by Robert Burns
Last day my mind was in a bog,
Down George’s Street I stoited; 10
A creeping cauld prosaic fog
My very sense doited.
Do what I dought to set her free,
My saul lay in the mire;
Ye turned a neuk — I saw your e’e — 15
She took the wing like fire!
The mournfu’ sang I here enclose,
In gratitude I send you,
And pray, in rhyme as weel as prose,
A’ gude things may attend you! 20
Chronological List of Poems
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180.
Written by Somebody on the Window of an Inn at Stirling
Of an Inn at Stirling, on seeing the Royal Palace in ruin.
HERE Stuarts once in glory reigned,
And laws for Scotland’s weal ordained;
But now unroof’d their palace stands,
Their sceptre’s sway’d by other hands;
Fallen indeed, and to the earth 5
Whence groveling reptiles take their birth.
The injured Stuart line is gone,
A race outlandish fills their throne;
An idiot race, to honour lost;
Who know them best despise them most. 10
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181.
Reply to the Threat of a Censorious Critic
My imprudent lines were answered, very petulantly, by somebody, I believe, a Rev. Mr. Hamilton. In a MS., where I met the answer, I wrote below: —
WITH Esop’s lion, Burns says: Sore I feel
Each other’s scorn, but damn that ass’ heel!
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182.
The Libeller’s Self-reproof
RASH mortal, and slanderous poet, thy name
Shall no longer appear in the records of Fame;
Dost not know that old Mansfield, who writes like the Bible,
Says, the more ‘tis a truth, sir, the more ‘tis a libel!
Chronological List of Poems
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183.
Verses Written with a Pencil at the Inn at Kenmore
Over the Chimney-piece in the Parlour of the Inn at Kenmore, Taymouth.
ADMIRING Nature in her wildest grace,
These northern scenes with weary feet I trace;
O’er many a winding dale and painful steep,
Th’ abodes of covey’d grouse and timid sheep,
My savage journey, curious, I pursue, 5
Till fam’d Breadalbane opens to my view. —
The meeting cliffs each deep-sunk glen divides,
The woods wild scatter’d, clothe their ample sides;
Th’ outstretching lake, imbosomed ‘mong the hills,
The eye with wonder and amazement fills; 10
The Tay meand’ring sweet in infant pride,
The palace rising on his verdant side,
The lawns wood-fring’d in Nature’s native taste,
The hillocks dropt in Nature’s careless haste,
The arches striding o’er the new-born stream, 15
The village glittering in the noontide beam —
• • • • • •
Poetic ardours in my bosom swell,
Lone wand’ring by the hermit’s mossy cell;
The sweeping theatre of hanging woods,
Th’ incessant roar of headlong tumbling floods — 20
• • • • • •
Here Poesy might wake her heav’n-taught lyre,
And look through Nature with creative fire;
Here, to the wrongs of Fate half reconcil’d,
Misfortunes lighten’d steps might wander wild;
And Disappointment, in these lonely bounds, 25
Find balm to soothe her bitter, rankling wounds:
Here heart-struck Grief might heav’nward stretch her scan,
And injur’d Worth forget and pardon man.
• • • • • •
Chronological List of Poems
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184.
The Birks of Aberfeldy (Song)
Tune— “The Birks of Abergeldie.”
Chorus. — Bonie lassie, will ye go,
Will ye go, will ye go,
Bonie lassie, will ye go
To the birks of Aberfeldy!
NOW Simmer blinks on flowery braes, 5
And o’er the crystal streamlets plays;
Come let us spend the lightsome days,
In the birks of Aberfeldy.
Bonie lassie, &c.
While o’er their heads the hazels hing, 10
The little birdies blythely sing,
Or lightly flit on wanton wing,
In the birks of Aberfeldy.
Bonie lassie, &c.
The braes ascend like lofty wa’s, 15
The foaming stream deep-roaring fa’s,
O’erhung wi’ fragrant spreading shaws —
The birks of Aberfeldy.
Bonie lassie, &c.
The hoary cliffs are crown’d wi’ flowers, 20
White o’er the linns the burnie pours,
And rising, weets wi’ misty showers
The birks of Aberfeldy.
Bonie lassie, &c.
Let Fortune’s gifts at randoe flee, 25
They ne’er shall draw a wish frae me;
Supremely blest wi’ love and thee,
In the birks of Aberfeldy.
Bonie lassie, &c.
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185.
The Humble Petition of Bruar Water
To the noble Duke of Athole.
MY lord, I know your noble ear
Woe ne’er assails in vain;
Embolden’d thus, I beg you’ll hear
Your humble slave complain,
How saucy Phoebus’ scorching beams, 5
In flaming summer-pride,
Dry-withering, waste my foamy streams,
And drink my crystal tide.
The lightly-jumping, glowrin’ trouts,
That thro’ my waters play, 10
If, in their random, wanton spouts,
They near the margin stray;
If, hapless chance! they linger lang,
I’m scorching up so shallow,
They’re left the whitening stanes amang, 15
In gasping death to wallow.
Last day I grat wi’ spite and teen,
As poet Burns came by.
That, to a bard, I should be seen
Wi’ half my channel dry; 20
A panegyric rhyme, I ween,
Ev’n as I was, he shor’d me;
But had I in my glory been,
He, kneeling, wad ador’d me.
Here, foaming down the skelvy rocks, 25
In twisting strength I rin;
There, high my boiling torrent smokes,
Wild-roaring o’er a linn:
Enjoying each large spring and well,
As Nature gave them me, 30
I am, altho’ I say’t mysel’,
Worth gaun a mile to see.
Would then my noble master please
To grant my highest wishes,
He’ll shade my banks wi’ tow’ring trees, 35
And bonie spreading bushes.
Delighted doubly then, my lord,
You’ll wander on my banks,
And listen mony a grateful bird
Return you tuneful thanks. 40
The sober lav’rock, warbling wild,
Shall to the skies aspire;
The gowdspink, Music’s gayest child,
Shall sweetly join the choir;
The blackbird strong, the lintwhite clear, 45
The mavis mild and mellow;
The robin pensive Autumn che
er,
In all her locks of yellow.
This, too, a covert shall ensure,
To shield them from the storm; 50
And coward maukin sleep secure,
Low in her grassy form:
Here shall the shepherd make his seat,
To weave his crown of flow’rs;
Or find a shelt’ring, safe retreat, 55
From prone-descending show’rs.
And here, by sweet, endearing stealth,
Shall meet the loving pair,
Despising worlds, with all their wealth,
As empty idle care; 60
The flow’rs shall vie in all their charms,
The hour of heav’n to grace;
And birks extend their fragrant arms
To screen the dear embrace.
Here haply too, at vernal dawn, 65
Some musing bard may stray,
And eye the smoking, dewy lawn,
And misty mountain grey;
Or, by the reaper’s nightly beam,
Mild-chequering thro’ the trees, 70
Rave to my darkly dashing stream,
Hoarse-swelling on the breeze.
Let lofty firs, and ashes cool,
My lowly banks o’erspread,
And view, deep-bending in the pool, 75
Their shadow’s wat’ry bed:
Let fragrant birks, in woodbines drest,
My craggy cliffs adorn;
And, for the little songster’s nest,
The close embow’ring thorn. 80
So may old Scotia’s darling hope,
Your little angel band
Spring, like their fathers, up to prop
Their honour’d native land!
So may, thro’ Albion’s farthest ken, 85
To social-flowing glasses,
The grace be— “Athole’s honest men,
And Athole’s bonie lasses!”
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186.
Lines on the Fall of Fyers
Near Loch-Ness.
Written with a Pencil on the Spot.
AMONG the heathy hills and ragged woods
The roaring Fyers pours his mossy floods;
Till full he dashes on the rocky mounds,
Where, thro’ a shapeless breach, his stream resounds.
As high in air the bursting torrents flow, 5
As deep recoiling surges foam below,
Prone down the rock the whitening sheet descends,
And viewles Echo’s ear, astonished, rends.
Dim-seen, through rising mists and ceaseless show’rs,
The hoary cavern, wide surrounding lours: 10
Still thro’ the gap the struggling river toils,
And still, below, the horrid cauldron boils —
• • • • • •
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187.
Epigram on Parting with a kind Host in the Highlands
WHEN Death’s dark stream I ferry o’er,
(A time that surely shall come,)
In Heav’n itself I’ll ask no more,
Than just a Highland welcome.
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188.
Strathallan’s Lament (Song)
THICKEST night, o’erhang my dwelling!
Howling tempests, o’er me rave!
Turbid torrents, wintry swelling,
Roaring by my lonely cave!
Crystal streamlets gently flowing, 5
Busy haunts of base mankind,
Western breezes softly blowing,
Suit not my distracted mind.
In the cause of Right engaged,
Wrongs injurious to redress, 10
Honour’s war we strongly waged,
But the Heavens denied success.
Ruin’s wheel has driven o’er us,
Not a hope that dare attend,
The wide world is all before us — 15
But a world without a friend.
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189.
Verses on Castle Gordon
STREAMS that glide in orient plains,
Never bound by Winter’s chains;
Glowing here on golden sands,
There immix’d with foulest stains
From Tyranny’s empurpled hands; 5
These, their richly gleaming waves,
I leave to tyrants and their slaves;
Give me the stream that sweetly laves
The banks by Castle Gordon.
Spicy forests, ever gray, 10
Shading from the burning ray
Hapless wretches sold to toil;
Or the ruthless native’s way,
Bent on slaughter, blood, and spoil:
Woods that ever verdant wave, 15
I leave the tyrant and the slave;
Give me the groves that lofty brave
The storms by Castle Gordon.
Wildly here, without control,
Nature reigns and rules the whole; 20
In that sober pensive mood,
Dearest to the feeling soul,
She plants the forest, pours the flood:
Life’s poor day I’ll musing rave
And find at night a sheltering cave, 25
Where waters flow and wild woods wave,
By bonie Castle Gordon.
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190.
Lady Onlie, Honest Luckie (Song)
Tune— “The Ruffian’s Rant.”
A’ THE lads o’ Thorniebank,
When they gae to the shore o’ Bucky,
They’ll step in an’ tak a pint
Wi’ Lady Onlie, honest Lucky.
Chorus. — Lady Onlie, honest Lucky, 5
Brews gude ale at shore o’ Bucky;
I wish her sale for her gude ale,
The best on a’ the shore o’ Bucky.
Her house sae bien, her curch sae clean
I wat she is a daintie chuckie; 10
And cheery blinks the ingle-gleed
O’ Lady Onlie, honest Lucky!
Lady Onlie, &c.
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191.
Theniel Menzies’ Bonie Mary (Song)
Air— “The Ruffian’s Rant,” or “Roy’s Wife.”
IN comin by the brig o’ Dye,
At Darlet we a blink did tarry;
As day was dawnin in the sky,
We drank a health to bonie Mary.
Chorus. — Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, 5
Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary,
Charlie Grigor tint his plaidie,
Kissin’ Theniel’s bonie Mary.
Her een sae bright, her brow sae white,
Her haffet locks as brown’s a berry; 10
And aye they dimpl’t wi’ a smile,
The rosy cheeks o’ bonie Mary.
Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, &c.
We lap a’ danc’d the lee-lang day,
Till piper lads were wae and weary; 15
But Charlie gat the spring to pay
For kissin Theniel’s bonie Mary.
Theniel Menzies’ bonie Mary, &c.
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192.
The Bonie Lass of Albany (Song)
Tune— “Mary’s Dream.”
MY heart is wae, and unco wae,
To think upon the raging sea,
That roars between her gardens green
An’ the bonie Lass of Albany.
This lovely maid’s of royal blood 5
That ruled Albion’s kingdoms three,
But oh, alas! for her bonie face,
They’ve wrang’d the Lass o
f Albany.
In the rolling tide of spreading Clyde
There sits an isle of high degree, 10
And a town of fame whose princely name
Should grace the Lass of Albany.
But there’s a youth, a witless youth,
That fills the place where she should be;
We’ll send him o’er to his native shore, 15
And bring our ain sweet Albany.
Alas the day, and woe the day,
A false usurper wan the gree,
Who now commands the towers and lands —
The royal right of Albany. 20
We’ll daily pray, we’ll nightly pray,
On bended knees most fervently,
The time may come, with pipe an’ drum
We’ll welcome hame fair Albany.
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193.
On Scaring some Water-Fowl in Lock Turit
A wild scene among the Hills of Oughtertyre.
“This was the production of a solitary forenoon’s walk from Oughtertyre House. I lived there, the guest of Sir William Murray, for two or three weeks, and was much flattered by my hospitable reception. What a pity that the mere emotions of gratitude are so impotent in this world. ‘Tis lucky that, as we are told, they will be of some avail in the world to come.” — R. B., Glenriddell MSS.
