Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-10-23
THE WEDDING OF sHON MAC
LEAN.

THE WEDDING OF sHOx MAC
LEAN.
a Bagpips Melody from the Gaehr,)
by ROBERT BUCHANAN.
At the wedding Of shon Maclean
Twenty Piperr together
Came In the wind and the rain,
Playing over the heather;
Backward their ribbons flew.
Bravely they strutted and blew,
Each clad In tartan new,
Bonnet, and black-cOck feather;
And every piper was fu',
Twenty pipers together,
He's but Sassenach, blind and vain,
Who never heard Of Shon Naclcan-
The Dukes own piper, called ''Sh0n the Fair"
From his frecklea skin and his nery hair.
The Macleans had followed this occupation,
And played the pibr0ch to 6re the Clan
Since the frrt Duke came and the Earth began.
Like the whistling Of birds, like the humming Of
Like the sough of the south-wind in the trees,
Like the singing OF angels, the playing OF shaw,
Were the pipes Of ShOn when he strutted and blew
cock whose growing creation he knew!
Al last. in the prime Of bis PLAYING life,
The spirit moved him to take wife
lassie with eyes Of Highland blue,
Who loved the pipes, and the piper, too.
And danced to the sound with foot and leg
White as lily and smooth as an egg
SO al the pipefs were coming together
Over the moor and across the heather,
80. An hfhe wind and the rain:
Mets e e sssy ron Is s.s:s e and 4. west,
To bless the bedding and blow their best
Atthe wedding Of Shon Maclean.
At the wedding Of Shon Maclean
Twas wet and windy weather!
Yet, thrO' the wind and the rain,
Came twenty pipers together!
Earach and DOugal Dhu,
Sandy Of Isla too,
Each with the bonnet o. blue,
Tartan and black-c cock feather;
And every piper WAS fu',
Twenty pipere together!
The knot was tied the words were said,
ShOn was married, the feast was spread,
At the head Of the table sat, high and hoar
Strong Sandy Of lsla, age fOurscOre,
Whiskered, gray ~ q Haskier seal.
And clad In crimson from head to heel. da5l'
Beneath and round him, in their degree,
Gathering the men of Minstrelsie.
With keepers, gilliss lads and lassies,
Mixing voices and jingling glasses.
At sOnp and haggis, at roast and bOifd
Awhile the happy gathering toiled,-.
While 0hOn and Jean At the table ends
Shook hands with hundred Of their friends
Then came hush. Thro the open door
A wee bright Form hash'd on the neor-
With slim, soft knees. like the knees Of maid,
And took glass, and he cried out plain,
II drink to the health Of Shon Macfean!
To ShOn the Piper, and Jean his wife,
A clean hreeide and . merry life!"
Then out he slipt, and each man eprang
To his feet, and With ''hooch" the chamber rang! !
Clear the tables!" .hrieked out one
leap, scramble, the thing was done!
And then the pipers oil in row
Tuned their pipes and began to blow,
While oil to dance stood fain:
Sandy Of Isla and Earach More,
DOugal Dhu from Kilhannan Shore
Played up the company ON the door,
At the wedding of ShOn Maclean.
At the wedding of Shon Mclean
Twenty Ppers together
Stood up, while oil their train
Ceased their clatter and blether.
Full Of the mountain dew,
First on their pipes they blew,
Mighty Of bone and thew,
Red-cheek'd, with lungs Of leather;
And every Piper was fu',
Twenty Pipers together!
Who led the dance! In pOmp and pride
The Duke himself led out the bride.
Great WAS the JOY Of each behOlder,
For the wee Duke only reachd her shoulder;
Ill,
Like giantess and fairy mani
But like an earthquake was the din
When Shon himself led the Duchess in!
And she took her place before him there,
Like white mouse dancing with bear.
How the little Duchess, so slim and sweet,
Her blue eyes watching Shon's great feet.
With smile which could not be resisted.
Jigged, and jumped, and twirld, and twisted
Sandy Of Isla led off the reel,
The Duke began it with toe and heel,
Then all join'd in full fain:
Twenty Pipere ranged in q row,
From squirting Shamus to lame KilcrOe,
Their cheeks like crimson, began to blow,
At the wedding OF Shon Maclean.
At the wedding OF Shon Maclean
They blew with lungs of leather,
And blithesOme was the strain
Those Pipers played together!
Moist with the mountain dew,
Mighty Of bone and thew.
zach with bonnet o. blue.
Tartan. and black-cOck feather;
And every Piper was fn',
Twenty Pipers together!
Oh for magic tongue to tell
OF all the wonders that bcfell
! OF how the Duke, when the first staye died,
Reached up on tiptOs to kiss the bride,
While Sandy's pipes as their mouths were meeting
Skirl'd and set every heart abeating,
Then Shon took the pipes! and all was stlll.
AS silently he the bags did Ill,
With flaming cheeks and round bright eyes,
| Till the first faint music began to rise.
Like thousand laverocks singing in tune,
| Like countless corn craiks under the moon.
Like the smack Of KISSES like sweet bells ringing,
! Like mermaid's harp, or o kelpie singing,
Blew the pipes Of Shon; and the witching strain
Was the gathering song Of the Clan Maclean,
Then slowly, gently. at his side,
All the Pipers around replied,
And swelled the glorious strain:
The hearts Of all were proud and light,
| To hear the music to zee the sight,
And the Dukes own eyes were dim that night
At the Wedding Of ShOn Maclean.
| So to honor the Clan Nsclean
Straight they began to gather,
Blowing the wild refrain,
blue bonnets across the heather!"
They stamp'd, they strutted, they blew;
They shriek'd; like cocks they crew;
Blowing the notes out true,
With wonderful lungs Of leather;
And every Piper was fu'.
Twenty Pipers together!
| When the Duke and Duchess went away
The dance grew mad and the fun grew gay;
Man and Maiden, face to face,
Lexpt and fo0Red and scream d apace!
| Round and round the dancers whrl'd,
| Shriller. louder, the Pipers skrl'd
| Till the AOul seem'd swOOning into sound.
And all creation was whirlng round
Then, In pause OF the dance and glee,
| The pipers, ceasing their mnstreisie.
Draining the glass, in groups did stand,
| And passed the snuff box from hand to hand.
| Sandy Of Isla, with locks Of snow,
! Squirting Shamus, blind KilmahOe,
| Finlay Beg, and Earach More,
| Donegal Dhu, Of Kilnannan shore
| All the Pipers, black yellow and green.
| All the cOiOrs that ever were seen.
! All the Pipers Of all the Macs,
Gathered together and took their cracks.
| Then (no man knows how the thing befell
For none was sober enough to tell)
These heavenly Pipsrs from twenty places
Began disputing with crimson faces;
| Each asserting, like one demented,
| The claims Of the Clan he represented;
| In vain gray Sandy Of Isla strove
| To sOOths their struggle with words Of love.
Asserting there like = gentleman,
| The superior claims of his own great Clan;
| Then finding to reason is despair,
| He siezes his pipe and he plays an air
| The gathering tune Of his Clan-and tries
| To drown IN music the shrieks and cries.
| Heevensl Every Piper, grown mad with ire,
Eeites his pipes with . fierce desire, 80
| And blowing Inadly, with hOurish and squeak,
Begins ks particular tame to shrick! ~
| Up and down the gsrnut they 60, N
| Twenty Pipers, all in a row,
! Each with a different strain:
| Each tries hard to drown the first,
| Each blows louder till like to burst.
| Thus were the tunes of the Clans reheaYst