Waken, lords and ladies gay

General information

Lyricist: Walter Scott,

Settings by composers

• Samuel Reay SATB
• Henry Thomas Smart SATB

Texts and Translations

English text

1  Waken, lords and ladies gay,
On the mountain dawns the day,
All the jolly chase is here,
With hawk and hound, and hunting spear:
Hounds are in their couples yelling,
Hawks are whistling, horns are knelling,
Merrily mingle, mingle they,
Waken, lords and ladies gay.

2  Waken, lords and ladies gay,
The mist has left the mountain grey;
Springlets in the dawn are steaming,
Diamonds on the brake are gleaming;
And huntsmen all have busy been,
To track the buck in thickets green,
Now we come to chant our lay,
Waken, lords and ladies gay.

3  Louder, louder chant the lay,
Waken, lords and ladies gay,
Tell them youth, and mirth, and glee,
Run a course as well as we,
Time, stern huntsman who can baulk?
Staunch as hound, and fleet as hawk!
Think of this, and rise with day,
Gentle lords and ladies gay.