Scotland is a country in the UK to the north of England. Its symbol
is a thistle; its patron saint is St. Andrew. The country is divided
into Lowlands and Highlands.
My heart’s in the Highlands,
My heart’s not here,
My heart’s in the Highlands,
A-chasing a deer…
My heart’s in the Highlands,
Wherever I go!
These are the lines of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns, who was
born in 1759. His father was a small farmer with high ideals about
human worth. These ideals passed to Robert. He felt deeply the injustice
of the world. His protest against inequality is found in his poems. He
believed in the strength of Scottish people and this belief was so
strong that nobody could hesitate in it.
He sang songs to his people – so healthy, so joyous, and so clever. He sang songs to his beautiful and proud land:
Farewell to the Highlands,
Farewell to the North,
The birthplace of valour,
The country of worth!
Wherever I wonder, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love!
This great son of Scotland always glorified his Motherland and its great heroes.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind,
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld Lang syne.
One of them was Prince Charles Edward Steward – the hero of the Highlands.
Highlands - a mountainous country with moorlands, lakes and hills…
Proud, noble and honest people… To them he gave his heart and they still
remember him.
It was in 1707. Scotland and England were unified by a special
treaty. Queen Anna was named Queen of England and Scotland. Protestant
Church was banned.
Highlanders didn’t like all those changes. They supported the grandson
of their Scottish King – Prince Charles, who had been exiled. He was
known as Prince Bonnie because he was young and very handsome. He spent
long years in Rome preparing to return and to win back the Crown of
Scotland.
People were waiting for him:
song
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
My Bonnie lies over the sea,
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.
The Highlanders were very proud that their Prince Bonnie still spoke
Gaelic – their native language, and wore their traditional clothes –
kilt.
song
Oh, blow you winds over the ocean,
Oh, blow you winds over the sea,
Oh, blow you winds over the ocean,
And bring back my Bonnie to me.
In 1745 he landed in the Western Isle and with 250 men went to
Edinburgh. There, on the 17th of September his father Jacob was
proclaimed the king of Scotland.
In November Prince Bonnie led his men to Derby in England. But there
he had not got so many supporters as he hoped. He had to leave England.
In April in 1746 George the II, King of England, sent a huge army to
fight Charlie’s men. Charlie’s army included only 5,000 tired and hungry
men having no shelter in rains and winds at the place of Culloden.
There was a terrible and bloody battle and Prince’s army was
defeated. Charlie was not killed. He escaped and was wandering somewhere
in the Highlands. For his head there was a reward of 30,000 pounds, but
Highlanders, who were very poor, never betrayed the man they loved so
dearly. Prince Charlie died somewhere in his beloved mountains.
song
Last night as I lay on my pillow,
Last night as I lay on my bed,
Last night as I lay on my pillow,
I dreamed that my Bonnie was dead.
After that rebellion Highlanders were forbidden to have and carry
weapons, to speak their native language, to wear their national clothes.
Most of their lands were sold out by the English Crown.
But Scottish people still remember their Prince Bonnie.
song
The winds have blown over the ocean,
The winds have blown over the sea,
The winds have blown over the ocean,
And brought back my Bonnie to me…
The famous song of nowadays patriots of Scotland is: "RISE AND FOLLOW CHARLIE!”
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