 | Lays of the Highlands and Islands |  |
73
SHETLAND
BURRA FIORD.
Come hither all ye Norsemen brave
That ply the limber oar,
We'll have a jolly pull to-day
With you on the Shetland shore!
Landlubbers we, and strange to boats;
But, if you'll bear a hand,
We'll shake the dust from off our coats
On the breezy Shetland strand.
That ply the limber oar,
We'll have a jolly pull to-day
With you on the Shetland shore!
Landlubbers we, and strange to boats;
But, if you'll bear a hand,
We'll shake the dust from off our coats
On the breezy Shetland strand.
Pull away, pull away, ye jolly Norsemen!
Where the sea-mew floats, and the kittiwake cries,
And the dark-winged guillemots plunge and rise;
Pull away, pull away, pull away!
Where the sea-mew floats, and the kittiwake cries,
And the dark-winged guillemots plunge and rise;
Pull away, pull away, pull away!
74
Come Jamieson, Johnson and Sandison,
Come Josie that well may brag
How he plucked the eagle by the throat
From the face of the white sea-crag.
O Josie, Josie! break-neck loon,
Where thy strong arms prevail
We'll take the Fuggla by the crown,
The Uytstack by the tail!
Come Josie that well may brag
How he plucked the eagle by the throat
From the face of the white sea-crag.
O Josie, Josie! break-neck loon,
Where thy strong arms prevail
We'll take the Fuggla by the crown,
The Uytstack by the tail!
Pull away! &c.
Now lightly neath the toppling rock,
Ye jolly sailors brave,
With bounding prow, we plough the deep
And skim the sheeny wave;
While o'er our heads, a gamesome troop,
The fowls that fish the sea,
With plumy plunge and wavy swoop
Come drifting merrily!
Ye jolly sailors brave,
With bounding prow, we plough the deep
And skim the sheeny wave;
While o'er our heads, a gamesome troop,
The fowls that fish the sea,
With plumy plunge and wavy swoop
Come drifting merrily!
Pull away! &c.
Now gently, gently dip your oars,
Ye jolly sailors brave,
While neath the rocky arch we pass.
And through the hollow cave,
Where the puffins stand, a staring band,
And wonder who we be
That dare invade the fortress made
For them on Shetland sea!
Ye jolly sailors brave,
While neath the rocky arch we pass.
75
Where the puffins stand, a staring band,
And wonder who we be
That dare invade the fortress made
For them on Shetland sea!
Pull away! &c.
Now turn the helm, and with strong arm
The sounding billows smite,
And cross to Fuggla's jagged rock
That shows the saviour-light,
And bear us bravely o'er the bay
Where the huge wave swells with pride,
And cut your way through foam and spray
Of the big Atlantic tide!
The sounding billows smite,
And cross to Fuggla's jagged rock
That shows the saviour-light,
And bear us bravely o'er the bay
Where the huge wave swells with pride,
And cut your way through foam and spray
Of the big Atlantic tide!
Pull away! &c.
Now land, and scale the height which bears
The sailor's radiant mark,
The tower, by daring builders reared
To guide the labouring bark,
Where the tempest stalks with Titan stride,
And the wave with thundering shock
Lashes the grim rock's furrowed side,
And shakes the mighty block;
The sailor's radiant mark,
The tower, by daring builders reared
To guide the labouring bark,
Where the tempest stalks with Titan stride,
And the wave with thundering shock
76
And shakes the mighty block;
Pull away! &c.
Now on the top we stand; and now
Our share we proudly claim
In this extremest horn of land
That knows Victoria's name.
God save the Queen!—her praise be told
On Shetland's Northmost isle,
With his, the master-builder bold
Who raised this stable pile.
Our share we proudly claim
In this extremest horn of land
That knows Victoria's name.
God save the Queen!—her praise be told
On Shetland's Northmost isle,
With his, the master-builder bold
Who raised this stable pile.
Sing hurrah-rah-rah! ye jolly Norsemen,
Where the wild blasts blow, and the big waves roll,
And the strong tower stands with its front to the pole;
Sing hurrah, sing hurrah, sing hurrah!
Where the wild blasts blow, and the big waves roll,
And the strong tower stands with its front to the pole;
Sing hurrah, sing hurrah, sing hurrah!
Now fare ye well, ye warders wise,
Who watch this storm-vext shore!
Backward we plough the heaving flood,
And ply the limber oar.
Landlubbers we, and strange to boats,
But, while we lift an arm,
We'll keep a heart beneath our coats
To Shetland seamen warm.
Who watch this storm-vext shore!
Backward we plough the heaving flood,
And ply the limber oar.
Landlubbers we, and strange to boats,
77
We'll keep a heart beneath our coats
To Shetland seamen warm.
Pull away, pull away, ye jolly Norsemen,
Where the big tides roll, and the strong winds blow;
For the white fog comes, and we must go;
Pull away, pull away, pull away!
Where the big tides roll, and the strong winds blow;
For the white fog comes, and we must go;
Pull away, pull away, pull away!
| Lays of the Highlands and Islands | |