In the year the troops mustered
and the trouble broke out,
young Duncan Campbell
was in command of the militia:
an intrepid, astute man,
of great experience and courage,
marshalling the forces
in approved dispositions.

Thou wast greatly esteemed
by the men who were then on thy side,
as they went forward
in the face of dread portent;
when the firing was briskest,
and a hail of bullets was round thee,
'twas in the forefront of the army
thou gavest proof of thy valour.

On the day of Culloden,
as they entered the battle,
it helped them much that thou wast in front
to inspire them by speech;
'twas men of Glen Orchy that followed thee,
and thou wast the best of captains:
though thou hadst the high rank of general,
thou wast worthy of such a station.

Thou hadst never a thought of flinching,
nor was it thy way to be cautious;
in fact, thy mind was uplifted,
what time the powder was fired,
and the sharp bluish blades
were with fury unsheathed;
thou wast an army commander
who wouldst not weaken or falter.

Thou wast an able, strong chieftain,
not feeble in thy prowess,
arraying the ranks of thy men,
when the flag was unfurled;
thou hadst success in the field
in every past encounter;
and, of the force allotted to thee,
thou didst bring home the whole number.

Exemplar in sense and in fellowship,
of great understanding and judgment,
is this dauntless man of renown,
stout warrior of Diarmaid's race;
thy spirit is lion-like —
thou hast amply expressed it in action;
with thy weighty, orderly speech,
thou wast an earl's true companion.

Thou hast shown thyself to be gracious
in nobility and refinement;
on both sides, thou hast many a link
whereunto I might relate thee;
from the race of the kindest warriors
of the house of Auchlyne,
of the bluest blood of Diarmaid's race
is the fine stock to which thou belongest.

'Tis the wealth of nobility embodied in thee
doth ever enliven thy mind;
of great avail was thy war service,
when thou wast a king's officer;
thou didst attend to thy friends' affairs
with humanity and zeal,
and didst win thine enemies' praises
when peace-time returned.

In the year the spoils were lifted
and the Roughbounds homesteads were burned,
thou didst much to defend them
from the tribe of the redcoats;
how many blessings from poor folk
thou didst win at that time,
which make eternal provision
for the welfare of thy soul.

'Twas not thy habit to seek out
the very poor people's possessions,
but to let them pass through thy cordons,
in all the lands thou didst traverse;
when others would be in the corners
engaged in plunder and pillage,
thou wouldst be with thy forces
away out on the hillsides.

In all manly sports thou wast adept
for the ranging of rough mountain regions;
thou wast the best of hunters
to go forth to slay the hind;
in the glades of the woodland
or in the twig-tangled thicket,
thou wast death to the woodcock
that crew early in the May morning.

Handsomely the proud, round kilt
thy plaid doth encircle,
thou wearest a silk-edged blue bonnet
and a gorgeous waistcoat of tartan;
a well-shaped shoe, close fitted
to the neatest foot on parade ground,
and on thy calves, of clear outline,
short hose and garters.

Becoming to thee is a keen, backsword,
a new brand of triple fluting,
thin, fine-edged, blood-letting,
light, wounding, sharp, slashing;
a neat blade of steel,
firmly fixed in a ribbed hilt,
borne by a smart bearing strap,
and the shoulder belt according to fashion.

Thou didst love to possess
a pair of pistols to carry,
besides a handy, light musket,
the slim gun of narrow muzzle;
a shapely powder-horn, and flask,
yellow-capped, with a hinged lid;
a dappled shield close-studded,
with a screw-spike in its boss.

No less suited to thee is a dirk,
as good as cometh out of the forge,
with much twined interlacing
on its ridged, rugged handle;
'tis finely wrought, shining,
straight, thin, and well-polished,
both base-plate and neck,
the strap, the sheath, and the crampit.

Thou wast in a noble succession
by every tradition that bound thee,
and, in no whit didst thou, in thy turn,
disregard that tradition;
thou, whose speech was most courteous,
wast righteous in judgment,
and a noble drinker of liquor,
whose heart was bounteous and open.

Throughout all thy career,
in the kingdom of Scotland,
dispraise of thee was unheard of;
in thy trip through the Roughbounds,
by the chivalry of thy bearing,
that episode was to thy credit;
and with two-fold certification
thou hast gained the bards' panegyric.