by Robert Burns
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
384.
Highland Mary (Song)
Tune— “Katherine Ogie.”
YE banks, and braes, and streams around
The castle o’ Montgomery!
Green be your woods, and fair your flowers,
Your waters never drumlie:
There Simmer first unfauld her robes, 5
And there the langest tarry;
For there I took the last Farewell
O’ my sweet Highland Mary.
How sweetly bloom’d the gay, green birk,
How rich the hawthorn’s blossom, 10
As underneath their fragrant shade,
I clasp’d her to my bosom!
The golden Hours on angel wings,
Flew o’er me and my Dearie;
For dear to me, as light and life, 15
Was my sweet Highland Mary.
Wi’ mony a vow, and lock’d embrace,
Our parting was fu’ tender;
And, pledging aft to meet again,
We tore oursels asunder; 20
But oh! fell Death’s untimely frost,
That nipt my Flower sae early!
Now green’s the sod, and cauld’s the clay
That wraps my Highland Mary!
O pale, pale now, those rosy lips, 25
I aft hae kiss’d sae fondly!
And clos’d for aye, the sparkling glance
That dwalt on me sae kindly!
And mouldering now in silent dust,
That heart that lo’ed me dearly! 30
But still within my bosom’s core
Shall live my Highland Mary.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
385.
Auld Rob Morris (Song)
THERE’S Auld Rob Morris that wons in yon glen,
He’s the King o’ gude fellows, and wale o’ auld men;
He has gowd in his coffers, he has owsen and kine,
And ae bonie lass, his dautie and mine.
She’s fresh as the morning, the fairest in May; 5
She’s sweet as the ev’ning amang the new hay;
As blythe and as artless as the lambs on the lea,
And dear to my heart as the light to my e’e.
But oh! she’s an Heiress, auld Robin’s a laird,
And my daddie has nought but a cot-house and yard; 10
A wooer like me maunna hope to come speed,
The wounds I must hide that will soon be my dead.
The day comes to me, but delight brings me nane;
The night comes to me, but my rest it is gane;
I wander my lane like a night-troubled ghaist, 15
And I sigh as my heart it wad burst in my breast.
O had she but been of a lower degree,
I then might hae hop’d she wad smil’d upon me!
O how past descriving had then been my bliss,
As now my distraction nae words can express. 20
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
386.
The Rights of Women — Spoken by Miss Fontenelle
An Occasional Address.
Spoken by Miss Fontenelle on her benefit night, November 26, 1792.
WHILE Europe’s eye is fix’d on mighty things,
The fate of Empires and the fall of Kings;
While quacks of State must each produce his plan,
And even children lisp the Rights of Man;
Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention, 5
The Rights of Woman merit some attention.
First, in the Sexes’ intermix’d connection,
One sacred Right of Woman is, protection. —
The tender flower that lifts its head, elate,
Helpless, must fall before the blasts of Fate, 10
Sunk on the earth, defac’d its lovely form,
Unless your shelter ward th’ impending storm.
Our second Right — but needless here is caution,
To keep that right inviolate’s the fashion;
Each man of sense has it so full before him, 15
He’d die before he’d wrong it—’tis decorum. —
There was, indeed, in far less polish’d days,
A time, when rough rude man had naughty ways,
Would swagger, swear, get drunk, kick up a riot,
Nay even thus invade a Lady’s quiet. 20
Now, thank our stars! those Gothic times are fled;
Now, well-bred men — and you are all well-bred —
Most justly think (and we are much the gainers)
Such conduct neither spirit, wit, nor manners.
For Right the third, our last, our best, our dearest, 25
That right to fluttering female hearts the nearest;
Which even the Rights of Kings, in low prostration,
Most humbly own—’tis dear, dear admiration!
In that blest sphere alone we live and move;
There taste that life of life — immortal love. 30
Smiles, glances, sighs, tears, fits, flirtations, airs;
‘Gainst such an host what flinty savage dares,
When awful Beauty joins with all her charms —
Who is so rash as rise in rebel arms?
But truce with kings, and truce with constitutions, 35
With bloody armaments and revolutions;
Let Majesty your first attention summon,
Ah! ça ira! THE MAJESTY OF WOMAN!
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
387.
Epigram on Miss Fontenelle
SWEET naïveté of feature,
Simple, wild, enchanting elf,
Not to thee, but thanks to Nature,
Thou art acting but thyself.
Wert thou awkward, stiff, affected, 5
Spurning Nature, torturing art;
Loves and Graces all rejected,
Then indeed thou’d’st act a part.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
388.
Extempore on some commemorations of Thomson
DOST thou not rise, indignant shade,
And smile wi’ spurning scorn,
When they wha wad hae starved thy life,
Thy senseless turf adorn?
Helpless, alane, thou clamb the brae, 5
Wi’ meikle honest toil,
And claught th’ unfading garland there —
Thy sair-worn, rightful spoil.
And wear it thou! and call aloud
This axiom undoubted — 10
Would thou hae Nobles’ patronage?
First learn to live without it!
To whom hae much, more shall be given,
Is every Great man’s faith;
But he, the helpless, needful wretch, 15
Shall lose the mite he hath.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
389.
Duncan Gray (Song)
DUNCAN GRAY cam’ here to woo,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t,
On blythe Yule-night when we were fou,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t,
Maggie coost her head fu’ heigh, 5
Look’d asklent and unco skeigh,
Gart poor Duncan stand abeigh;
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t.
Duncan fleech’d and Duncan pray’d;
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t, 10
Meg was deaf as Ailsa Craig,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t:
Duncan sigh’d baith out and in,
Grat his e’en baith blear’t an’ blin’,
Spak o’ lowpin o’er a linn; 15
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t.
Time and Chance are but a tide,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t,
Slighted love is sair to bide,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t: 20
Shall I like a fool, quoth he,
For a haughty hizzie die?
She may gae to — France for me!
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t.
How it comes let doctors tell, 25
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t;
Meg grew sick, as he grew hale,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t.
Something in her bosom wrings,
For relief a sigh she brings: 30
And oh! her een they spak sic things!
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t.
Duncan was a lad o’ grace,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t:
Maggie’s was a piteous case, 35
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t:
Duncan could na be her death,
Swelling Pity smoor’d his wrath;
Now they’re crouse and canty baith,
Ha, ha, the wooing o’t. 40
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
390.
A Health to them that’s awa (Song)
HERE’S a health to them that’s awa,
Here’s a health to them that’s awa;
And wha winna wish gude luck to our cause,
May never gude luck be their fa’!
It’s gude to be merry and wise, 5
It’s gude to be honest and true;
It’s gude to support Caledonia’s cause,
And bide by the buff and the blue.
Here’s a health to them that’s awa,
Here’s a health to them that’s awa, 10
Here’s a health to Charlie the chief o’ the clan,
Altho’ that his band be but sma’!
May Liberty meet wi’ success!
May Prudence protect her frae evil!
May tyrants and tyranny tine i’ the mist, 15
And wander their way to the devil!
Here’s a health to them that’s awa,
Here’s a health to them that’s awa;
Here’s a health to Tammie, the Norlan’ laddie,
That lives at the lug o’ the law! 20
Here’s freedom to them that wad read,
Here’s freedom to them that wad write,
There’s nane ever fear’d that the truth should be heard,
But they whom the truth would indite.
Here’s a Health to them that’s awa, 25
An’ here’s to them that’s awa!
Here’s to Maitland and Wycombe, let wha doesna like ‘em
Be built in a hole in the wa’;
Here’s timmer that’s red at the heart
Here’s fruit that is sound at the core; 30
And may he be that wad turn the buff and blue coat
Be turn’d to the back o’ the door.
Here’s a health to them that’s awa,
Here’s a health to them that’s awa;
Here’s chieftain M’Leod, a chieftain worth gowd, 35
Tho’ bred amang mountains o’ snaw;
Here’s friends on baith sides o’ the firth,
And friends on baith sides o’ the Tweed;
And wha wad betray old Albion’s right,
May they never eat of her bread! 40
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
391.
A Tippling Ballad — When Princes and Prelates, etc.
On the Duke of Brunswick’s Breaking up his Camp, and the defeat of the Austrians, by Dumourier, November 1792.
WHEN Princes and Prelates,
And hot-headed zealots,
A’ Europe had set in a low, a low,
The poor man lies down,
Nor envies a crown, 5
And comforts himself as he dow, as he dow,
And comforts himself as he dow.
The black-headed eagle,
As keen as a beagle,
He hunted o’er height and o’er howe, 10
In the braes o’ Gemappe,
He fell in a trap,
E’en let him come out as he dow, dow, dow,
E’en let him come out as he dow.
• • • • • • •
But truce with commotions, 15
And new-fangled notions,
A bumper, I trust you’ll allow;
Here’s George our good king,
And Charlotte his queen,
And lang may they ring as they dow, dow, dow, 20
And lang may they ring as they dow.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
1793
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
392.
Poortith cauld and restless love (Song)
Tune— “Cauld Kail in Aberdeen.”
O POORTITH cauld, and restless love,
Ye wrack my peace between ye;
Yet poortith a’ I could forgive,
An ‘twere na for my Jeanie.
Chorus. — O why should Fate sic pleasure have, 5
Life’s dearest bands untwining?
Or why sae sweet a flower as love
Depend on Fortune’s shining?
The warld’s wealth, when I think on,
It’s pride and a’ the lave o’t; 10
O fie on silly coward man,
That he should be the slave o’t!
O why, &c.
Her e’en, sae bonie blue, betray
How she repays my passion; 15
But prudence is her o’erword aye,
She talks o’ rank and fashion.
O why, &c.
O wha can prudence think upon,
And sic a lassie by him? 20
O wha can prudence think upon,
And sae in love as I am?
O why, &c.
How blest the simple cotter’s fate!
He woos his artless dearie; 25
The silly bogles, wealth and state,
Can never make him eerie,
O why, &c.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
393.
Epigram on Politics
IN Politics if thou would’st mix,
And mean thy fortunes be;
Bear this in mind, be deaf and blind,
Let great folk hear and see.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
394.
Braw Lads o’ Gala Water (Song)
BRAW, braw lads on Yarrow-braes,
They rove amang the blooming heather;
But Yarrow braes, nor Ettrick shaws
Can match the lads o’ Galla Water.
But there is ane, a secret ane, 5
Aboon them a’ I loe him better;
And I’ll be his, and he’ll be mine,
The bonie lad o’ Galla Water.
Altho’ his daddie was nae laird,
And tho’ I hae nae meikle tocher, 10
Yet rich in kindest, truest love,
We’ll tent our flocks by Galla Water.
It ne’er was wealth, it ne’er was wealth,
That coft contentment, peace, or pleasure;
The bands and bliss o’ mutual love, 15
O that’s the chiefest warld’s treasure.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
395.
Sonnet on the Author’s Birthday
On hearing a Thrush sing in his Morning Walk.
SING on, sweet thrush, upon the leafless bough,
Sing on, sweet bird, I listen to thy strain,
See aged Winter, ‘mid his surly reign,
At thy blythe carol, clears his furrowed brow.
So in lone Poverty’s dominion drear, 5
Sits meek Content with light, unanxious heart;
Welcomes the rapid moments, bids them part,
Nor asks if they bring ought to hope or fear.
&
nbsp; I thank thee, Author of this opening day!
Thou whose bright sun now gilds yon orient skies! 10
Riches denied, thy boon was purer joys —
What wealth could never give nor take away!
Yet come, thou child of poverty and care,
The mite high heav’n bestow’d, that mite with thee I’ll share.
Chronological List of Poems
Alphabetical List of Poems
396.
Wandering Willie (Song)
First Version
HERE awa, there awa, wandering Willie,
Now tired with wandering, haud awa hame;
Come to my bosom, my ae only dearie,
And tell me thou bring’st me my Willie the same.
Loud blew the cauld winter winds at our parting; 5
It was na the blast brought the tear in my e’e:
Now welcome the Simmer, and welcome my Willie,
The Simmer to Nature, my Willie to me.
Ye hurricanes rest in the cave o’your slumbers,
O how your wild horrors a lover alarms! 10
