Septr. the 8th, 1727.
- The grief for James is wounding heroes,
As they shall ever be without him;
The floods of tears are flowing pitifully
They are always speaking of him with anguish.- He was the child of the heroes, a pure handsome figure,
Sad is the deed that he has been cut off,
The son of the King of Cratuidh is in a girdle [i.e., coffin],
Early for him to hear the cli [? call].
- He was a scholar without want of letters,
From whom we received an impulse by emulating him;
He was well spoken and free from error,
And his look mollient which was bountiful to me.- Far away he travelled to find his knowledge,
He was a pupil of the scrutinizers of schools;
He proceeded from Scotland eastward by sea,
His own free will urging him on to it.- He gained renown in every College,
As it was easy with him to acquire knowledge,
Wisdom and intellect were side by side,
Although not one they were united in him.- France of feasts bears testimony
To every language paid for you,
Every thing beautiful found in the schools
Was polished by you with true godliness.- A religious man who was much respected,
A royal foster child, which was not too great for him:
They conferred the title of Tanaisde on him,
And a mastership was applied to him.- Although it has been a great loss to us
Since his death will be the breaking up of a clan,
It is a want of understanding that leaves me as I am,
A loss to them the greatness of which cannot be estimated.- Coming as on a free visit from the east by sea,
With pleasure produced by the elegance of the man,
Maintaining his reputation from school,
And the love of the will being his reward.- To return back is impossible for us,
And it is not clear where information may be got;
A damp mist fell on him of the ringleted hair,
It is a woeful death to his kindred to hear it.- The gentle scion that would not break his word,
And the free son that was not sparing of rich presents;
Far distant from the grave was his fame although but young,
Hosts are on every road to hear if he died.- You may gather from the wood that has produced no nuts,
You may pluck with your hand an apple if it has grown;
And there is not a dense tree over our heads
Or an herb that has not become bare through their decay.
- To be recounting, though loth I am,
And there is not half to recount;
Short was the life of the valiant descendant of Colla and Conn,
The pure protector is now a want to us.- The descendant of Ranald has followed them,
He has been put to dwell in the earth:
It has penetrated my heart with anguish
And my eyes are full of tears and without sleep.- One comparing with him in magnanimity and esteem
Gained nothing by it but debasement:
He retired from the contest without protest —
For by descent he could be reputed elegant.- Often he paid our tithes
Until he lay under a flag in the grave;
This has sent our blood [or grievances] to the bone
Because of our goodwill to them and their faces from us.- Macdonald loved not his praises;
On his going to be under earth,
Every one was seized with dread
When the King of Heaven visited him.- The anguish of lamenting him was all over the lands,
Which was not less than that expressed in my verses:
He had the advantage of being a Gael with clear brown hair,
Pure was his skin from the sole to the head.- A man of sufficient clemency with honor,
According to the disposition of the tribe of which he was:
He attached himself affectionately to his kindred people
by which he gained the good will of every man.- A man who displayed superior knowledge in every cause,
In every good science his acquirement was perfect;
The King of Grace granted him his reward,
And he obtained a deserving life through death.- In St Mary's Churchyard they buried his coffin,
The fair bold piece is lying there;
His pillow is earth under a flag,
And the frost encloses him all round.- As every man must prepare to go,
According to the rule of the King from whom we are sprung:
Let us submit to the fate as is customary.
Since near unto us is death that carries us away.
- Let our will be controlled by the law of God,
For by Him all have been cleansed;
The person who had been with us had, however, a termination,
And he has been lamented by all.- When we shall see the Resurrection of the Lamb,
He and we shall be together;
Then to be judged by the Eternal Judge,
And we 'shall be called on the right side after him.- Seventeen hundred years exactly,
And six fives to be reckoned along with eight
By you since the time that Mary obtained a son,
When James died from us to be deplored.- Every one shall uncover his face there,
Consider how we shall all be gathered together,
At an assembly where no secret can be concealed;
Under the judgment of the Lord through whom we have been kept.The grief.