Air—“Gillle Callum”
I'LL hie me tae the sheelin hill, [1]
And bide amang the braes, Callum ;
Ere I gang tae Crochan mill, [2]
I'll live on hips an slaes, Callum.
Wealthy pride but ill can hide
Your runkl't measl't shins, Callum ;
Lyart pow, as white's the tow,
An beard as rough's the whins, Callum.
Wily woman aft deceives,
Sae ye'll think, I ween, Callum ;
Trees may keep their withered leaves,
Till ance they get the green, Callum.
Blythe rung Donald's won my heart,
Has my willing vow, Callum ;
Now, for a your couthy airt,
I winna marry you, Callum.
[1] Sheelin hill—The eminence near a mill where the chaff is winnowed from the grain.—Ed.[return]
[2] This song first appeared in No. 2 of the 1815 editions ; and the Editor may have made a mistake in the name Crochan. We never heard of such a place; but there may be still such a mill struggling for existence in an obscure district, or it may have sunk into oblivion since the time when Tannahill composed this song on Highland girlish pride, seventy years ago. We could not discover the locality of Crochan-Mill, and concluded it was a misprint for Barochan Mill,—Ba having been mistaken for a C. We found the first and third lines rhyming with each other, and the first line to contain eight syllables and the third line only seven syllables :—
“I'll hie me tae the Sheelin-hill,
And bide amang the braes, Callum ;
Ere I gang tae Barochan mill
I'll live on hips an slaes, Callum.”—Ed. [return]
[Semple 122]
NOTE:—We find Semple's analysis to be rather dubious and take the view Tannahill was referring to the romance associated with the summer sheilings used by the Highlanders of old.—GRIAN PRESS