Air—" There'll never be peace till king Jamie come hame." 1807.
THO my eyes are grown dim, and my locks are turn'd gray,
I feel not the storms of life's bleak wintry day,
For my cot is well thatch'd, and my barns are full stor'd,
And cheerful Content still presides at my board :
Warm-hearted Benevolence stands at my door,
Dispensing her gifts to the wandering poor,
The glow of the heart does my bounty repay,
And lightens the cares of life's bleak wintry day.
From the summit of years I look down on the vale,
Where age pines in sorrow, neglected and pale;
There the sunshine of fortune scarce deigns to bestow
One heart-cheering smile to the wand'rers below.
From the sad dreary prospect this lesson I drew,
That those who are helpless are friended by few ;
So, with vigorous industry, I smooth'd the rough way
That leads through the vale of life's bleak wintry day.
Then, my son, let the Bard of Glenullin advise
(For years can give counsel, experience makes wise) ;
Midst thy wand'rings let honour for aye be thy guide,
O'er thy actions let honesty ever preside.
Then, though hardships assail thee, in virtue thou'lt smile,
For light is the heart that's untainted with guile ;
And, if fortune attend thee, my counsels obey,
Prepare for the storms of life's bleak wintry day.
We made a search to discover the place called Glenullin; but were unsuccessful. In the end of last, and beginning of the present century, several copies of the edition of Ossian's Poems and Songs, published in 1796, came to Paisley; and Tannahill was a great admirer of the Gaelic Bard. We have now arrived at the conclusion that the name referred to Ullin, one of the Bards or sons of song of Fingal, and that he is noticed in that character in several of Ossian's Poems. Ossian, in the poems of “Fingal,” Book I., relates that “Fingal, after mourning over his grandson, Oscar, ordered Ullin, the chief of the bards, to carry his body to Morven to be there interred.” Immediately after our making the above enquiry, a query appeared in the London Notes and Queries of 10th September, I874, but from whom we did not know:—“GLENULLIN.—In ‘Lochiel's Warning,’ is this the title of a real Highland chieftain? if so, where was his territory?” and the answer elicited on 12th December following was—“I have looked into several works, and cannot find such a place.” With such numbers of " well-sounding names around him, it is a great pity that the poet Campbell did not embody a real name in the rich setting of his verses.—(Signed) “THOMAS STRATTON.” “Lochiel’s Warning,” by Thomas Campbell, a tale of 1745, appeared in Maver's Selector, in October, 1805, Vol II., page 267, with the name Glen-Ullin in it ; and Tannahill sent a copy of his song to John Macfarlane, Neilston, on 20th August, 1807, and which he entitled “The Sage of Glenullin.” It is rather a strange circumstance that both poets use a name that had no existence; at least, cannot be found. In Macfarlane's copy, the air as now printed for the first time in this edition was given. The song appeared in the 1815 edition of Tannahill's Works with the word bard substituted for the word sage.—Ed.
[Semple 106]