Let the learned decide, when they convene, What spell was him and the breeks between; For frae that day forth he was nae mair seen, And sair missed was Aiken-drum.
He was heard by a herd gaun by the _Thrieve_, Crying "Lang, lang now may I greet and grieve; For alas! I hae gotten baith fee and leave, O, luckless Aiken-drum."
Awa'! ye wrangling sceptic tribe, Wi' your _pros_ and your _cons_ wad ye decide 'Gain the 'sponsible voice o' a hale country-side On the facts 'bout Aiken-drum?
Though the "Brownie o' Blednoch" lang be gane, The mark o' his feet's left on mony a stane; And mony a wife and mony a wean Tell the feats o' Aiken-drum.
E'en now, light loons that jibe and sneer At spiritual guests and a' sic gear, At the Glashnoch Mill hae swat wi' fear, And looked roun' for Aiken-drum.
And guidly fo'ks hae gotten a fright, When the moon was set, and the stars gied nae light, At the roaring linn in the howe o' the night, Wi' sughs like Aiken-drum.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in our philosophy." --_Hamlet._
In the bygone days of a more primitive and simple life, widespread belief existed in the outward and physical manifestation of the call of Death, which took the form of what were commonly known as "wraiths" and "warnings."
The "wraith" was the natural-looking semblance of one about to die, or just immediately dead, appearing life-like, usually at some distance from the body, but so realistic as to be unvaryingly mistaken for the actual person. A further point is, that such appearances gave rise to no fear or apprehension unless seen at some considerable distance from their usual surroundings.
The "warning," on the other hand, refers to noises and sounds heard within the immediate precincts of the sick-chamber, but without any physical explanation or evidence of the cause, although the nature of the sound or other phenomenon might be simple enough in character. Such unusual occurrences happening under usual circumstances carried with them the superstitious significance of the near presence of death.
In dealing, firstly, with the wraith, it may at once be noted that a great many accounts of such appearances are still existent in the south-west of Scotland.