Volume III, song 261, page 270 - ' Ah, why thus Abandon'd...
Volume III, song 261, page 270 - ' Ah, why thus Abandon'd &c.' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)
Verse 1: 'Ah, why thus abandon'd to mourning and woe, Why thus, lonely Philomel, why flows thy sad strain? For spring shall return and a lover bestow, And thy bosom no trace of dejection retain; Yet if pity inspire thee ah, cease not thy lay, Mourn sweetest complainer, man calls thee to mourn, O soothe him whose pleasures like thine pass away, Full swiftly they pass but they never return.'
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.
In Greek Mythology, Philomel or Philomela was the daughter of Pandion, King of Athens. It is told that Philomel and her sister Procne were turned into a nightingale and swallow by the Gods. This was to offer them protection from the terrible Tereus, King of Thrace, Procne's husband and Philomel's defiler. In poetry the name Philomel often represents the nightingale, known for its rich and beautiful song. According To John Glen, in 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), the origins of both the song and melody are not known. Seemingly, both were sent to Johnson anonymously and Burns thought them worthy of inclusion.
Volume III, song 261, page 270 - ' Ah, why thus Abandon'd &c.' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)