Kilmeny sigh’d and seem’d to grieve, For she found her heart to that land did cleave; She saw the corn wave on the vale, She saw the deer run down the dale; She saw the plaid and the broad claymore, And the brows that the badge of freedom bore; And she thought she had seen the land before. She saw a lady sit on a throne, The fairest that ever the sun shone on! A lion lick’d her hand of milk, And she held him in a leish of silk; And a leifu’ maiden stood at her knee, With a silver wand and melting e’e; Her sovereign shield till love stole in, And poison’d all the fount within. Then a gruff untoward bedesman came, And hundit the lion on his dame; And the guardian maid wi’ the dauntless e’e, She dropp’d a tear, and left her knee; And she saw till the queen frae the lion fled, Till the bonniest flower of the world lay dead; A coffin was set on a distant plain, And she saw the red blood fall like rain; Then bonnie Kilmeny’s heart grew sair, And she turn’d away, and could look nae mair. Then the gruff grim carle girn’d amain, And they trampled him down, but he rose again; And he baited the lion to deeds of weir, Till he lapp’d the blood to the kingdom dear; leifu’] lone, wistful. girn’d] snarled. weir] war. And weening his head was danger-preef, When crown’d with the rose and clover leaf, He gowl’d at the carle, and chased him away To feed wi’ the deer on the mountain gray. He gowl’d at the carle, and geck’d at Heaven, But his mark was set, and his arles given. Kilmeny a while her e’en withdrew; She look’d again, and the scene was new. She saw before her fair unfurl’d One half of all the glowing world, Where oceans roll’d, and rivers ran, To bound the aims of sinful man. She saw a people, fierce and fell, Burst frae their bounds like fiends of hell; Their lilies grew, and the eagle flew; And she herkèd on her ravening crew, Till the cities and towers were wrapp’d in a blaze, And the thunder it roar’d o’er the lands and the seas. The widows they wail’d, and the red blood ran, And she threatened an end to the race of man; She never lened, nor stood in awe, Till caught by the lion’s deadly paw. O, then the eagle swink’d for life, And brainyell’d up a mortal strife; But flew she north, or flew she south, She met wi’ the gowl o’ the lion’s mouth. With a mooted wing and waefu’ maen, The eagle sought her eiry again; But lang may she cower in her bloody nest, And lang, lang sleek her wounded breast, gowl’d] howled. geck’d] mocked. arles] money paid on striking a bargain; fig. a beating. lened] crouched. swink’d] laboured. brainyell’d] stirred, beat. mooted] moulted. Before she sey another flight, To play with the norland lion’s might.