Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-27
COMM THRo, THE RYE.
The Dispute Over the Well-Known Scotch


The controversy as to whether'sC Comm
Thro' the Rye" means coming through
the rye having reached Cleveland, the
Leader publishes this letter from A. B.
Todd, editor of the Cumnock ErDress
and well-known authority in Scottish
literature. MIR. Todd was born a few
miles from the Burns farm. was ;nti.
mate with many of sBobbie's'' cronies
and his lectures on the great poet hold
= nigh place in the literature relating
70 the life and writings Of Burns.
thuss A'''-NN
A few years ago heightened and a
foolish correspondence took place in
some OF our Scottish newspapers in
regard to, what Burns meant by Com
ing through the rye and now the con-
troversy has widened westward, and
reached America. By some-and con-
trary to the universal belief and opinion
OF the contemporaries of Burns-it was
contended that Jennie was neither
kissed, nor "draigelt a her peticoatie.
when coming through the tall, growing
rye grain, but when coming through
the small, Insignificant stream of that
name in the northwest of Ayrshire, and
which. after short course among the
hills, joined the Garnock at DAIRY. Such
n superstition, however, although it had.
and has, some advocates, is simply non.
sense, and reaches the highest heights
Of e6surdlty, indeed, with the less easy,
ano less frequent locomotion then, and
far less attention paid to geography
than now. 1t is doubtful if Burns
knew, or had ever heard Of this little
obscure stream at all. And certain we
arc that even in our day. not one man
IN fifty belonging TO Kyle had ever
heard ct such stream, or knew thatit
existed, until they learned it from read
ing the controversy. But, apart from
this altogether, the very word 'drai-
gelt" must convince any person who
knows the country in the least degree
better than Loncon cockney or Shelf
field knife-grinder that it was from
walking through the wet grain that
Jennie got her ''petcoatie draigelt"
The burn might have wet it, but It was
only the growing grain blending with
dewey wet" or from recently-fallen rain
that could have draigelt it. Besides
this, who ever knew or heard of any
one stopping to "kiss body"-however
much in love or willing the fair one
might be-in the middle of a stfeamP
In the era OF Burns. too, rye was a grain
much more, frequently grown by the
farmers OF Ayrshire than it is now, and
rye scones-which were exceedingly
sweet, but very dark in color-were q
common article of food in every farm
house and laborer's cottage. 1t is not
necessary to conclude that Jennie and
her brisk young wooer" were wander
ing among the growing rye like strayed
sheep or cattle broken into the field.
They were doing nothing of the kind,
but they met on the narrow footpath.
which ran either Sig-zag or right across
the field on which the grain was grow
ing and which was drooping and
hanging over the narrow path from the
weight OF the dew or rain-drops which
were hanging upon every ear and blade.
Such narrow footpaths have we crossed
hundred times when u boy, and have
been "draigelt to the oxters'' lust as
Jennie was; and could we only be light
hearted now as we were then, with
the world all before us, and as Jennie
also doubtless was, with love glowing
in her breast and her lips moistened
with something sweeter far than honey-
dew, we would gladly submit to be
''draigelt'' yet again in the same man
ner, whether among the crofts of Maui
chin, the moors of Fenwick, or far out
on ''the distant Cumnock hills"
A much-esteemed friend in America
has done us the honor to ask our opin-
ION on the matter which at present is
creating some little stir there, and if
what we have said does not open the
eyes OF all doobters as to the true mean
ing of glorious Robert Burns, then
nothing will, and they deserve to be set
TO the kissing OF some Yetholm gypsy
girl in the channel of the Rye stream
While tumb ing brown, the burn comes
down
And ruaIs frue bank TO brae