Song to the tune of Caledonian Hunt's Delight
Tune - Caledonian Hunt's Delight ----
There was on a time, but old Time then was young,
That brave Caledonia, the chief of her line,
From some of your northern deities sprung,
(Who knows not that brave Caledonias divine:)
From Tweed to the Orcades was her domain,
To hunt or to pasture or do what she would:
Her heavenly relations there fixed her reign,
And pledged her their godheads to warrant it good. ----
A lambkin in peace, but a lion in war,
The pride of her kindred the Heroine grew:
Her grandsire, old Odin, triumphantly swore ----
"Whoe'er shall provoke thee th' encounter shall rue!"
With tillage or pasture at times she would sport,
To feed her fair flocks by her green rustling corn;
But chiefly the woods were her fav'rite resort,
Her darling amusement the hounds & the horn. ----
Long quiet she reigned till thitherward steers
A flight of bold eagles from Adria's strand:
There was on a time, but old Time then was young,
That brave Caledonia, the chief of her line,
From some of your northern deities sprung,
(Who knows not that brave Caledonias divine:)
From Tweed to the Orcades was her domain,
To hunt or to pasture or do what she would:
Her heavenly relations there fixed her reign,
And pledged her their godheads to warrant it good. ----
A lambkin in peace, but a lion in war,
The pride of her kindred the Heroine grew:
Her grandsire, old Odin, triumphantly swore ----
"Whoe'er shall provoke thee th' encounter shall rue!"
With tillage or pasture at times she would sport,
To feed her fair flocks by her green rustling corn;
But chiefly the woods were her fav'rite resort,
Her darling amusement the hounds & the horn. ----
Long quiet she reigned till thitherward steers
A flight of bold eagles from Adria's strand:
Repeated, successive, for many long years,
They darken'd the air & they plunder'd the land:
Their pounces were murder, & terror their cry,
They'd conquer'd & ruin'd a world beside:
She took to her hills & her arrows let fly,
The daring invaders they fled or they di'd. ----
The fell Harpy-raven took wing, from the north,
The scourge of the seas, & the dread of the shore;
The wild Scandinavian boar issu'd forth
To wanton in carnage & wallow in gore:
O'er countries & kingdoms their fury prevail'd,
No arts could appease them, no arms could repel;
But brave Caledonia in vain they assail'd,
As Largs well can witness, & Loncartie tell. ----
The Cameleon-Savage disturb'd her repose,
With tumult, disquiet, rebellion & strife;
Provok'd beyond bearing at last she arose,
And robb'd him at once of his hopes & his life:
They darken'd the air & they plunder'd the land:
Their pounces were murder, & terror their cry,
They'd conquer'd & ruin'd a world beside:
She took to her hills & her arrows let fly,
The daring invaders they fled or they di'd. ----
The fell Harpy-raven took wing, from the north,
The scourge of the seas, & the dread of the shore;
The wild Scandinavian boar issu'd forth
To wanton in carnage & wallow in gore:
O'er countries & kingdoms their fury prevail'd,
No arts could appease them, no arms could repel;
But brave Caledonia in vain they assail'd,
As Largs well can witness, & Loncartie tell. ----
The Cameleon-Savage disturb'd her repose,
With tumult, disquiet, rebellion & strife;
Provok'd beyond bearing at last she arose,
And robb'd him at once of his hopes & his life:
The Anglian lion, the terror of France,
Oft prowling ensanguin'd the Tweed's silver flood;
But taught by the bright Caledonian lance
He learned to fear in his own native wood. ----
Oft prowling ensanguin'd the Tweed's silver flood;
But taught by the bright Caledonian lance
He learned to fear in his own native wood. ----
Thus bold, independent, unconquer'd & free,
Her bright course of glory for ever shall run;
For brave Caledonia immortal must be,
I'll prove it from Euclid as clear as the sun:
Rectangle-triangle, the figure we'll chuse,
The upright is Chance, & old Time is the base;
But brave Caledonia's the hypothenuse,
Then ergo, she'll match them, & match them always.
Her bright course of glory for ever shall run;
For brave Caledonia immortal must be,
I'll prove it from Euclid as clear as the sun:
Rectangle-triangle, the figure we'll chuse,
The upright is Chance, & old Time is the base;
But brave Caledonia's the hypothenuse,
Then ergo, she'll match them, & match them always.
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/177
- Alt. number
- 3.6164.d
- Date
- 1789
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/177
- Alt. number
- 3.6164.d
- Date
- 1789
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
Description
Song to the tune, Caledonian Hunt's Delight. Part of Folio.
In this seemingly patriotic song, Burns suggests that Scotland has divine origins. He gives a short history of Scotland's invaders and their successes and defeats until the country is at last set free. He sent this song to James Johnson, the complier of the Scots Musical Museum on 23 January 1789.
On the first page, Burns writes that Scotland has developed by divine ordination with heavenly overlords. He relishes in Scotland's peaceful inclinations that can become warlike if threatened. He also believes that Scotland's ancestors, the Picts, originated from Scandinavia and preferred farming and field sports.
On the second page, Burns tells of the loss of peace across Scotland with the arrival of the Roman invasion and plunder followed by the Picts disposing of them.
The third page contains only four lines mentioning troubles with England and France and the Pictish victory over Eggfrith at Nechtansmere in 685AD. This version omits eight lines relating to Danes and Norwegians which are included in other versions.
In the final verse, Burns states that Scotland is stable and free. He uses a metaphor from geometry, describing Scotland as the hypotenuse of a triangle which has time as the base and chance the vertical.
On the second page, Burns tells of the loss of peace across Scotland with the arrival of the Roman invasion and plunder followed by the Picts disposing of them.
The third page contains only four lines mentioning troubles with England and France and the Pictish victory over Eggfrith at Nechtansmere in 685AD. This version omits eight lines relating to Danes and Norwegians which are included in other versions.
In the final verse, Burns states that Scotland is stable and free. He uses a metaphor from geometry, describing Scotland as the hypotenuse of a triangle which has time as the base and chance the vertical.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- Song to the tune of Caledonian Hunt's Delight