The Book of Scottish Song/Tweedside 2
Tweedside.
[The following once highly popular verses to the tune of "Tweedside" first appeared in Ramsay's Tea-Table Miscellany, 1724, and again, with the music, in the Orpheus Caledonius, 1725. They were written by Robert Crawfurd, a cadet of the family of Drumsoy, one of the "ingenious young gentlemen," of whom Ramsay speaks as contributors to his Miscellany. Crawfurd was author of "The Bush aboon Traquair," (see page 11,) and other songs given in Ramsay's work. He is sometimes called William Crawfurd, a mistake arising from Lord Woodhouselee misapplying an expression in one of Hamilton of Bangour's letters regarding a Will. Crawfurd. His father was twice married, first, to a daughter of a Gordon of Turnberry, by whom he had two sons, Thomas, at one time envoy extraordinary to the court of France, and Robert, the poet. The latter resided long in France, and died, or, as is said, was drowned on returning to his native country, in 1732. The second marriage of the father was to Jean, daughter of Archibald Crawfurd of Auchinames, in Renfrewshire, by whom he had a large family. Hence the mistake of making the poet belong to the Auchinames family (as is generally done)—a mistake, we believe, first exposed by Mr. David Laing, of the Signet Library, Edinburgh. Mr. Ramsay of Ochtertyre, in a letter to Dr. Blacklock, dated 27th Oct. 1787, says, "You may tell Mr. Burns when you see him, that Colonel Edmonston told me t'other day that his cousin Colonel George Crawfurd was no poet, but a great singer of songs; but that his eldest brother Robert (by a former marriage) had a great turn that way, having written the words of 'The Bush aboon Traquair' and 'Tweedside.' That the Mary to whom it was addressed was Mary Stewart of the Castlemilk family, afterwards wife of Mr. John Belches. The colonel (Edmonston) never saw Robert Crawfurd, though he was at his burial fifty-five years ago. He was a pretty young man, and lived long in France."—According to Sir Walter Scott, the Mary celebrated in "Tweedside" did not belong to the Castlemilk family, but was Mary Lilias Scott of the Harden family, a descendant of another famed beauty, Mary Scott of Dryhope in Selkirkshire, known by the name of "The Flower of Yarrow." Harden is an estate on the Tweed, about four miles from Melrose.]
What beauties does Flora disclose!
How sweet are her smiles upon Tweed!
Yet Mary's still sweeter than those,
Both nature and fancy exceed.
No daisy, nor sweet blushing rose,
Not all the gay flowers of the field,
Not Tweed, gliding gently through those,
Such beauty and pleasure does yield.
The warblers are heard in the grove,
The linnet, the lark, and the thrush;
The blackbird, and sweet cooing dove,
With music enchant ev'ry bush.
Come, let us go forth to the mead;
Let us see how the primroses spring;
We'll lodge in some village on Tweed,
And love while the feather'd folk sing.
How does my love pass the long day?
Does Mary not tend a few sheep?
Do they never carelessly stray
While happily she lies asleep?
Should Tweed's murmurs lull her to rest,
Kind nature indulgin' my bliss,
To ease the soft pains of my breast,
I'd steal an ambrosial kiss.
'Tis she does the virgins excel;
No beauty with her may compare;
Love's graces around her do dwell,
She's fairest where thousands are fair.
Say, charmer, where do thy flocks stray?
Oh, tell me at morn where they feed?
Shall I seek them on sweet-winding Tay?
Or the pleasanter banks of the Tweed?