Scottish songs

kiKIjw

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

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