Air—Mr. Hamilton of Wishaw's Strathspey. 1803.
ALL hail ! ye dear romantic scenes,
Where oft, as eve stole o'er the sky,
You've found me by the mountain streams,
Where blooming wildflowers charm the eye.
The sun's now setting in the west,—
Mild are his beams on hill and plain ;
No sound is heard save Killoch burn, [1]
Deep murm'ring down its woody glen.
Green be thy banks, thou silver stream
That winds the flowery braes among,
Where oft I've woo'd the Scottish muse,
And raptur'd wove the rustic sang.
In 1803, Tannahill received from his acquaintance, James Scadlock, a small manuscript volume of original Scottish Poems composed by William Livingstone, William Anderson, James Scadlock himself, and John King, which had been collected in that form by Scadlock. Tannahill on returning the volume, wrote an Epistle (No. 39) to him in April, 1803, giving his opinion of the merits of each of these compositions. In reference to Scadlock's poetry, he said—
“Your ‘Levern Banks’ an ‘Killoch Burn,’
Ye sing them wi sae sweet a turn
Ye gar the heart-strings thrill.”
This song first appeared in print in 1806 in the Glasgow Nightingale, page 212, with the title “Killochburn." It was probably transmitted to the editor by Tannahill for Scadlock, and, appearing among the contributed pieces of Tannahill, may have been supposed to have been one of his own. In the last verse, the word Farneze is printed where the word “flowery” is presently used. R. A. Smith shortly before his death on 3rd January, 1829, presented a letter dated 27th August, 1808, which he had received from Tannahill, to his friend and correspondent, Mr. Alexander Laing, poet, Brechin. In 1833, Laing, who was a great admirer of Tannahill, printed and published in Brechin an 18mo. edition of Tannahill's Songs. The compiler remarked that the reader would find in that volume all the Author's songs formerly published, “with the addition of one of his latest compositions ‘All Hail ye dear romantic scenes,’ which was kindly communicated to the compiler by his lamented friend and correspondent, R. A. Smith.” In Ramsay's edition of 1838, this song also appeared without note or comment; and we are of opinion he knew nothing of Laing's edition, and must also have obtained the copy of the song from the same person, R. A. Smith. There can be no doubt this song was composed by James Scadlock, and Tannahill himself has candidly admitted it in his Epistle to James Scadlock, No. 19, page 90. In 1818, the posthumous works of James Scadlock were published, and the above song was printed as one of them.—Ed.
[1] Killoch Burn.—This burn, marked Glenkilloch on the map, is the division between Auchentiber and Killoch farms on Fereneze Braes, and falls into the Levern rivulet opposite Broadley Mill. Near the termination of the burn, there are several beautiful cascades, which may be called the Falls of Clyde in miniature.—Ed.
[Semple 86]