Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-02-05


intended effect by these beautiful verses can
only be attributed to the entertaining views on
the subject similar to Mr.. Goodchild, one oi
the Idle Apprentices Of Mr.. Dickens:-"NayS
quoth Laurie yet" And he proceeded with
that idle but popular ballad, to the effect that
for the bonnie young person of that name he
would ''lay him down and dee"-equivalent
in prose to lay him down and die. q
| What an ass that fellow was % cried
Goodchild, with the bitter emphasis of con-
tempt. 80 5rf as 81 .2l
| "'Which fellow p asked Thomas Idle L..
| "The fellow in your song. Lay him doom
and dee Finely he'd show off before the
girl by doing that. ASniveler Why could
not he get up and punch somebody's
head !''T ," -..'"f
Whose?" asked Thomas Idle.
Anybody's. Everybody's would be bet
ter than nobody's If fell into that state
of mind about girl do you think I'd lay me
doom and dec No sir" proceeded Good
child with disparaging assumption of the
Scottish accent, I'D get me oop and peetch
into somebody" r .7-..l F.. .s9- 81.
Annie Laurie adapted to modern tastes
gives rendering more lengthy, more polish
ed and ornate, and our mind, less earnest,
artless and honest. 10 this are the million
pianos of contemporary dansels struck, and
many Il yet living lover has expressed his will
lingness to depart their life in proof of his af-
fection for the lovely, but apparently relent-
less, Annie Of the century and half ago:
Maxwelltown's banks are bonny,
Where early falls the dew;
And twas there that Annie Laurie,
Gave me her promise true;
Gave me her promise true,
And hc'er forget will
But for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd day me down and die.
Her brow is like the snOwdrift
Her throat is like the swan,
Her face is us the farest,
That e'er the sun shOne on;
That Ter the sun shOne on,
And dark blue Is her eye,
And for bonnie Annie Laurie,
I'd lay me down and die. sa ~.
Like dew on the gowan lying
Is the fa' y her fairy feet ~, .-.... .s-r,.., g..
And like winds in summer signing
Her voice il low and sweet; 49, gag
Her voice is low and sweet
PIX And she's a. the world to me, ,,..
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me down and die.
This was the song tn, British soldiers san,
amid the pauses of connondeing. The story
is well told in Bayard Taylor's Song of the
CAM" which will be a fitting pearl to end
this slightly strung necklace of Annie Lauri
literature. The whole may be documenta-
ry history of her wanderings through GEN.
tury and half of song. -.
"Give us sopgW the soldier cries,
The outer trenches guarding,
When the heated guns of the camp allied,
Grew weary of bombarding.
The dark Redan, in silent scoff,
Lay grim and threatening under;
And the tawny mound of the Maakof
No longer belched its thunder.
There was a pause. A guardian said,
1--WE storm the fort tomorrow;
Sing while we may, another day
Will bring enough of sorrow"
They lay along the battery's side,
Below the smoking cannon
Brave hearts from Severn and from Clyde
And from the banks of Shannon.
They sang of love and not of fame
Forgot was Britain's glory *
Each heart recalled different name,
But all sang Annie Laurie.' o
Voice after voice caught up the song
Until its tender passion
Rose like an anthem, clear and strong
Their battle eve confession. t-
Dear girl her name he dare not speak,
Yet as the song grew louder,
Something upon the soldiers cheek,
Washed Oft the stains of powder.
Beyo,d the darkening ocean burned;
The bloody sunsets embers,
While the Crimean valleys learned
How English love remembers
| And once again a fire of hell
Rained on the Russian quarters,
q With scream Of shot, and burst Of shell, .
And believing of the mortars
And Irish Nora's eyes are dim
For singer dumb and CORY;
And English Mary mour ms for him
Who sang of "Annie Laurie"
All, soldiers! to your honored trust
Your truth and yalor bearing!
The bravest are the tenderest-a
4: The loving are the daring