The Shires On The Moray Frith.

Worthy of either song or story             Are the shires round frith of Moray,             Here lies the valley of Strathspey,             Famed for its music, lively, gay,             Elgin cathedral's 'prentice aisle             Is glory of that ruined pile.             What modern chisel now could trace             Fine sculpture of that ancient place,             And Forres famed for Sweno's stane             In honor of that kingly Dane,             'Graved with warriors runes and rhymes,             Long prior to historic times,             For a thousand years its been forgot             Who was victor Dane or Scot,             It is the country of McBeth             Where good King Duncan met his death,             And barren heath that place of fear             Stood witches cauldron of Shakespeare,             Nairn's Cawdor castle strong remains             Full worthy of the ancient Thanes,             And nestled 'neath the hills and bens             Queen of the moors, the lochs and glens,             Full proudly stands in vale of bliss             Chief Highland town of Inverness,             Near here the famous falls of Foyers             Where Burns and others tuned their lyres,             And the fatal field of dark Culloden             Where doughty clans were once down trodden,             Here men yet wear the tartan plaid             Ready to join the Highland Brigade,             And when the Frith you look across             The eye beholds Sutherland and Ross,             Where Duke has harnessed mighty team,             Plows hills and rocks and moors by steam,             Perhaps it may in part atone             For cruel clearings days bygone,             And Cromarty, whose wondrous mason,             First learned his geologic lesson,             Friends may rear a stately pillar,             The old red sand stone of Hugh Miller,             Ben Wyvis towers like monarch crowned,             Conspicuous o'er the hills around,             With crest 'ere white with driven snow,             Strathpeffer's water cure below.