The pipes in the streets were playing bravely,
The marching lads went by,
With merry hearts and voices singing
But I was hearing a lonely pibroch
Out of an older war,
"Farewell, farewell, farewell, MacCrimmon,
MacCrimmon comes no more."
And every lad in his heart was dreaming
Of honour and wealth to come,
And honour and noble pride were calling
To the tune of the pipes and drum;
But I was hearing a woman singing
On dark Dunvegan shore,
"In battle or peace, with wealth or honour,
MacCrimmon comes no more."
And there in front of the men were marching,
With feet that made no mark,
The grey old ghosts of the ancient fighters
Come back again from the dark;
And in front of them all MacCrimmon piping
A weary tune and sore,
"On the gathering day, for ever and ever,
MacCrimmon comes no more."
Ewart Alan Mackintosh (1893–1917) Scotland
Source: The Muse in Arms, edited by Edward Bolland Osborn, John Murray,1917 [Wikisource]
- pibroch: a form of music for the Scottish bagpipes involving elaborate variations on a theme, typically of a martial or funerary character.
- MacCrimmon: a Scottish family that served as pipers to the chiefs of Clan MacLeod for several generations.
- Dunvegan: a village on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, famous for Dunvegan Castle, seat of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod.
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