|
Date: |
|
Description: | Verse 1 (to the tune of 'Scots Jenny'): 'When west winds did blow with a soft, gentle breeze, And sweet blooming verdure did clothe all the trees, I went forth one morning to hail the new spring, And hear the sweet songsters all warble and sing. I saw the green forest, I saw the gay plain, But nature to me was delightful in vain, For love had invaded the peace of my mind, And Jenny, dear Jenny, was fair and unkind.'
The 'Scots Musical Museum' is the most important of the numerous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century collections of Scottish song. When the engraver James Johnson started work on the second volume of his collection in 1787, he enlisted Robert Burns as contributor and editor. Burns enthusiastically collected songs from various sources, often expanding or revising them, whilst including much of his own work. The resulting combination of innovation and antiquarianism gives the work a feel of living tradition.
The only comment Burns makes on this particular song, in his notes on the 'Museum', is that it is by Lapraik. He is referring to John Lapraik, late of Dalfram, near Muirkirk, who was also responsible for 'When I upon thy bosom lean' (song 205). Both songs are accompanied by compositions by James Oswald. 'Scots Jenny' was included in Oswald's 'Collection of Curious Scots Tunes' (1742). | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0 | Publisher: | National Library of Scotland | Temporal: | 1787-01-01 - 1803-12-31 | Source: | Burns Scotland | Identifier: | Volume III, song 208, page 217 - 'Jenny, | Go to resource |
|
|