"The Attainted Scottish Nobles"

https://youtu.be/OsKwoDg1OnU

Oh, some will tune their mournfu' strains,
To tell of hame-made sorrow,
And if they cheat you o' your tears,
They'll dry before the morrow.
Oh, some will sing their airy dreams,
In verity they're sportin',
My sang's o' nae sic thewless themes,
But wakin, true misfortune.

Ye Scottish nobles, ane and a',
For loyalty attained,
A nameless bardie's wae to see
Your sorrows unlamented;
For if your fathers ne'er had fought
For heirs of ancient royalty,—
Ye're down the day that might hae been
At the top o' honor's tree a'.

For old hereditary right,
For conscience' sake they stoutly stood;
And for the crown their valiant sons
Themselves have shed their injured blood;
And if their fathers ne'er had fought
For heirs of ancient royalty,
They're down the day that might ha' been
At the top o' honor's tree a'.

Carolina Nairne, or "Lady Nairne", née Carolina Oliphant, was a beloved poetess from 18th century Scotland. She belonged to a family of stout Jacobites, so ardent in their convictions that even after the defeat of the Jacobites, her father the Laird Oliphant would only refer to George III and his consort as "K" and "Q" and never as "king" and "queen". After the loss of the Jacobites, Carolina's family were stripped of their noble titles, much like other nobles who fought for the Jacobean cause. However, Carolina's gift of poetry gave the world the song "The Attainted Scottish Nobles" to defend why her family and many others fought for what they believed in, on the basis of dignty and honour. The song eventually reached the ears of George IV who, instead of being insulted by the song, was so moved by it that he restored Carolina and her husband to nobility and thus they became Lady and Lord Nairne.

How lovely. Her family's ancient inheritance restored thanks to the potent power of poetry and song. Let this be one motivator to create art, for it can have greater affects than mere momentary adoration. Let both the gods and non-gods hear what beauty we can make.