Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
Lullaby of an Infant Chief
1 O hush thee, my babie, thy sire was a knight,
2Thy mother a lady, both lovely and bright;
3The woods and the glens, from the towers which we see,
4They all are belonging, dear babie, to thee.
5 O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo,
6 O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo.
7 O fear not the bugle, though loudly it blows,
8It calls but the warders that guard thy repose;
9Their bows would be bended, their blades would be red,
10Ere the step of a foeman drew near to thy bed.
11 O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo,
12 O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo.
13 O hush thee, my babie, the time soon will come
14When thy sleep shall be broken by trumpet and drum;
15Then hush thee, my darling, take rest while you may,
16For strife comes with manhood, and waking with day.
17 O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo,
18 O ho ro, i ri ri, cadul gu lo.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Terry's dramatization of Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering (1815).
First publication date:
1815
RPO poem editor: J. D. Robins
RP edition: 2RP 2.139.
Recent editing: 2:2002/4/3
Rhyme: aabb and refrain
Other poems by Sir Walter Scott
