Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Scotland: Vols. VI–VIII. 1876–79.

Edinburgh

The Martyrs’ Hill

By Robert Allan (1774–1841)

THERE ’s nae Covenant now, lassie!

There ’s nae Covenant now!

The Solemn League and Covenant

Are a’ broken through!

There ’s nae Renwick now, lassie,

There ’s nae gude Cargill,

Nor holy Sabbath preaching

Upon the Martyrs’ Hill!

It ’s naething but a sword, lassie,

A bluidy, bluidy ane!

Waving owre poor Scotland,

For her rebellious sin.

Scotland ’s a’ wrang, lassie,

Scotland ’s a’ wrang,—

It ’s neither to the hill nor glen,

Lassie, we daur gang.

The Martyrs’ Hill ’s forsaken

In simmer’s dusk sae calm;

There ’s nae gathering now, lassie,

To sing the e’ening psalm!

But the martyrs’ grave will rise, lassie,

Aboon the warrior’s cairn;

An’ the martyr soun’ will sleep, lassie,

Aneath the waving fern!