The wild beasts of the forest came, Broke from their bughts and faulds the tame, And gooed around, charmed and amazed; Even the dull cattle crooned and gazed, And murmured and looked with anxious pain For something the mystery to explain. The buzzard came with the throstle cock; The corby left her houf in the rock; The blackbird along with the eagle flew; The hind came tripping o'er the dew; The wolf and the kid their raike began, And the tod, and the lamb, and the leveret ran; The hawk and the hern attour them hung, And the merl and the mavis forhooyed[178] their young; And all in a peaceful ring were hurled: It was like an eve in a sinless world! When a month and a day had come and gane, Kilmeny sought the greenwood wene, There laid her down on the leaves so green, And Kilmeny, on earth was never mair seen! [Footnote 167: Mother] [Footnote 168: Alone.] [Footnote 169: Blazed.] [Footnote 170: Lonesome flame.] [Footnote 171: Hollow and den.] [Footnote 172: Ornament.] [Footnote 173: Snood or headband.] [Footnote 174: Swelled or swept.] [Footnote 175: Briefly the meaning is, that in the greenwood there is a sweet lonely place where a spiritual being wanders alone.] [Footnote 176: Vanished.] [Footnote 177: Swept or spirited away, with a rapid motion.] [Footnote 178: Forsook.] The close of "The Queen's Wake" is graceful and touching. Now my loved harp a while farewell; I leave thee on the old gray thorn; The evening dews will mar thy swell That waked to joy the cheerful morn. Farewell, sweet soother of my woe, Chill blows the blast around my head; And louder yet that blast may blow, When down this weary vale I've sped. The wreath lies on St. Mary's shore; The mountain sounds are harsh and loud; The lofty brows of stern Clokmore Are visored with the moving cloud. But winter's deadly hues shall fade On moorland bald and mountain shaw, And soon the rainbow's lovely shade Sleep on the breast of Bowerhope Law; Then will the glowing suns of spring, The genial shower and stealing dew, Wake every forest bird to sing, And every mountain flower renew. But not the rainbow's ample ring, That spans the glen and mountain gray Though fanned by western breeze's wing, And sunned by summer's glowing ray, To man decayed can ever more Renew the age of love and glee! Can ever second spring restore To my old mountain harp and me. But when the hue of softened spring Spreads over hill and lonely lea, And lowly primrose opes unseen, Her virgin bosom to the bee; When hawthorns breathe their odors far, And carols hail the year's return, And daisy spreads her silver star Unheeded, by the mountain burn,