Publication
These lines are the heading to chapter I of “The Naulahka” . They are collected in Songs from Books (1912) are attributed to “Auchinleck’s Ride”. “Auchinleck” was in all probability an imaginary person. The use of baith for both gives a Scottish ‘young Lochinvar’ rhythm to the verse.
In the version collected in Songs from Books and later collections, then Scottish spellings (canna, baith, o’ and wi’) have been changed to to standard English.
The text
[final line] the nether stone The lower millstone
[S.K./P.H.]
©Sharad Keskar and Philip Holberton 2020 All rights reserved