I may give the whole hymn in English, as rendered by Mr. Carmichael: I "Thou gentle Michael of the white steed, Who subdued the Dragon of blood, For love of God and the Son of Mary, Spread over us thy wing, shield us all! Spread over us thy wing, shield us all! II "Mary beloved! Mother of the White Lamb, Protect us, thou Virgin of nobleness, Queen of beauty! Shepherdess of the flocks! Keep our cattle, surround us together, Keep our cattle, surround us together. III "Thou Columba, the friendly, the kind, In name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Through the Three-in-One, through the Three, Encompass us, guard our procession, Encompass us, guard our procession. IV "Thou Father! Thou Son! Thou Holy Spirit! Be the Three-One with us day and night, On the machair plain, on the mountain ridge, The Three-one is with us, with His arm around our head, The Three-One is with us, with his arm around our head." I have heard a paraphrase of this hymn, both in Gaelic and English, on Iona; and once, off Soa, a little island to the south of Icolmkill, took down a verse which I thought was local, but which I afterwards found (with very slight variance) in Mr. Carmichael's Governmental Uist-Record. It was sung by Barra fishermen, and ran in effect "O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! O Holy Trinity, be with us day and night. On the crested wave as on the mountain-side! Our Mother, Holy Mary Mother, has her arm under our head; our pillow is the arm of Mary, Mary the Holy Mother." It is perhaps the saddest commentary that could be made on what we have lost that the children of those who were wont to go to rest, or upon any adventure, or to stand in the shadow of death, with some such words as "My soul is with the Light on the mountains, Archangel Micheil shield my soul!" now go or stand in a scornful or heedless silence, or without remembrance, as others did who forgot to trim their lamps. Who now would go up to the hill-pastures singing the Beannachadh Buachailleag, the Herding Blessing? With the passing of the old language the old solemnity goes, and the old beauty, and the old patient, loving wonder. I do not like to think of what songs are likely to replace the Herding Blessing, whose first verse runs thus: "I place this flock before me As ordained by the King of the World, Mary Virgin to keep them, to wait them, to watch them. On hill and glen and plain, On hill, in glen, on plain."