebells bright
That peep where streams are flowing;
And bonnie are the harebell cups
That wave on moorlands fenny,
But the human blossoms of the North
Are bonnier than any.
II
Ye prosperous Fates look kindly downUpon each Highland maiden;
Still may their hearts with virtue glow,
Their lips with smiles be laden.
May innocence and peace of mind
Forsake their pathway never,
And all the joys of happy love
Encircle them for ever.
III
So let them grow, the Highland flowers,As lovely as the morning;
Fair as the heather on the hills,
A rugged soil adorning;
So, like the bluebell of the wood,
And harebell of the meadow,
Gleam on the country of their birth
In sunshine or in shadow!
336
IV
In sunshine or in shadow still,By northern loch or mountain,
As fair as prouder flowers that grow
By southern grove or fountain.
Fair and not proud, with virtue crown'd,
Sweet-scented in the by-lands,
Still may they bloom, the bonnie flowers,
The maidens of the Highlands!
| The Collected Songs of Charles Mackay | |