The Lament of Annie Campbell of Scalpay
Here is a version of this song which was still widespread in the present century. The chorus or refrain is repeated every other line.
Chorus: Brown-haired Allan, o hi, I would go with thee;
Ho ri ri a ho, e o hug hoireann o,
Brown-haired Allan, o hit, I would go with thee.
I am tormented
I have no thought of merriment tonight
But only for the sound of the elements
And the strength of the gales
Which would drive the men
From the harbour.
And brown-haired Allan, my darling sweetheart,
I heard you had gone across the sea
On a slender black boat of oak,,
And that you had gone ashore in the Isle of Man.
That is not the harbour I would have choosen
But Caolas Stiadair in Harris
Or Loch Miabhaig amongst the hills.
My prayer to God in heaven,
Let me not be put in the earth or in a shroud,
In a hole in the earth or a secret place,
But in the spot where you have gone, Allan!
Brown-haired Allan, my heart's darling,
I was young when I fell in love with you.
Tonight my tale is wretched.
It is not the death of cattle in the bog
But of the wetness of your shirt And of you being torn by whales. . .
I heard you had been drowned,
Alas, O God, that I was not beside you
On whatever skerry or rock you were cast,
On whatever wrack the high-tide had left you.
I would drink a drink, in spite of everyone,
Of your heart's blood, after you had been drowned.
This lament has many very ancient motifs, which often appear in laments for the drowned. In another version, the bereaved bride sings:
If sand is your pillow,
If seaweed is your bed,
If the fish are your white candles,
If the seals are your deathbed watchers,
pray God in Heaven, let me be
In the spot where you have gone, Allan!
