The Bonny Earl of Murray

Thomas Percy 1729 (Bridgnorth) – 1811



Ye highlands, and ye lawlands,
Oh! whair hae ye been?
They hae slaine the earl of Murray,
And hae layd him on the green.

Now wae be to thee, Huntley!
And whairfore did you sae!
I bade you bring him wi' you,
But forbade you him to slay.

He was a braw gallant,
And he rid at the ring;
And the bonny earl of Murray,
Oh! he might hae been a king.

He was a braw gallant,
And he playd at the ba';
And the bonny earl of Murray
Was the flower among them a'.

He was a braw gallant,
And he playd at the gluve;
And the bonny earl of Murray,
Oh! he was the queenes luve.

Oh! lang will his lady
Luke owre the castle downe,
Ere she see the earl of Murray
Cum sounding throw the towne.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
115

Quick analysis:

Scheme axbx baxx CdBd CxBx CeBe bfbf
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 656
Words 142
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Thomas Percy

Thomas Percy was Bishop of Dromore, County Down, Ireland. Before being made bishop, he was chaplain to George III. Percy's greatest contribution is considered to be his Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, the first of the great ballad collections, which was the one work most responsible for the ballad revival in English poetry that was a significant part of the Romantic movement. more…

All Thomas Percy poems | Thomas Percy Books

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