102 COUNTRY ESSAYS. 



" Flow on for ever, Yarrow stream, 



Fulfil thy pensive duty, 

 Well pleased that future bards should chant 



For simple hearts thy beauty ; 

 To dream-light dear, while yet unseen, 



Dear to the common sunshine, 

 And dearer still, as now I feel, 



To memory's shadowy moon-shine ! " 



Of course Sir Walter has touchingly alluded to these scenes 

 in Marmion, 



" Thus pleasures fade away, 



Youth, talents, beauty thus decay, 

 And leave us dark, forlorn, and grey ; 

 Then gaze on Dryhope's ruin'd tower, 

 And think on Yarrow's faded Flower." 



The Flower of Yarrow, who has evoked so much tender 

 enthusiasm, was Mary Scott, daughter of Philip Scott, of Dry- 

 hope Tower. She really married a Border laird, commonly 

 known as Auld Wat of Harden. He appears to advantage in 

 the ballad of "Jamie Telfer." His son is sore stricken in a 

 skirmish which arose on a case of cattle-lifting, 



' ' But he's ta'en aff his gude steel cap, 



And thrice he's waved it in the air, 

 The Dinlay snaw was ne'er mair white 

 Nor the lyart locks of Harden's hair. 



* Revenge ! revenge ! ' auld Wat 'gan cry ; 

 ' Fye, lads, lay on them cruellie ! 

 We'll ne'er see Tiviotside again, 

 On Willie's death revenged sail he ! '" 



To him also is attributed the remark, on seeing a haystack in 

 one of his raids over the Border " By my soul ! had ye but 

 four feet, ye should not stand lang there ! " Another tragic 

 deed connected with Annan's Treat, west of Yarrow Kirk, is 

 duly mourned in " The Dowie Dens o' Yarrow : " 



