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SONGS.
THE LIBRARY OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
SCOTTISH SONCJS.
SCOTTISH SONGS
CY
ALEXANDER 1IUMI.
(iic me ac spark n' Nature's tire.
That's a' the learning I desire;
Then, tho' I drudge thro' dub and mire.
At plough or cart, My Muse, tho' hamelj in attire,
May touch the heart.
Ill ftNS.
LONDON: I' I B L1SH ED BY C. FOX,
fi7, PATERNOSTER ROW,
miii 'i r\\XV.
London : Printed by E., B., & G. Clarke, Silver Street, Falcon Square.
7gr
III
ALLAN CUNNINGHAM, Esq,
My Deau Sir,
Emboldened by the warm manner in which you were kind enough to express your opinion of the following Songs, I have ventured to publish them ; and knowing no one to whom " Scottish Song " is so much indebted as yourself, I beg respectfully to de- dicate them to you.
Those who may criticise them by scholastic rules will, I fear, find much to censure ; for I composed them by no rules except those which my own observation and feelings form- ed— I knew no other. As I thought and felt, so have I written.
\ 2
~'fC*
VI
Some may condemn me for adapting them to airs already wedded to immortal strains ; all 1 can urge in my defence is, that it was to them that my songs (such as they are) owed their birth. I love the melodies of our country — enthusiastically love them. The crooning them over at home and abroad — in the city and the field — engendered corresponding sentiments in my mind; and it was my aim, in giving those sentiments expression, to clothe them in the simple and appropriate language of our native land. In short, I have endeavoured to make them natural ; and, of all poetical com- positions, songs, at least those of the affections, should be so. Warm gushes of feeling — brief, simple, and condensed — as soon as they have left the singer's lips they should be fast round the hearer's heart, there to dwell, not live and die in a sound.
Perhaps they may strike a sympathetic chord in the bosom of some more ruled by nature
VII
than by art; if they do so, I shall be glad. 11* any receive but one half the pleasure in reading them, or in hearing them sung, that I did in writing them, they will indeed have much, and I shall be happy.
I am,
My dear Sir,
Yours most truly, ALEXANDER HUME.
19, St. Martin s-le-Grand, January 5th, 1835.
CONTENTS.
MY LOVE.
My Love is like my ain countrie 1
THE BRAES o' TWEEDDALE.
My blessings on 3'e, bonnie braes •'•
THE BLINK O' A BONNIE BRICHT E'E.
O, sweet is the line o' the heather bell bloomin' .")
SANDY ALLAN.
Wha is he I hear sae crouse 7
OH, POVERTY !
Eliza was a bonnie lass, an' (), she lo'ed me weel.... 9
O, DULE ON THE DAY I WAS MARRIED.
<), ilulefn' ! and wae ho ever the day 11
IX
BY isessie. -Mv Bessie, (), but look upon these bonnie building;
Sowera I , ".
I CANNA LIE, I (ANNA (.A.M..
I canna lie, I canna gang 15
Nannie. There's mony a How'r beside the rose 17
OH, MICKLE BEAUTY, LOVE, IS HUM:.
Oh, mickle beauty, Love, is thine 18
DOCTOR MC'SLEE.
O, heard ye the like o't in countra' or toon 19
an Aii.D man's SONC. < ), lead me w here the wild ilowers grow -21
YE FATHERS.
Ye fathers, wha worship the penny siller 24
WHEN ILOWERS.
When flowers were in their fairest bloom -2~>
X
THE LAD WH.VLL SOON BE FAB AWA.
A ' ye, wha ever grasped the hand 27
AN' I MAUN LEAVE YE.
An' I maun leave ye, bonnie Quean 29
HEB HEABT IS ON THE SEA.
There's joy nae mair in Anna's e'e 31
CLAN RONALD.
The raven sits upon the wa' 3.5
LAWYER ROBIN.
Ye carles, a' come list to me »S
she's sweet, she's fair. She's sweet, she's fair, an' O ! she's dear 3S
THE WIND BLOWS r.U I.DI.V.
The wind blows cauldly thro' the door lo
warld's gear. O ! what are ye, ye warld's gear 42
\l
O, LIFJ '
O, life, ye're unco ill to bear 44
o, beam away, ye sparkling e'en. < », beam away, ye sparkling e'en ■!.">
ANNIE hay. A wee Ijinl sits upon n spray 46
FAREWELL TO THEE, LAND OF OUR FATHERS.
Farewell to thee — land of our fathers, farewell, 4.9
THE TWEED.
<), bonnie Tweed, rin on, tin' may ye ever rin as clear.. o\
WAD YE MAK ME A KING.
Y<- powers aluine, wad ye niak me a king 53
.i i s.-ir K \\ . Bonnie Jessie Rae, wi' mind love gets birth 55
WHEN SIMMER [>AY.s WERE IN THEIR PRIME.
When simmer days were in their prime 56
Xll
WEE NANNIE.
My bonnie wee Nannie »8
MY WEE WEE WIFE.
My wee wife dwells in yonder cot 61
IT WAS UPON THE E'ENING.
It was upon the e'ening o' ae simmer's clay 64
JEANNIE.
O, fa' ! fa' ! ye showers 66
jock's wife. What din is that in your house 68
A MINSTREL.
A minstrel sang in a garden bower 7->
THE BARD.
It was upon a winter's day 7-
MY MINNIE TAUGHT ME.
O, lasses, whenever a laddie comes near 75
Mil
JEAN sirs OH VON II III '>( E.
Jean sits on y<>n hillock a' (In- lang day 77
MY BONNIE JEAN.
t», my Jean, toy bonnie bonnie Jean 78
■ u BET SUN,
< ), shine away, ye bonnie Sun 7!'
THH HILLS.
0 for the hills ! the highland hills ! 61
wattie's wedding. There ne'er was seen sic sport an' play s:;
BONNIE BESSIE.
I've wandered on tin- sunny hill, I'm' wandered in the
vale 86
\ i IRLE i' IM l o on: in ' CATE, A carle cam to our ha' gate 88
o JAMIE, LAO.
The sun is sinking in the west, an' soon it will gae doon. 91
xiv
HOW SWEET TO HEAR A MELODY.
How sweet to hear a melody o' our ain land 94
OWRE THE SILin Ul' ME.
Will ye gang wi' me, my hinney 95
THE WIFE O' ELLERRLIE.
O, Nature, why hae ye me gien 97
MV MOUNTAIN HAME.
My mountain name ! my mountain hame ! 99
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MY LOVE.
Air. — My love is like a red red rose,
My Love is like my ain countrie,
That to my heart is dear; My Love is like the holly tree,
That's green through a' the year. Her smile is like the glowing ra)
That fa's frae yonder sun ; An', sunlike, blesses a' the day,
Yet kens nae gude she's done.
B
Her lips hae named the bridal time,
Her lips hae sealed the vow ; Like Nature's laws in every clime,
We'll aye be true as now. Like Nature, Love the fairer grows
The mair we ken its law : Like air, it through the warld flows,
Sweet harmony to a'.
O fly, ye lazy listless hours,
An' bring that happy day, When we'll in wedlock's sweetest bow'rs
In love kiss life away. We'll live like sleepers in a dream,
Where wishes paint the scene; An' care shall melt by pleasure's beam,
As dew dries on the green.
THE BRAES O' TWEEDDALE.
Air. — Gloomy Winter.
My blessings on ye, bonnie braes ! Ye bring up mony bycgane days ; As morning brings its sunny rays ;
Ye bonnie braes o' Tweeddale O ! Tbe lieart may for a time forget Tlie land where it an' life first met, But mem'ry, like a sun that set,
Has ris'n again on Tweeddale O ! An' do ye ance again appear, Ye joyous scenes o' youthfu' year — I canna help this glad glad tear,
Ye bonnie braes o' Tweeddale O !
An' do we sae in gladness meet, Ye flow'rs that blossom at my feet — The very gowan seems to greet
Wi' joy, ye braes o' Tweeddale O ! b 2
Again I bless ye, gentle things; O' joy ye are to me the springs, The air that sweeps owre my heart strings,
Ye honnie braes o' Tweeddale O ! I see my faither's house an' ha', The wee bit bairnies in a raw, My Mother smiling through them a' —
Ye honnie braes o' Tweeddale O !
In mony honnie lands I've been, I've gazed on mony a honnie scene, But O, 'mang a' that met my e'en
I met nae braes o' Tweeddale O ! The soul that dwells in mortal frame, Ne'er yearned to heaven wi' holier flame Than I to ye, my only hame,
Ye bonnie braes o' Tweeddale O! As mother cleaves to her first born, Sae next my heart shall ye be worn — If I forget ye, may I mourn
A' life, ye braes o' Tweeddale O !
THE BLINK O' A BONNIE BR1CHT E'E. Air. — O, saw ye my wee thing.
O, sweet is the line o' the heather hell bloomin',
An' sweet is the scent o' the hawthorn tree ; But sweeter an' dearer is that which in woman
Beams forth in the hlink o' a honnie hricht e'e. It is na its boldness, it is na its coldness ;
But it is — O, troth ! I can never tell ye — Sae saftly beseeching, sae slee an' bewitching".
O, sweet is the blink o' a honnie hricht e'e.
O, sweet is't to look on the rose's red blossom,
When showers an' sunbeams are kissing its bree, While merry May's wreathing her richness, an' breathing Her scent on the breeze o'er the hill an' the lea ; But O, how much fairer are roses, an' rarer,
An' bonnie their hues, sae delightfu' to see, \- ye gaze on them beaming by rays that are teeming Wi' love from the blink o' a honnie hricht e'e.
Ye see it, an' feel it, but canna reveal it,
Lock'd fast in your heart by some mystic decree ; An' tbo' it's your ruin, ye bless your uncloin',
An' melt in the blink o' a bonnie bricht e'e. When aukl Mither Nature made man, her first creature,
Sae dowie felt he, he was waesome to see, No fit for bis station, to rule o'er creation,
Till she gave him the blink o' a bonnie bricht e'e.
SANDY ALLAN.
Air. — Saw yc Johnny coming.
Wha is he I here sae crouse,
There ahint the hallan ? Whase skirling rings thro' a' the house,
Ilk corner o' the dwallin'. O ! it is ane, a weel kent chiel,
As mirth o'er set a hawlin', Or filled a neuk in drouthy hiel, —
It's canty Sandy Allan.
He has a gaucy kind gude wife,
This hlythesome Sandy Allan, Wha hies him mickle mair than life,
An' glories in her callan. As sense an' sound arc ane in song,
Sac's Jean an' Sandy Allan, Twa hearts, yet hut ae pulse an' tongue,
Hae Luckie an' her callan.
8
To gie to a,' it's ay his rule,
Their proper name an' callin' ; A knave's a knave, a fule's a fule,
Ay wi' auld Sandy Allan. For ilka vice he has a dart,
An' heavy is it's fallin' ; But ay for worth a kindred heart
Has ever Sandy Allan.
To kings his knee he wunna hring,
Sae proud is Sandy Allan ; The man wha richtly feels is king,
Owre rank, wi' Sandy Allan. Auld Nature just to shew the warl',
Ae truly honest callan ; She strippit till't, and made a carle,
An' ca'd him Sandy Allan.
9
OH, POVERTY!
Air. — The Posic.
Eliza was a bonnie lass, an' O, she lo'ed vvc weel; — Sic love as canna find a tongue, but only hearts can
feel; But I was poor, her Father dourc; he wadna look
on me — Oh, Poverty! Oh, Poverty! that Love should bow to
thee.
I went unto her Mother ; an' I argued, an' I (leeched;
I spako' love an' honesty, an' mair an' mair beseech 'd.
But she was deaf to a' my grief, she wadna look- on me —
Oh, Poverty ! Oh, Poverty ! that Love should bow to thee.
I ncist went to her Brother, an' I told him a' nw
pain : Oh, ho waswae, he tried to say, lnu it was a' in vain;
10
Though he was weel in love hinisel, nae feeling he'd
for me — Oh, Poverty ! Oh, Poverty ! that Love should how to
thee.
Oh, wealth, it makes the fool a sage, the knave an
honest man ; An' cankered grey locks young again, gin he hao
gear an' Ian' : To age maun beauty ope her arms, though wi' a tear-
fu' e'e — Oh, Poverty ! Oh, Poverty ! that Love should bow to
thee.
But wait a wee, O love is slee, and winna be said nay; It breaks a' chains except its ain, but it maun hae its
way; Auld age was blind, the priest was kind — now happy
as can be ; Oh, Poverty! Oh, Poverty! we're wed in spite o' thee.
11
O, DULE ON THE DAY I WAS MARRIED. Air. — Up in the morning early.
O, dulefu ! an' wae, be ever the day,
That day to the kirk I was hurried, To take Jenny Birse for better or warse —
I wish it had been to be buried. She flytes in the morn, she flytes in the night ;
Wi' fly ting an' lighting I'm worried ; Were I e'en an angel I wadna be richt ; —
O, dule on the day I was married !
She's king o' tbe pantry, she's king o' the kist,
Ilk tbing thro' ber hand maun be ferry 'd, An naething she misses that shoudna be miss'd —
O, dule on the day I was married ! The very wee dowgie trots bantering by,
Wi' tailie an' nosie high carried, An' gies a bil youf as tho' mocking the coof —
O, dule on the day I was married !
12
When neebors ave near, O, then I'm her dear,
An' Mister Balvvhather is serried The best o' ilk dish, roast, boil'd, fowl, or fish ; —
Yet dule on the day I was married ; For minutes, stop ane, when the neebors are gane,
Then the tone o' her leddyship's varied, " Ye neer-do-weel chiel take ye'rself to the deil. — "
O, dule on the day I was married !
She sits at the kirk in the minister's seat,
On a shelty she there maun be carried ; But poor Linkumdodie maun ti-ot on his feet —
O, dule on the day I was married ! The very last time that we were at the kirk,
Wi' her I'd been sae mickle flurried, I sang in a qualm, instead o' the psalm —
O, dule on the day I was married !
18
\IY BESSIE.* Am. — The I'osic.
My Bessie, O, but look upon these bonnie budding
flowers, O, do na they remember thee o' childhood's bapp)
hours, When we upon this very hill sae aft did row an' play, An' thou wert like the morning sun, an' life a nicht-
less day.
The gowans — they were bonnie — how I'd pu' them
from the stem, An' rin in noisy blythesomeness to thee, my Bess,
wi' them, An' place them in thy white, white breast; for which
thou'dst smile on me. — I saw nae mair the gowans then — then saw I only thee.
Like twa fair roses on a tree, we flourished an' we grew ; An' as we grew our loves grew too, for feeling was their dew.
• This >ong, set to a beautiful air, was published in The Monthly Repository for May. 183-1.
14
How aft thou'dst thraw thy wee bit arms in love
about my neck, An' breathe young vows, that after years o' sorrow
ha'e na brak.
We'd raise our lisping voices in auld Coila's melting
lays, An' sing that tearfu' tale about Doon's bonnie banks
an' braes ; But thocht na we o' banks an' braes, except thae at
our feet — Like yon wee bird, we sang our sang, yet kent na
that 'twas sweet.
O, is na this a joyous day ; kind Nature's breathing forth
In gladness an' in loveliness owre a' the wide wide- earth ;
The linties, they are lilting love, on ilka bush an' tree —
O, may sic joys be ever felt, my Bess, by thee an' me.
15
I CANNA LIE, I CANNA GANG.
I canna lie, T camia gang,
A lassie, she has been my death ; She's stown my heart, she's stown my sang,
She's stown away my very breath. Yet, O, but little ken't she how
She gae to me that mortal woun', As ay another glance she threw
An' ay I felt another stoun'.
There's surely magic in the air,
They breathe frae out their honey mou's ; E'en though we ken there's ruin there,
The prieing we can no refuse : Like wee birds, which the serpent wiles,
By charmed brichtness o' its e'e, When woman thraws on us her smiles,
We e'en maun lay us doon an' dee.
16
O, had ye seen her flaxen hair,
That hung like glossy silken strings ; Ye wad hae wished them chains to wear —
Chains stranger than the chains o' kings. A king owre a' the earth may rule,
An' at his feet may millions bow ; He's greater than the titled fule,
The Man wha owns a lassie's loe.
17
\ WNIE. Air.— O, saw ye Johnnie comin'.
There's niony a flow'r beside the rose,
An' sweets beside the honey, But laws maun change ere life disclose
A flow'r or sweet like Nannie. Her e'e is like the mid-day sun,
When clouds can no conceal it — Ye're blind gin it ye look upon —
O ! mad gin ere ye feel it,
O ! mad gin ere ye feel it.
I've niony bonnie lassies seen,
Sae blithesome, kind, an' cannie ; But O, the day has never been
I've seen another Nannie. She's like the mavis in her sang,
Amang the breckans bloomin' ; Her lips ope to an angel's tongue;
But kiss her — O, she's woman.
But kiss her — O, she's woman. c
18
O, MICKLE BEAUTY, LOVE, IS THINE.
Air. — Roy's wife.
Oh, mickle beauty, Love, is thine;
Oh, mickle joy to me is given ; The blessed thocht that ye'll be mine
Maks me forget that there's a heaven. As twa young stems together cling,
We'll live ae life o' love an' gladness; Around us no a living thing
Shall ever feel the pain o' sadness.
As dewy leaves on yonder tree
Greet ay the sun wi' smiles o' pleasure ; Sae shall I ever turn to thee,
Like ony miser to his treasure. The rose o' love, sae cherrie red,
Ilk clime can rear — nae blast can wither — Deep planted in the heart an' head,
It blooms wi' life — they dee thegither.
1!)
DOCTOR MC'SLEI
Air. — Laird o' Cockpcn.
O, heard ye the like o't in countra' or toon, O, saw ye the match o't in print written doon — A widow was won hy tlic blink o' the e'e, An' became the fifth bride o' Doctor Mc'Slee.
The widow's young dochter, an heiress was she ; She'd gowpens o' siller, an' gowd under key, An' it clippil the tongue, an' it saftencd the e'e O' the widow when courted by Doctor Mc'Slee.
The sire o' the dochter had been a rich laird, He'd mony a farm and weel stockit yaird, Which when o'richt age for to spend she was free — "I'll save her the trouble," said Doctor Mc'Slee.
The lassie grew fair, and the lassie grew tall, She wantit to keek a wee yont the auld wall, But she maunna gang out, nor she maunna gang see, Except in the keeping o' Doctor Mc'Slee.
c 2
20
She maunna gang e'en to the kirk, holy place, But linkit wi' Droggy, an' veil owre her face ; Or look at the text, for the fear she might be In love wi' the Bible, thocht Doctor Mc'Slee.
But faithers may lock, an' faithers may bin', An' ay as they bin' e'en sae will they tine ; When love's in the heart, fail bolt, chain, an' key, Were they fifty times stranger than Doctor Mc'Slee.
" Gucle wife, think no ye that our Maggy lies lang ? May be the vile tooth-ache has gi'en her a stang ; Just rin away to her, my dawtie, an' see What maks her sae late," said Doctor Mc'Slee.
Soon the leddy cam rinning in fury an' wae — " She's left her kind mother, an' cleekit away To the Toll* wi' that vagabond tailor, Jock Lee." The news drove the life out o' Doctor Mc'Slee.
* A house on the borders, where runaway marriages arc performed.
2]
AN AULD MANS SONG. A in. — O' a' the airts the wind can blaw.
O, lead me where the wild flowers grow,
The bonnie heather bell, Where Nature's buds in beauty blow,
An' scent baith moor an' dell. O, let me gaze, before I die,
On Tweeddale's fairest lea, Where ilka breeze in whisp'riug sigh
Breathed love wi' you an' me.
O, let me see that sunny knowe
We aft hae trod in youth, Where 'neath the fragrant hawtree bough
We pledged our love an' truth ; When ilka tree was clad in green,
An' birds o' varied hue, Sweet smiles on ilka flower were seen,
There stown, my Bess, frae you.
oo
My Bess, d'ye mind that simmer nicht
When you an' I were there ; Your een outshone the starry licht ;
My lips, they breathed a prayer. Your gentle voice, in whisper low,
Tauld me that ye were won ; Twa hearts embraced in happy glow,
Which love said were but one.
O, Bess, ye were a gleesome quean
As e'er adorned a mind ; Few peers had ye on hill or green,
Sae modest, sweet, an' kind. But flowers live to bloom an' die,
The shrub an' forest tree ; And a' that owns an earthly tie
Maun fade — sae you an' me.
My een grow dim, an' runneth slow The throbbing stream at last,
An' life seems but a vision now, Or faint dream o' the past ;
23
But there is still that promised land Where age is not, nor pain ;
O, yes, we'll join a happy band, An' talk o' clays hyegane.
24
YE' FATHERS.
Am. — My tocher's the jewel.
Ye fathers, wha worship the penny siller,
Ye mothers, wha heed no affection true, O, think o' the days when ye were younkers ;
Your bairns are ye owre again in loe. O, mind ye no when ye heard loe's whisper,
Thocht ye o' the gear when first loe spak ; An' now when wi' you the loe time is over,
The hearts ye hae made why ye wad break.
Ye see yon e'e, where the saut tear is starting,
Ye see yon greybeard wha sits by her side, Sae doytit an' bleerit — wi' pain he is smarting ;
An' yet ye would damn her to be his bride. O, saw ye the snaw ever cherish the fire ?
O, saw ye the raven e'er pair with the doo ? The whole voice o' Nature cries No ! in its ire ;
The beasts o' the forest are kinder than you.
25
WHEN FLOWERS. Air. — I gaed a waefu' gait yestreen.
When flowers were in their fairest bloom,
An' perfume scented a' the air, An' Unties sang amang the broom,
O' mickle joy had I to fear. \ lassie dwelt, weel ken I where,
Within a bonnie ocean town ; Nlie had a look sac sweetly dear
For it might nionarclis lose a crown.
A smile ere that ca'd me its slave,
Sac sweet a smile e'e never met ; J Jut O, the smile that lassie gave
For a wee time made me forget. To Anna had I pledged my love
Before I pried that lassie's mou
What ! tho' the sun shines bricht above,
The moon an stars shine brichtly too.
26
The lassie owned na walth o' gear,
Her heart was a' her penny fee ; A step sae licht, a skin sae fair,
An' gracefu' as yon waving tree : Sae like the gowan in the lea,
That to the sun sae sweetly smiles, For ae wee blink o' her blue e'e
E'en age wad gang a war!' o' miles.
27
THE LAD WHA'LL SOON BE FAR AWA.* Am. — Gude nicht, an' joy be wi' you.
A' ye, wha ever grasped the hand
O' friendship ardent an' sincere, Come drink wi' me, ye kindred hand,
The health o' ane to friendship dear. It's no hy fashion's rule we drink,
To lord, or knave, or fool, ava — The heart to feel, the head to think,
The lad vvha'll soon be far awa.
We oft hae met in seasons past,
An' read together Nature's law, An' as we read o' ay we bless 'd
Kind Nature for her love to a'.
* Written on the occasion of Mr. S , an acquaintance
of the Author, leaving England; and sung at a supper given to him by a party of his friends on the eve of his departure.
2ft
For happiness, ay may he turn To knowledge as the source o' a' ;
Still may he read, still may he learn — The lad wha'll soon be far awa.
We've seen the king upon his throne,
To many lands decrees impart ; His name engraved on wood an' stone,
But writ no' on a single heart ; But when we find amang mankind,
The man in thocht, in deed, in a', We hail a king in heart an' mind —
The lad wha'll soon be far awa.
The green green leaves that yonder hang,
Maun part before the winter's da' ; E'en sae maun we, tho' wi' a pang,
Frae him wha'll soon be far awa'. O, may our wishes be the wind
That wafts him to his father's ha' ; An' mcm'ry turn to those behind
He left, when he'll be far awa.
•29
AN' I MAUN LEAVE YE.
Air. — An' ye shall walk in silk attire.
An' 1 maun leave ye, bonnie Quean ;
To stay 1 canna bear, For to another ye are gi'en,
I ne'er shall see ye mair. But how frae ye can I sae part,
Unless that I wad dee, When ye've a pris'ner made my heart,
Nor can I rend it free.
An' ye'll gae meet another's kiss,
An' yell gie loe for loe, An' mem'ry wunna mar the bliss
In store for him an' you. O, ye maun think the loe o' man
Is but a bairnie's play, Which ye wad pu', like a gowan,
To crush an' fling away.
30
My bonnie Lass, e'en gang your way,
An' lie down by bis side; Ye'll miss no that ye've tint the day,
Till ye're his wedded bride. Love lies no in a hinny smile —
It's deeper than the e'e ; An' when ye find he's been your guile,
O, then ye'll think o' me.
:il
HER HEART IS ON THE SE A
Air.— Jock o' Hazledean.
There's joy nae mail in Anna's e'c ;
Her joy is turned to sorrow — ' Will Jamie never come from sea ?
Will nicht ne'er turn to-morrow P O, time, your hand but slowly turns. — '
A lover bends the knee ; She looks at him, but him she spurns
For anc Air on the sea.
They've spread for her a bridal bed,
O' down is made the pillow ; And to the kirk they'd hae her led —
She seeks the lonely willow. " The leaf unto the branch is true,
The shower to the tree ; This heart, O Jamie, beats for you. — "
Her heart is on the sea.
32
A ship upon the wave is seen,
It toucheth now the shore — Two lovers meet upon the green,
Who meet to part no more. "An' do we meet no more to part-
Love, closer press to me ;" " O Jamie, ye had ay my heart."-
Her heart has left the sea.
33
CLAN RONALD.
Aih. — Gloomy winter.
The raven sits upon the wa', The grass is growing in the ha', Young Donald he has gane awa' —
The last o* the Clan Ronald O ! The moon keeks no frae 'inang the clouds, The hoolet's hooting in the woods, An' desolation hlack enshrouds
The fortunes o' Clan Ronald O ! He was the pride o' a' the lea, Nae peer on hill or dale had he, But now he wanders owre the sea,
The last o' the Clan Ronald O !
Me loe'd richt weel the Chevalier,
He lout his ;imi, he gae him gear, He loe'd him wi' a heart sincere —
Did Donald o' Clan Ronald O! u
34
His clansmen gathered on the hills, Wi' heating hearts an' ready wills, To stem the Royal Charlie's ills,
Yound Donald o' Clan Ronald O ! But Charlie's sun was overcast, Black fate had hlawn its hitter hlast, An' now he wanders tempest tost,
Wi' Donald o" Clan Ronald O !
What carle sits upon yon knowe, Sae scant o' claes, wi' siller pow, Wha' looks sae weary an' sae dow,
Wi' garh o' the Clan Ronald O ! Behold in him the auld, the last, That brave Clan Ronald's blood can boast, Wha' soon will live but i' the past,
The last o' the Clan Ronald O ! He pud a picture frae his breast, Which closely to his lips he prcst, " O, Charlie ! " sigh'd he — then to rest
Sank Donald o' Clan Ronald O !
85
LAWYER ROBIN Air. — Whistle owre the lave o't.
Ye carles, a' come list to me ;
I'll sing a sang that's bold an' free,
About a knave — as ye may be ; —
They ca'd him Lawyer Robin. An' as the story runs about, Frae h — 1 this knave had been turned out ; His faither nane but Uncle Cloot,
The sire o' Lawyer Robin.
Cloot thocht the warld owre honest gat,
An e'en wi' very passion grat ;
He swore he'd make a knave, an' spat ;
That spit grew Lawyer Robin. I lc clad him in his warst array ; To stop this honesty in'ts way, In haste to earth he let him gac ;
This wry Lawyer Robin. D 2
36
He came into the north countrie, Unto a town upon the T — The very heart o' honesty —
Did this knave, Lawyer Rohin. He there set up the lawyer trade, Its patron his Satanic dad, Poor honesty he soon drove mad,
Did wily Lawyer Robin.
He ay was buskit sae genteel,
Auld Cloo tern's thochts concealed sae weel,
He look'd an angel mair than deil,
Did pious Lawyer Robin. For ilka honour he did bow, An' ay he gat when he did sue; A Bailie, and an Ehler too
O' the kirk, was Lawyer Robin.
To ilka ane was he a friend, Ay free to gie, ay free to lend — They paid it weel back in the end To gen'rous Lawyer Robin.
37
An when law's ill> wad on them fa It wasna him that did't ava ; " It's just the way, yc sec, o' law," Said paukie Lawyer Rohin.
But wait — I'll tell ye what hefel
The other e'ening to mysel'
At the auld Kirk ; plump there I fell
On ane an' Lawyer Rohin. They sat upon a new head-stane, The moon keek'd doon upon the twain ; 13y jinks, it was auld Clootie Ben,
Wha sat wi' Lawyer Robin.
Auld Cloot was clad wi' miekle grace, Hung reverend grey hairs doon his face, Like ane come o' a sauntly race,
Akin to Lawyer Rohin. They spak o' mony a thousand darts, O' ruined has an' broken hearts, Sin he had damned, wi' writer arts,
This demon Lawyer Robin.
38
But just at this the clock strak ane, Auld Nickum cried " Your race is run," An' aff they flew doon thro' the grun', —
Auld Cloot an' Lawyer Robin. But where they flew I coudna tell ; Gin ye wad spear — may be at h — 1 ; Ye '11 see auld Synion there himsel', —
Ye're sure o' Lawyer Robin.
39
SHI'S SWEET, SHE'S F Ml: Air.— Shi - rail an' fause.
She's sweet, she's lair, an' O ! she's dear,
How dear* lips canna tell ! It's no for rank, it's no for gear,
I lo'e her too, too well. Sim's fause — yet there are others fair, —
O ! na, na wha wi' her compare, There's something in my heart cries "Where ? "
An' chills me like a knell.
I'd fain forget, but O ! that smile
Ay floats before my e'e, Where'er I turn yon dimpling wile
Will no' let me gang free. Like clouds that breathe in summer rain
New life to flowers on hill an' plain, She gac me life, but she's stown't again.
As blight steals from the dec.
40
THE WIND BLOWS CAULDLY.
Air. — Ye banks an' braes o' bonnie Doon.
The wind blows cauldly thro' the door,
The ase lies heatless on the stane ; O, damp's the wa', an' hare's the floor,
Where I am left to mourn alane. My lover's speech was sweet an' fair,
My smile was hlind, owre blind for me, For O ! was falsehood lurking there,
Within the kiss he gae to me.
I see the bank whereon we lay,
I hear the words he used to speak : But O ! like licht they flee away —
I think my very heart will break. The laverock sings on airy wing,
An' sips the thrifty hinnie bee, A smile for every living thing —
But smile, alas ! there's none for me.
II
The beam that shone on yonder flower,
The shower that gac life to the tree, Was no sae sweet as that short hour
He breathed a warld o' pain to me. It's hard to bear a lover's frown,
It's hard to part when we hae met, Wi' ilka pleasure for our own,
But O ! it's harder to forget.
42
WARLD'S GEAR.
Air. — My Nannie, O '
0 ! what are ye, ye warld's gear, That steals the hearts o' many O !
Ye hreak our hopes an' gar us fear,
But little joy to any O ! Ye're horn 'midst death, e'en in the mine,
Before ye see the morrow O ! Ye gie no half o' that ye tine,
An' what ye gie's o' sorrow O !
1 wander over mony a knowe,
An' mony a field sae boimie O ! They ca' me Laird, but ah ! I trow,
O' friends I hac nae ony O ! Tho' sheep an' owsen fill the yaird,
An' gowd in coffers plenty O ! Yon carle stalks by without regard
O' me, tho' e'er sae vauntic O !
I.i
I lane for clays tbat ance were sweet,
When but a hertlie callan O ! I trod the muirs wi' shoonless feet —
Found peace on ilka hallan O ! Ilk flower that grew, ilk bird that sung,
Some truth were ay' revealling O ! We spak together in a tongue
Which Nature said was feeling O !
O, gear ! this lesson ye hae taught
To me— O, how severely O ! That tho' we get ye e'en for nought,
O, still we feel ye sairly O ! Then rank an' pride gae to the wa',
Ye re chains that bind true feeling O ! 1 11 seek content in some cot ha',
Where rank is honest dealing O
i
LI
O, LIFE!
Air. — Yc banks an' braes.
O, life, ye're unco ill to bear,
When hopeless loe the heart has torn, Bereft o' a' that I felt dear,
I e'en maun live an' sae maun mourn. To ilka heart has Nature gien
A kindred mate vvi' kindred loe ; But, O ! to me she's traitress been,
The mate she gae me proved untrue.
Upon a bonnie heather knowe
My Bess an' I together lay ; How sweet the kiss, how oft the vow
Was breathed o' loe ne'er to decay, 1 swore by a' the heavens aboon,
That I'd be true, that I'd be kind ; The same vowed she by yonder sun, —
She kept it like the faithless wind.
15
<», BEAM AWAY, YE SPARKLING EEN.
Air.— .My friend and pitcher.
O, beam away, ye sparkling een,
An' speech flow on like ony river ; Can I forget what once has been,
Sweet sweet remembrance asks me evei My Bessie haunts me like a ghaist,
But sic a ghaist there's no another, Her lips in fancy I wad taste,
Before a' lips in life together.
O, warld, ye may be ay a nicht,
I carena tho' ye ne'er be morrow ; Tho' ye be dark yet I'll be licht,
I'm wi' the past, far far frae sorrow. Dear mem'ry that s;ie warms my heart ,
In you I see that sweet wee lassie ; Ye '11 be to me o' love a part,
Ye'll be to me my bonnie Bessie.
46
ANNIE HAY. Am. — Heigh-ho for somebody.
A wee bird sits upon a spray, An' ay it sings o' Annie Hay ; The burthen o' its chcerie lay Is, " Come away, dear Annie Hay. Sweet art thou, O, Annie Hay Fair, I trow, O, Annie Hay There's no a bonnie flower in May Shows a bloom wi' Annie Hay."
A licht in yonder window's seen, And wi' it seen is Annie Hay, Wha looks upon the shaded green, Where sits the bird upon a spray.
" Sweet art thou, O, Annie Hay ;
Fair, I trow, O, Annie Hay ;
At sic a time, in sic a way,
What seek ye there, O, Annie Hay P
17
"What seek ye there, my Dochter dear ? What sec there, O, Annie Hay ? " O, Mother, but the stars sac deal Around the bonnie Milky Wa \ .
" Sweet art thou, O, Annie Hay ;
Slec, I trow, O, Annie Hay ;
Ye something see, ye daurna saj ,
Paukie winsome Annie Hay."
The window's shut, the licht is gane, An' \vi' it gane is Annie Hay ; But wha is seen upon the green Sac kissing bonnie Annie Hay. " Sweet art thou, O, Annie Hay ; Slee, I trow, O, Annie Hay." " Gae' wa, my Jamie shew'd the way." " Ye 're no blate, young Annie Hay."
" Gae, scour the country, hill an' dale, O, wae's me, where is Annie Hay ? Search ilka nook in town an' vale For my fause dochter, Annie Hay.
48
" Sweet art thou, O, Annie Hay ; Slee, T trow, O, Annie Hay ; I wish ye joy, young Laird o' Tay, O' your bride, fair Annie Hay."
Ill
FAREWELL TO THEE, LAND OF 01 R FATHERS.
Air.— Kitty Tyrell.
Farewell to thee — land of our lathers, farewell ' Thou hind once as free as thy waters that flow, The slaves of a despot have sounded thy knell, \nibition has triumphed, and Poland lies low.
O, shades of our lathers, in pity look o'er us, What once was your home now's a mouldering pile ; The land that ye loved lies in ashes before us, And Poland's hut known in the voice of exile.
No more will your daughters e'er cherish a smile To greet the returning of hearts that are dear ; No more will their lips e'er our sorrows heguile — Ikight eyes that once beamed now arc dim with a tear.
E
50
Those strains now are heard not that tokl of your
might, Which fame has borne far over mountain and wave ; No more will love's voice ever swell with delight, But sink in low sighs o'er the tombs of the brave.
No home for the exile, no refuge from danger, No laws but the laws which a despot has made; Yet some lips will pray for the wandering stranger, And bosoms will feel as their hands proffer aid.
-.1
THE TWEED
Air. — John Anderson.
O, bonnie Tweed, rin on, an' may ye ever rin as clear
As ye do now in loveliness, for mony a coming year ;
May ilka bonnie flower that blooms, may ilka bloom- less weed,
That looks on you, plead to the sun for blessings on ye, Tweed.
The gowan nestles on your banks — there hangs the
stately tree, The sheep an' kye aft wander there — there sips the
hinny bee ; The bonnie lassies bleach their claes beside ye on the
mead, An' as your waters fa' in showers, sing blessings mi
ye, Tweed.
The patient fisher watches ye wi' weather-beaten frame, And mickle lippens he to you for his sweet smiling hame.
i 2
D2
How mony happy hearts ye make, how mony mou's
ye feed, The very weans lisping pray for blessings on ye,
Tweed.
There mony bonnie rivers rin in mony bonnie lands, An' mony I hae gazed upon, while flowing thro'
their strands, But O ! there's ane aboon them a' in beauty takes
the lead — It is yoursel', my mother stream ; O ! blessings on ye,
Tweed.
On your sweet banks first saw I licht, I grew beside
ye, stream, Then thochtwas feeling, life was like a joyous simmer
dream. But years are gane — O, heaven ! I pray, here may I
lay my head — My latest breath shall melt away in blessings on ye,
Tweed.
53
WAD YE MAK ME A KING.
Air.— Come under my plaidie.
^'^ powers abunc, wad ye uiak me a king, How braw I wad gang, how blythe I wad sing ; I'd sit on a throne, an' I'd never do wrang, For a king canna sin, wished he't ever sae Strang. How mony wad cheer, an' rejoice at my smile, E'en tho' they were rackit wi' cares a' the while, An' the lasses look love, when I sleely did gie To them a wee glance o' my kingly grey e'e.
They'd speak o' my beauty, they'd shew ay their duty ;
" How kind an' how gracious he is to us a'! " Were I black as the pat, an' as wicked as Satan,
They'd swear that frae heaven I'd gotten it a'. I'd ministers wale frae the army an' kirk,
For the kirk to the sword ay fraternally clings, Like ony twin brother, twa bairns o' ae mother —
The sword an' the mitre's the buckler o' kings.
54
Ye needna be laughin' sae loud in your daffin',
Ye smile at the thocht, well e'en let the thocht fa'; Yet even your billie, wha fok ca' sae silly,
Wad bow an' tell lees like the best o' them a'. When death cam upon me, what droves wad flock roun' me,
A' weeping, lamenting — the great and the sum' ; Then buried sae safe, in some bonnie gowd coffin,
My said wad rest — where ? — O, I've thocht na ava.'
55
JESSIE RAE. Air. — Bonnie Mary Hay.
Bonnie Jessie Rae, wi' mind love gets birth, It's like the free air on the land, on the sea,
It's felt in the heaven, it's felt on the earth ; Wi' you it is life — ye are life, Dear, to me.
Bonnie Jessie Rae, they may chain a sland'rous tongue, But they canna chain love's voice, it speaks in the e'e.
The lips may be silent, the sang be na sung, But O ! love will speak gin it only can see.
Bonnie Jessie Rae, tho' wealth can mak a king, It can never rule the heart when the heart wad be free;
Wi' it we may gang braw, but atweel it canna bring Sic love as my heart feels, deai'est Jessie, for thee.
Bonnie Jessie Rae, ye hae sworn to be mine ;
To you I'll be true as the saut to the sea. The bosoms we hae claspit, we never will resign,
While mind lives in licht — when it does na, we'll dee.
56
WHEN SIMMER DAYS WERE IN THEIR PRIME. Air. — Wullie brew'd a peck o' maut.
When simmer days were in their prime,
An' Nature lookit glad an' fair, Three chiels forgathered on a time
To breathe a wee the cauler air. They wandered east, they wandered west,
Amang the bonnie fragrant fields, An' ay they thocht how man was bless 'd
Amid the joy that Nature yields.
There was Richard \vi' the paukie e'e, An' Wullie, ay sae bauld an' slee,
(Twa very deils for fun and glee) An rhyming Watty made the three. They wandered east, &c.
They saw a bonnie budding rose
New sprung frae out its parent earth ;
Cried Richard, " That sweet flower shows An emblem o' our infant birth."
They wandered east, &c.
o7
They nexl came to a branchless tree, The worm was eating fast away;
Said Wullie, " In that trunk you see An emblem o' life's sad decay."
They wandered east, &c.
But here three lassies owre the hill Came tripping fast and lightly doon ;
Roared Wattle, " Preach away, you fill ; See flowers thai tell o' heaven aboon." They wandered east, &c.
58
WEE NANNIE.
My bonnie wee Nannie,
O, blessings be on ye, How aft hae I wished for a moment sae clear ;
An' do ye thus press me,
An' do ye thus bless me, I'm dizzy wi' joy that I canna weel bear.
O, I maun be dreaming.
Thae bonnie een beaming — How bricht are the een that beam thro' a glad tear.
Your faither relentit,
He'll never repent it, My blessings be on him as well as on you.
I canna believe ye,
Your wishes deceive ye — O, happy 's the bosom that doubt never knew.
My heart, it is panting
Wi' rapture, enchanting — Love's felt no till sorrow has proven it true.
50
There's a joy in the greeting
O' line, when luve meeting, That words half its sweetness can never reveal.
Looks breathe o' its blisses,
Lips speak it in kisses ; To a' but hive's sel' wad luve ever conceal.
Weel ken we its power —
How dear is the hour That wisdom to love has impressed with its seal.
Should bairns e'er bless us,
Wee Nannies caress us, An' grow up in beauty an' character fair,
O may we blast never
Their luve, but cheer't ever — Heaven ne'er made affection to sell like a ware ;
But Tree frae a' wiling.
As weans first smiling. It made it a blessing — man makes it a snare.
When auld age comes stealing In wrinkles, revealling Our young thochts, an' feelings are fading away,
60
We'll sec true luve beaming-
Frae e'e to e'e gleaming, In our bonnie bairns, an' think o' the day
Your faither relentit,
An' never repentit — Thae kisses maun tell ye a' I wad lain say.
(il
MY WEE, WEE WIFE. Air. — The boatie rows.
M y wee wife dwells in yonder cot,
My bonnic bairnies three — O, mickle joy's the gndeman's lot,
Wi's bairnies on his knee. My wee wee Wife, my wee wee Wife,
My bonnic bairnies three, How bricht is day, how fair is life,
When love lichts up the e'e.
The King owre me may wear a crown,
Hae riches in his ha', But lacks he love to share his throne,
I'm king owre him wi' a'. My wee wee Wife, my wee wee Wife,
My bonnic bairnies three, Let kings hae thrones 'mang warld's strife,
Your hearts are thrones to me.
G-2
The wind may blaw, deep drift the snaw,
An' clouds frown on the day, There's ay a licht at hame sae hricht
Can melt the storm away. My wee wee Wife, my wee wee Wife,
My bonnie bairnies three, The blast may howl lang ere a scowl
Is seen on love's e'e bree.
The laverock, in the lift sae hie,
Nae swifter seeks its nest, Than I to hame at e'ening flee
To nestle in love's breast ; My wee wee Wife, my wee wee Wife,
My bonnie bairnies three, As laverocks soar on morning air
Your breath bears ay up me.
I've felt oppression's galling chain,
I've shed the tear o' care, But feeling ay lost a' its pain
When my woe Wife was near.
68
My wee wee Wife, my wee wee Wife,
My bonnie bairnies three, The chains we wear are sweet to bear —
Unblessed, could we gang free.
I've seen the miser clutch his gowd,
I've seen the courtier bow, An' raony years on time seen row'd,
An' mony changes grow ; But my wee wife, my dear wee wife,
My bonnie bairnies three, I never saw the day-licht da'
That blessed na' you an' me.
64
IT WAS UPON THE EENING. Air. — Within a mile o' Edinburgh Toon.
It was upon the e'ening o' ae simmer's day,
A carle cam over the lea, He fleeched and he prayed aft, an' mony things did say— O wad I let him marry me.
He shawed me braws, an' spak o' Ian', He jinkit siller in his ban', An' ay the other word o' loe, Twas sweet to hear an' see, But Jamie in my heart ay cried, Lass, ye're forgetting me.
O, had ye heard him crack ahouthis honnie mickle ha',
A coach-house even forbyc, An' the mony acred parks an' woods, wi' mony a spreading shaw, Wi' a byre weel stockit wi' kye, Ye wad ha'e thocht like me a wee It was a tempting chance to gie
65
To anc o' poortith kith an' kin — O, how the carle did sigh, But Jamie ay cam to iny mind whenever I wad say aye.
I l<\l been \vi' me a lang lang hour, atwcel T thochl it twa, Ay fleeching an' praying to me ; He threw his arms aroun' my neck, an' kiss'd my breast o' snaw ; I e'en thocht that I wad die — " Begane ye traitor carle frae me ; Your face nac mair let me e'er ^ce." The carle leugh an' cried " My Jenny then is true." " O, Jamie, is it you? — Eh, Man, 'twas ill to doubt my loV.''
GG
JEANNIE.
O, fa ! fa ! ye showers,
Awaken, ye flowers, An' press their dry lips wi' your diamonds o' dew ;
Nae mair be they wearie,
But laughing an' cheerie, Ilk bud kiss its love, an' while kissing bless you.
O, flowers, be springing,
Wee birdies, be singing, Look joyously a', for my Jeannie is true.
They tauld me that slighted
My love was, an' blighted The hopes that but lived in the licht o' her e'e.
Does earth slight the sunbeam ?
Or ocean the moon- gleam ? As soon wad they slight as my Jeannie slight me.
O, flowers, be springing,
Wee birdies, be singing, Sweet smiles burst like blossoms on ilka green tree.
(i7
Her heart, it was sleeping,
Her een, they were peeping Oil forms than Jamie's niair pridefu an' fair;
Awakened to feeling,
Her heart then revealling; Through her blue een stealing, taulcl Jamie dwell there
O, flowers, be springing,
Wee birdies, be singing, Ye fields an' ye forests, nae mair seem ye bare.
It is nae the nation,
It is nae the station, rhal fans to affection the glow o' the heart ;
There's something that's given
To light it from Heaven ; Tis thocht love's true feelings alone can impart
O, flowers, be springing,
Wee birdies, be singing, My Jeannie is true — where noo is warld's dart ?
f 'Z
68
JOCK'S WIFE. Air. — Weel may the keel row.
What din is that in your house ? Wha sings sae canty an' sae crouse, As he o' life had found the use,
An' screw 'd a merry pin O ? O, it is Jock, my brother Jock, Whase sleep has been sae sairly broke ; He's ta'en a wife, like other folk,
To hap him up behin' O.
What noise is that in your house, That breaks the rest o' neebors douce, As a' the deils below were loose,
An' kicking up a din O ? O, it is Jock, my brother's wife, Wha's breeding a' this raukle strife. She's clawed his pow, an' sworn his life1 ;
lie's been obliged to rin O.
(i!)
What silence is in your house ? I canna even hear a mouse, O, this is surely hut a ruse,
A wager for to win O. Jock's wife has ta'en a drapakie, Sae Strang the hizzie e'en maun dee ; He's buried her with tearfu' e'e,
But mickle joy within O. lie's put a crape upon his hat, An' noo he sleeps like ony cat ; He's ta'en his aith 'twill he his faut
Gin he has wife again O !
70
A MINSTREL.
A minstrel sang in a garden bower
To a maiden fair and sweet As a smile tbat speaks in the love-lit hour.
When love's eyes love's eyes meet ; The maiden look'd like a beauteous flower
In the blooming month of May ; The minstrel sang with a witching power, " Sweet Maiden, come away, O, come away, yes, come away, Come, come away."
" The lark, he sings of his love on high,
While his fond mate lists below To each clear note from the clear blue sky
With a lover's ardent glow ; The buds, like joys in the youthful breast,
Burst forth on bush and tree ; But what are they to me, unbless'd,
\\ ithout love's smiles from thee. O, come away, yes, come away, Come, come away."
71
The maiden looked, she a rose espied.
To another it hent its head, Which blush'd as deep as a new made bride,
O'er whom love's power is shed ; Two linnets wooing her cmick eye caught,
As they warbled upon a spray ; She felt 'twas love, and she paused and thought. The sweet minstrel sang away,
" O, come away, yes, come away, Come, come away."
She look'd again, but no rose was there,
And the linnets, they were gone, Nor the minstrel's music filled the air —
Did the maiden stand alone ? Ah, no ! she had fled far away from the vale,
Close pressed to the minstrel's side ; The gallant chieftain of Teviotdale
1 1 ad won her for bis sweet bride. She fled away like a sunny ray In the month of May.
72
THE BARD. Air. — Wee wee man.
It was upon a winter's day,
I wandered forth amang the snaw ; A bonnie birdie's gentle lay
Sae waesome on my ear did fa' — " O, kindly, Sir, I pray ye gang,
I pray ye gang alang wi' me :" Thus ay the birdie prayed an' sang —
I went to see what I could see.
We cam unto a high high hill,
Where winter's wind did loudly blaw ; An' there lay dead sae ghastly still,
A man amang the drifting snaw. " My bonnie birdie, wha was he ?
Is tins the sight I was to see ? \ cauld cauld bed, an' lifeless ee,
In winter's laneliness to dee."
73
The birdie to the body flung,
An' thus replied in accents dire — " The sweetest Bard that ever sung,
The gentlest hand e'er struck the lyre ; But yesterday he sat wi' kings,
Their lordly pleasure waited he ; But soon as hand had left the strings,
They left him e'en to starve an' dee."
" He had the manli'st sweetest voice, The kindest heart, the brichtest e'e ;
lie made the very winds rejoice In sympathetic harmonic.
On ilka thing he looked sae kind, He spak sae saft to shrub an' tree,
An' ca'd them part o' 's heart and mind- Yet hearts there were wha let him dee.
Upon that white an' wintry hill, I dug a grave below the snaw ;
\n' laid the Bard sac cauld an' still Within his last an' narrow ha.'
74
0 mony blessings there I heard, His spirit blessed me from the air ;
1 blessed the bird that loved the Bard,
I cursed the hearts that starved him there.
75
MY xMINNlE TAUGHT ME.
Air. — Come under my plaidie.
O, lasses, whenever a laddie comes near, O, be no afraid when he ca's ye his dear ; But let him tak kisses, ane, twa, or e'en three, E'en tho' they were dizzens they'll no mak ye dee ; Ay gie him the coziest ncuk in the house, An' sice in your daffin just crack a wee crouse ; But ay be sac hashfu' an' baud down your e'e, He'll think ye richt modest— My Minnie taught me.
Should some other Johnnie to whom ye come near, Wha boasts na sic station, wha owns nae sic gear; Av talk o' the fallow wi' scorn in your e'e, Your laddie will note it, an' mickle pleased be. Whaever he rooses, ay roose ye as weel, Were it lawyer or parson, or e'en the black de'il ; For there's nae sin in cheating an' truing a wee, When ye want to get married — My Minnie taught inc.
76
Whenever he whispers o' marriage to you, An' prays ye for pity to list to his loe ; Cry no for the warld that ever should he, But ay let a smile say ye're telling a lee. An' when ye are married a week, may he twa, Then up wi' command in the kitchen an' ha' ; As for the gudeman, let him hang on a tree, As long as ye're leddy— My Minnie taught me.
77
JEAN SITS ON YON HILLOCK.
Air. -The yellow hair'd laddie.
Jean sits on yon hillock a' the lang day,
Singing " Wae's me, my .Inmie is now wede away:"
An' ay as the hurthen is borne on the air,
A sigh from her bosom, cries echo is there.
Her Jamie lies buried under yon stane,
She watches bis pillow lading alane,
His loe was her feeling, his form was her pride,
She prized him aboon a' the wide warld beside.
Wha sleeps sae serenely on yon cauld bed? It's Jean sleeping soundly, the sleep o' the dead, She died sighing owre him, she breathed her last l;n . " I'll sing to thee, Jamie, a' the lang day."
78
MY BONNIE JEAN.
Air. — Broom o' Cowdoknowes.
O, my Jean, my bonnie bonnie Jean,
My ain dear Jean ahvay, Ten years together we hae been,
They seem but ae short day. O, my Jean, my bonnie bonnie Jean.
O, my Jean, my bonnie bonnie Jean,
I wonder how it can be, Ye think our bainis sae like me gien,
I think they're sue like ye. O, my Jean, my bonnie bonnie Jean.
O, my Jean, my bonnie bonnie Jean,
When we fa' to decay, We'll smile farewell on life's fair scene,
Like the sun that gangs its way. O, my Jean, my bonnie bonnie Jean.
79
SWEET SUN.
O, shine away, ye bonnie Sun,
Ye look a blythesome thing. Wi' you how mony ills we shun,
How mony joys ye bring. There's no a flow'r in a' the dale,
There's nae thing ever grew, Nor heart but your kind blessings feel,
An,' feeling, blesses you,
Sweet Sun.
O, shine away, ye bonnie thing,
A' Nature's blooming fair, The new mawn fields their odours fling
Alang the balmy air; Tbe trees hae on their richest green,
True love lies in the shade ; What gladness fills the happy scene —
The gladness ye hae made,
Sweet Sun.
80
I love wee Jean, my ain glide wife,
I love my baimies too ; Ilk day ye bring t'us joys o' life,
An' ay ilk joy is new. There's joy in yonder blue blue sky,
There's joy on yonder sea, The very wind is whisp'ring joy
In echoes back to me,
Sweet Sun.
I love to see your parting smile,
As ye set in the west To rise on mony a distant isle,
An' rising, make them bless'd. O, may I in my setting hour
Be calm as your adieu, An' live again like thee in pow'r,
As bright, an' blessing too,
Sweet Sun.
81
THE 11 [U.S.
O for the hills ! the highland hills
-•'
Where ance 1 wander'd proudly free, O for the green green woods an' rills !
Sac fair to a' — sae dear to me. Then life was licht, an' had nae shadow,
Then young hearts never knew despair; Kind nature smil'd in brae an' meadow,
An' love swam i ' the very air — O for the hills ! the highland hills ! My dear dear hills.
When nestling in my father's shealing,
A wilfu,' hlythe, an' reekless hoy, Then thought was hut a glow of feeling —
I knew nae cave — I wish'd nae joy ; Where on the knowe the owsen tending,
Sae merry sang in mountain tune, Where wi' the flowers their heads bending
To the gowden sun ahoon — O for the hills ! the highland hills ! My dear dear hills.
G
89
I've seen the sun rise from his pillow,
I've seen his first beam kiss the lea In lands afar, far o'er the billow,
I've heard the birds lilt frae the tree; But simmer sun ne'er shone sae brightly,
Nor beam sae sweetly kiss'd the lea, Nor pealed the birdie's note sae sprichtly,
As when I saw an' heard wi' thee. O for the hills ! the highland hills ! My dear dear hills.
I've gaz'd on mony a winsome maiden,
Array 'd wi' gems on Indian isles, Sae fair their forms, wi' beauty laden,
Sae flashed their e'en thro' pleasure's smiles; But O the grace that, thought arraying,
Love bestows was wanting there, An' memory turned to maidens straying,
At hame afar wi' gifts more rare. O for the hills ! the highland hills ! My dear dear hills.
88
WATTIKS \\ KDDFNG. Air. — ("I'lvcn urmv tlic rushes ( >.
There ne'er was seen sic sport an' play,
At either kirn or bedding O, As sae fell out upon a day
At rhyming Watties wedding O. O for Wattie's wedding O, Ay for Wattie's wedding O ; Mischief that day had gat the play, To dance at Wattie's wedding O-
The bride, she waited at the kirk Twa lang king hours for Wattie O,
An' when he came she ca'd him stirk, An' gae his pow a claw tie O.
O, for Wattie's wedding O, kc.
G 2
84
He glowr'd, an' tremilt like a leaf, An' tried to soothe his dawtie O ;
She stapped his mou' wi' double nief ; A crimson neb gat Wattie O.
O, for Wattie's wedding O, &c.
She ca'd him gowk, she ca'd him rogue, Did Wattie's bonnie dawtie O ;
But whether he was man or dog, The fient a bit kent Wattie O.
O for Wattie's wedding O, &c.
Some leugh aside, some pity cry'd,
Some ran awa' retreating O, The priest look'd up to heaven, an' sighed.
The bridegroom fell a greeting O.
O, for Wattie's wedding O, &c.
But noo he's tethered by a string
Fast to his leddy's apron O, An' no a fit maun he tak wing,
For fear o' dawtic's vap'rin' O.
O for Wattie's wedding O, &c.
85
I It sits, an' sighs, an' sabs, at liame, An' curses the rnischancie O
That set him wooing sic a dame As (leil-be-likit Nancie O.
O for Wattie's wedding O, &c.
86
BONNIE BESSIE.
I've wandered on the sunny hill, I've wandered in the
vale, Where sweet wee birds in fondness meet to breathe
their am You s tale ; But hills or vales, or sweet wee birds, nae pleasures
gae to me, The light that beamed its rays on me was love's
sweet glance from thee.
The rising sun in golden beams dispels the night's
dark gloom, The morning clew to roses' hue imparts a fresh'ning
bloom ; But sunbeams ne'er sae brightly played in dance o'er
yon glad sea, Nor roses laved in dew sae sweet as love's sweet
glance from thee.
ft7
I loved thee as the pilgrims love the water in the sand, When scorching rays, or blue simoon, sweep o'er their
with 'ring band ; The captive's heart nae gladlicr beats, when set from
prison free, Than I when bound wi' beauty's chain, in love's sweel
glance from thee.
I loved thee, Bonnie Bessie, as the earth adores the
sun, I asked nae lands, I craved nae gear, I prized but
thee alone: Ye smiled in look, but no in heart — your heart was
no for me ; Ye planted hope that never bloomed in love's sweet
glance from thee.
ss
A CARLE CAM TO OUR HA' GATE.
Air.— Auld wife ayont the fire.
A carle cam to our ha' gate, Ae winter's nicht when unco late, When winds were Strang, an' driving sleet- He pray'd to let him in O. " O weary, wet, an' cauld am I," He said wi' mony a heavy sigh, " Sweet ladye help, or I maun die, Gin ye no let me in O.
Me in O, me in O,
Gin ye no let me in O.
Tho' mickle lack I vvarld's gear,
I wat it's no great sin O."
Auld Grannie, honest prudent woman, Was on her knees a prayer hunnnin', But up she gat when she heard comin' The carle to get in O.
89
" A bed, Gudeman, we coudna gic, E'en to a king an' you were lie" — Niece Jenny look'd wi' kinder e'e ;
She sleely let him in O,
Him in O, him in O —
She sleely let him O. " Creep canny to your bed up stairs, Fair carle, an' mak nae din O."
About the hour o' twal that nicht, \iild Grannie waukened in a fricht,
Civing " Wae's me, surely a's no richt ; I'm sure I heard a grane O ! I thocht I heard ye, Lassie, scream ;" " O Grannie dear, ye do but dream ; The rattans they were at the cream —
O gae to sleep again O !
Again O, again O —
O, gae to sleep again O. We'll get a trap the morn's morn, An' catch them every ane O."
90
But Grannie, she was frichted sair ; To Jenny's bed went doon the stair, Gude lord, she found when she got there, Mair in the bed than ane O. Her e'en shone as the sun ne'er shines, As baudrons when a mouse she tines ; — "Ye liramer,"— " Grannie, here's the lines, The Priest did mak us ane O, Us ane O, us ane O — The Priest did mak us ane O. It's neebor Pate frae up the gate — Your blessing on us twain O."
!>1
O JAMIE, LAD. Aiu. — The Posie.
The sun is sinking in the west, an' soon it will gae
doon, O, see it smiles a farewell smile, like ane in rann
tune ; But whare is he, my Jamakic ; his form I canna
see — O Jamie, lad, O Jamie, lad, what keeps ye sae frae
me ?
My honnie bairns, ye'll see him soon — he'll surely
no he lang ; An' while ye wait we'll wile the time wi' some bit
bonnie sang ; But Jamie, he might think a wee what anxious care
hae we — O Jamie, lad, 0 Jamie, lad, what keeps ye sae fra<
me
92
O, yonder see — Ah, that's no he — some carle 'twad
seem to be ; I wonder what could mak me think yon ill faur'd loon
was he — His step is licht, his e'e is hricht, his form is fair to
see — O Jamie, lad, O Jamie, lad, what keeps ye sae frae
me ?
O warld, ye may send doon the gate in braw an' trim
array, The wale o' a' your gentlemen, your knights, an'
nobles gay, But can ye gie ane sic as he in a' your high degree — O Jamie, lad, O Jamie, lad, what keeps ye sae frae
me P
But bairnies, look — ye see him now, he's coming
owre yon stile ; His bonnet waving in his han' — I think I see him
smile ;
93
An' now, wee Bess, a faither's kiss, the- first yell hae
o' three — O Jamie, lad, O Jamie, lad, what keeps ye sac frae me ?
What kept ye, lad, sae past the hour that yc should
hae heen hame ? Dear Jenny lass, O think nae ye that I hae heen to
hlame ; Ye ken how mickle oft fa's out to hinder folk a wee— O Jamie, lad, O Jamie, lad, I ken hut ye're wi me.
94
HOW SWEET TO HEAR A MELODY.
Air. — There grows a bonnie briar bush.
How sweet to hear a melody o" our ain land, How sweet to gie in charity wi' bounteous hand, But o' a' the warld's joys, the ane for me Is to prie a lassie's mou' wi' the lo'e in her e'e.
There dwells a bonnie lassie — O ! I ken where. She's kind, an' sweetly modest — an' better than fair ; They say she is na bonnie — fause lips, they lee ; They never pried her mou' wi' the lo'e in her e'e.
I've heard the warld prate o' beauty rare, I've heard a coof relate o' a shape an' air, But I heard na' o' the heart, that speaks to me 'When I prie my lassie's mou' wi' the lo'e in her e'e.
95
OWRE THE MUFR WI" ME. Am. — Gin a body meet a body.
Will ye gang \vi' me, my hinnev,
Ovvre the muir wi' me ; O, leave your fashious cankered minnie
For lie wha ye see. Ye surely maun be weary o'
Sae mickle din an' care ; O' love, ye '11 be my dearie O —
What can I say mair.
I shall look on your bricht e'en,
An' ye shall look on mine ; We'll live in joy frae morn to e'en,
O ! wunna that be fine, fll press my lip to your sweet lip,
Our breasts shall heave beneath, O love, we'll taste its richest sip,
The very air we breathe.
96
To leave my minnie now she's auld,
0 ! that I canna do, —
To leave hers she was unco baul'd, When she was young as you.
0 ! Sir, I think ye're kindly gien, An will me joy impart;
1 see it in your honnie e'en,
1 feel it in my heart.
!)7
THE WIFE O' ELLERSLIE. Air. — I gaed a waefn' gate yestreen.
O ! nature why hae ye me gien
A heart to feel, an' e'e to see, O why to life breathe sic a quean
As the sweet wife o' Ellerslie. Let me gae read, let me gae sing,
She's in my book, my melody, My wond'ring e'en see in the scene,
But the sweet wife o' Ellerslie.
0 weel she loes her leal gudeman, O weel the bairnie on her knee ;
O, loe's Strang chain close links the twain, That bind the wife o' Ellerslie.
Were breaking sic fond ties as thae, To keep me frae the fate to dee,
1 wadna save me frae my grave,
E'en lor the wile <>' Ellerslie. ii
98
Ye pow'rs o lo'e on her look clown,
An' ay frae ill, oh ! lead her free ; She should hae been ane o' your kin,
An' no the wife o' Ellerslie. Gin marriage bonds are made abune,
I pray when ye provide for me, O ! Heav'n, to gie me wife as she,
The sweet sweet wife o' Ellerslie.
99
MY MOUNTAIN HAME.
Air. — Galla Water.
My mountain hame ! my mountain bame !
My kind, my independent mother ; While thought an' feeling rule my frame,
Can I forget the mountain heather,
Scotland dear.
Tho" foes should e'er in chains me bind, An' dungeon was around me gather,
Can they hlot mem'ry frae my mind,
Or wile my heart frae the mountain heather,
Scotland dear.
I loe to hear your daughters dear,
Their rustic tale in sang revealling, Whene'er your music greets my ear, My bosom swells \vi' a joyous feeling,
Scotland dear. h2
100
Tho' I to other lands may gae;
As the l'ohin comes in wintry weather, T'll hameward flee whene'er I may,
An' nestle amang the mountain heather,
Scotland dear.
When I maun die, O I wad lie
Where I an' life first met thegither;
That my cold clay thro' its decay,
Might live an' hloom in the mountain heather,
Scotland dear.
101
GLOSSARY.
A
A' all
Aboon above, up
Ae one
Aff off
Aft oft
Aften often
Aiblins perhaps
Ain own
Aitli an oath
Alane alone
Amaist almost
Amang among
An' and, if
Ance once
Ane one
Anither another
Ase ashes
Aught possession
102
Auld old
Ava at all
Awa' away
Awfu' awful .
Ayont beyond
B
Bairn child
Bairnies children
Baith both
Bardie bard, poet
Baudrons a cat
Bauld ..bold
Ben , . .into the spence or parlour
Billie a brother, a young fellow
Birdie bird
Blate bashful, sheepish
Blaw to blow, to boast
Bleerit bleared, sore with rheum
Blink a smiling look, a little while, to look kindly,
to shine by tits Bonnie or Bonny . handsome, beautiful
Brae a declivity, a precipice, the slope of a hill
Brak broke
Braw fine, handsome
108
Bree brow
Brcckan fern
Brither a brother
Bummin' humming as bees
Hum water, a rivulet
Buskit dressed
But, bot with
Byre a cow shed
C
Ca' to call, to name
Ca't called
Callan a boy
Caller fresh, sound, refreshing
Cannie gentle, mild, dexterous
Cannilie dexterously, gently
Cantie, or Canty .cheerful, merry
Carle an old man
Cauld cold
Chiel, or cheel . . .a young fellow
Clues, or claise. . . . clothes
Claith cloth
Claw to scratch
Cloot or Clootie, .an old name for the Devil
104
Ct)lla that district of Ayrshire in which Burns
was born
Coof a blockhead, a ninny
Couthie kind, loving
Crouse cheerful, courageous
D
Daddie . a father
Daffin merriment, foolishness
Daft merry, giddy, foolish
Dales plains, valleys
Dearie my dear
Ding to worst, to push
Dinna do not
Doo dove
Douce or douse . . sober, wise, prudent
Doure sullen, stubborn, stout
Dowie worn with grief
Drap a drop, to drop
Drift a drove
Diouthy thirsty
Dulc sorrow
105
E
E'c the ej c
E'en the eyes
E'enin evening
En' end
F
Fa' fall, lot, to fall
Fa's does fall, water falls
l"ac.< foes
Fallow fellow
Faut fault
Pearfu' frightful
Fit a foot
Fleech to supplicate in a flattering manner
Fly te scold
Forbye besides
Forgather to meet, to encounter with
Forgic to forgive
Fou' full, drunk
Frae from
Frien' friend
IV full
106
G
Gae to go
Gaen gone
Gaet or gate way, manner, road
Gang to go, to walk
Gar to make, to force to
Gar't forced to
Gaun going
Gaucy jolly
Gear riches, goods of any kind
Gfaaist a ghost
Gie to give
Gied gave
Gien given
Gin if, against
Glen dale, deep valley
Gloamin the twilight
Gaed went
Gowan the flower of the daisj
Gowd gold
Gowk a cuckoo, a term of contempt
Grane a groan, to groan
Grannie grandmother
107
Grat wept, slml t.
. t to shcil tears, to wo p
Grun' ground
Glide the Supreme Being, good
f.uid good
Gudeman 8c gudewife, master and mistress of the house
H
11a' hall
llac to have
Hurt, (ienthaet .a petty oath of negation, nothing
Hairst harvest
1 1 ame home
Hallan a particular partition wall in a cottage, or
more properly a seat of turf at the out- side
I lamely homely, affable
Himsel' himself
lliney honey
Hing to hang
Hizzie hussy, a young girl
I Ilk or ilka each, every
108
K
Keek a peep, to peep
Ken to know
Ken'd or ken't . . knew
Kin kindred
Kin' kind
Kist a chest, shop counter
Knowe a small round hillock
Kye cows
L
Laddie lad
Lan' land, estate
Lane lone, my lane, thy lane, myself alone, &c.
Lanely lonely
Lang long, to think long, to long, to weary
Lave the rest, the remainder, the others
Laverock the lark
Leal loyal, true, faithful
Lift sky
Lightly sneeringly, to sneer at
Lilt a ballad, a tune to sing
Loup .... jump, leap
101)
M
Mac more
Mair more
Maist most, almost
Maistly .... • . .mostly
Mak to make
Mang among
Maun must
Mavis the thrush
Mauin mowing
Mickle much
Min' mind, resemblance
Minnie . mother, dam
Mither mother
Morn the next day, to-morrow
Mau the mouth
Muckle or mickle . great, big, much Mysel' myself
N
Na' no, not, nor
Nae no, not any
.Vu thing nothing
Nane none
110
Neebor neighbour
Niest next
O' of
Ony or onie .... any
Or is often used for ere, before
Owre over, too
P
Pat did put, a p«»t
Pauky or pawkie .cunning, sly
Pit to put
Poortith poverty
Pow the head, the skull
prie to taste, to kiss
Pried tasted
II
Rattan rat
Raw a row
Remead remedy
Rjn to run, to melt, mining, running
Row to roll, to wrap
s
Sae so
Saft soft
Sair to serve, a sore
Sairly sorely
Saul soul
Saunt a saint
Saut salt
SeP a body's self, one's self alone
Serried or Ser'd . . served
Shoon shoes
Sin' since
Slaw slow
Slee sly
Sleest slyest
Suia' small
Snaw snow, to snow
Snawie • snowy
Sonsie having sweet engaging looks, lucky, jolly
Spier to ask, to enquire
Stap stop
Stown stolen
Strae straw
112
T
Tak to take
Takin taking
Tauld told
Thac these
Thegither together
Thrang throng
Through to go on with, to make out
Till't • • to it
Tine to lose
Tint lost
Toom empty
Toun a hamlet, a farm house
Trow to believe
Twa two
'Twad it would
Twal twelve
U Unco strange uncouth, very very great, prodigious
W
Wa' wall
Wa's walls
I 13
Wad would, to bet, a bet, a pled .
W adna irould not
Wae woe, sorrowful
Waifu' wailing
Wale choice, to choose
Wail' nr nrarld , . . world
Warly worldly, eager on amassing wealth
Wearie or weary . .tired
Wee .little
Wee things little ones
Wee 'nit a small matter
Weel w.ll
Wlia who
Whare where
Whare e'er wherever
Whase whose
Whyles wiles, sometimes
Wi' with
Wifie an endearing term for wile
Wimplin .waving, meandring
Win' wind
Win's winds
\\ inna will not
Who to court, to make lu\ i I
Wrang wrong, to wron
l
114
Y
Ye this pronoun is frequently used for you
Yearns longs much
Year is used for both singular and plural, years
Yont beyond
YourseP yourself
London : Printed by E., 1!.. and G Clarke, Silver Street, Falcon Square.
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below
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