by Robert Burns
Waesucks! for him that gets nae lass,
Or lasses that hae naething!
Sma’ need has he to say a grace,
Or melvie his braw claithing! 220
O wives, be mindfu’ ance yoursel’
How bonie lads ye wanted;
An’ dinna for a kebbuck-heel
Let lasses be affronted
On sic a day! 225
Now Clinkumbell, wi’ rattlin tow,
Begins to jow an’ croon;
Some swagger hame the best they dow,
Some wait the afternoon.
At slaps the billies halt a blink, 230
Till lasses strip their shoon:
Wi’ faith an’ hope, an’ love an’ drink,
They’re a’ in famous tune
For crack that day.
How mony hearts this day converts 235
O’ sinners and o’ lasses!
Their hearts o’ stane, gin night, are gane
As saft as ony flesh is:
There’s some are fou o’ love divine;
There’s some are fou o’ brandy; 240
An’ mony jobs that day begin,
May end in houghmagandie
Some ither day.
Chronological List of Poems
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69.
Third Epistle to J. Lapraik
GUID speed and furder to you, Johnie,
Guid health, hale han’s, an’ weather bonie;
Now, when ye’re nickin down fu’ cannie
The staff o’ bread,
May ye ne’er want a stoup o’ bran’y 5
To clear your head.
May Boreas never thresh your rigs,
Nor kick your rickles aff their legs,
Sendin the stuff o’er muirs an’ haggs
Like drivin wrack; 10
But may the tapmost grain that wags
Come to the sack.
I’m bizzie, too, an’ skelpin at it,
But bitter, daudin showers hae wat it;
Sae my auld stumpie pen I gat it 15
Wi’ muckle wark,
An’ took my jocteleg an whatt it,
Like ony clark.
It’s now twa month that I’m your debtor,
For your braw, nameless, dateless letter, 20
Abusin me for harsh ill-nature
On holy men,
While deil a hair yoursel’ ye’re better,
But mair profane.
But let the kirk-folk ring their bells, 25
Let’s sing about our noble sel’s:
We’ll cry nae jads frae heathen hills
To help, or roose us;
But browster wives an’ whisky stills,
They are the muses. 30
Your friendship, Sir, I winna quat it,
An’ if ye mak’ objections at it,
Then hand in neive some day we’ll knot it,
An’ witness take,
An’ when wi’ usquabae we’ve wat it 35
It winna break.
But if the beast an’ branks be spar’d
Till kye be gaun without the herd,
And a’ the vittel in the yard,
An’ theekit right, 40
I mean your ingle-side to guard
Ae winter night.
Then muse-inspirin’ aqua-vitae
Shall make us baith sae blythe and witty,
Till ye forget ye’re auld an’ gatty, 45
An’ be as canty
As ye were nine years less than thretty —
Sweet ane an’ twenty!
But stooks are cowpit wi’ the blast,
And now the sinn keeks in the west, 50
Then I maun rin amang the rest,
An’ quat my chanter;
Sae I subscribe myself’ in haste,
Yours, Rab the Ranter.
Sept. 13, 1785.
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70.
Epistle to the Rev. John M’Math
Inclosing a Copy of “Holy Willie’s Prayer,” Which He Had Requested, Sept. 17, 1785
WHILE at the stook the shearers cow’r
To shun the bitter blaudin’ show’r,
Or in gulravage rinnin scowr
To pass the time,
To you I dedicate the hour 5
In idle rhyme.
My musie, tir’d wi’ mony a sonnet
On gown, an’ ban’, an’ douse black bonnet,
Is grown right eerie now she’s done it,
Lest they should blame her, 10
An’ rouse their holy thunder on it
An anathem her.
I own ‘twas rash, an’ rather hardy,
That I, a simple, country bardie,
Should meddle wi’ a pack sae sturdy, 15
Wha, if they ken me,
Can easy, wi’ a single wordie,
Lowse hell upon me.
But I gae mad at their grimaces,
Their sighin, cantin, grace-proud faces, 20
Their three-mile prayers, an’ half-mile graces,
Their raxin conscience,
Whase greed, revenge, an’ pride disgraces
Waur nor their nonsense.
There’s Gaw’n, misca’d waur than a beast, 25
Wha has mair honour in his breast
Than mony scores as guid’s the priest
Wha sae abus’d him:
And may a bard no crack his jest
What way they’ve us’d him? 30
See him, the poor man’s friend in need,
The gentleman in word an’ deed —
An’ shall his fame an’ honour bleed
By worthless, skellums,
An’ not a muse erect her head 35
To cowe the blellums?
O Pope, had I thy satire’s darts
To gie the rascals their deserts,
I’d rip their rotten, hollow hearts,
An’ tell aloud 40
Their jugglin hocus-pocus arts
To cheat the crowd.
God knows, I’m no the thing I should be,
Nor am I even the thing I could be,
But twenty times I rather would be 45
An atheist clean,
Than under gospel colours hid be
Just for a screen.
An honest man may like a glass,
An honest man may like a lass, 50
But mean revenge, an’ malice fause
He’ll still disdain,
An’ then cry zeal for gospel laws,
Like some we ken.
They take religion in their mouth; 55
They talk o’ mercy, grace, an’ truth,
For what? — to gie their malice skouth
On some puir wight,
An’ hunt him down, owre right and ruth,
To ruin straight. 60
All hail, Religion! maid divine!
Pardon a muse sae mean as mine,
Who in her rough imperfect line
Thus daurs to name thee;
To stigmatise false friends of thine 65
Can ne’er defame thee.
Tho’ blotch’t and foul wi’ mony a stain,
An’ far unworthy of thy train,
With trembling voice I tune my strain,
To join with those 70
Who boldly dare thy cause maintain
In spite of foes:
In spite o’ crowds, in spite o’ mobs,
In spite o’ undermining jobs,
In spite o’ dark banditti stabs 75
At worth an’ merit,
By scoundrels, even wi’ holy robes,
But hellish spirit.
O Ayr! my dear, my native ground,
Within thy presbyterial bound 80
A candid liberal band is found
Of public teachers,
As men, as Christians too, renown’d,
An’ manly preachers.
Sir, in that circle you a
re nam’d; 85
Sir, in that circle you are fam’d;
An’ some, by whom your doctrine’s blam’d
(Which gies you honour)
Even, sir, by them your heart’s esteem’d,
An’ winning manner. 90
Pardon this freedom I have ta’en,
An’ if impertinent I’ve been,
Impute it not, good Sir, in ane
Whase heart ne’er wrang’d ye,
But to his utmost would befriend 95
Ought that belang’d ye.
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71.
Second Epistle to Davie
A Brother Poet
AULD NEIBOUR,
I’m three times doubly o’er your debtor,
For your auld-farrant, frien’ly letter;
Tho’ I maun say’t I doubt ye flatter,
Ye speak sae fair;
For my puir, silly, rhymin clatter 5
Some less maun sair.
Hale be your heart, hale be your fiddle,
Lang may your elbuck jink diddle,
To cheer you thro’ the weary widdle
O’ war’ly cares; 10
Till barins’ barins kindly cuddle
Your auld grey hairs.
But Davie, lad, I’m red ye’re glaikit;
I’m tauld the muse ye hae negleckit;
An, gif it’s sae, ye sud by lickit 15
Until ye fyke;
Sic haun’s as you sud ne’er be faikit,
Be hain’t wha like.
For me, I’m on Parnassus’ brink,
Rivin the words to gar them clink; 20
Whiles dazed wi’ love, whiles dazed wi’ drink,
Wi’ jads or masons;
An’ whiles, but aye owre late, I think
Braw sober lessons.
Of a’ the thoughtless sons o’ man, 25
Commen’ to me the bardie clan;
Except it be some idle plan
O’ rhymin clink,
The devil haet, — that I sud ban —
They ever think. 30
Nae thought, nae view, nae scheme o’ livin,
Nae cares to gie us joy or grievin,
But just the pouchie put the neive in,
An’ while ought’s there,
Then, hiltie, skiltie, we gae scrievin’, 35
An’ fash nae mair.
Leeze me on rhyme! it’s aye a treasure,
My chief, amaist my only pleasure;
At hame, a-fiel’, at wark, or leisure,
The Muse, poor hizzie! 40
Tho’ rough an’ raploch be her measure,
She’s seldom lazy.
Haud to the Muse, my daintie Davie:
The warl’ may play you mony a shavie;
But for the Muse, she’ll never leave ye, 45
Tho’ e’er sae puir,
Na, even tho’ limpin wi’ the spavie
Frae door tae door.
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72.
Young Peggy Blooms (Song)
Tune— “Loch Eroch-side.”
YOUNG Peggy blooms our boniest lass,
Her blush is like the morning,
The rosy dawn, the springing grass,
With early gems adorning.
Her eyes outshine the radiant beams 5
That gild the passing shower,
And glitter o’er the crystal streams,
And cheer each fresh’ning flower.
Her lips, more than the cherries bright,
A richer dye has graced them; 10
They charm th’ admiring gazer’s sight,
And sweetly tempt to taste them;
Her smile is as the evening mild,
When feather’d pairs are courting,
And little lambkins wanton wild, 15
In playful bands disporting.
Were Fortune lovely Peggy’s foe,
Such sweetness would relent her;
As blooming spring unbends the brow
Of surly, savage Winter. 20
Detraction’s eye no aim can gain,
Her winning pow’rs to lessen;
And fretful Envy grins in vain
The poison’d tooth to fasten.
Ye Pow’rs of Honour, Love, and Truth, 25
From ev’ry ill defend her!
Inspire the highly-favour’d youth
The destinies intend her:
Still fan the sweet connubial flame
Responsive in each bosom; 30
And bless the dear parental name
With many a filial blossom.
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73.
Farewell to Ballochmyle (Song)
Tune— “Miss Forbes’s farewell to Banff.”
THE CATRINE woods were yellow seen,
The flowers decay’d on Catrine lee,
Nae lav’rock sang on hillock green,
But nature sicken’d on the e’e.
Thro’ faded groves Maria sang, 5
Hersel’ in beauty’s bloom the while;
And aye the wild-wood ehoes rang,
Fareweel the braes o’ Ballochmyle!
Low in your wintry beds, ye flowers,
Again ye’ll flourish fresh and fair; 10
Ye birdies dumb, in with’ring bowers,
Again ye’ll charm the vocal air.
But here, alas! for me nae mair
Shall birdie charm, or floweret smile;
Fareweel the bonie banks of Ayr, 15
Fareweel, fareweel! sweet Ballochmyle!
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74.
Her Flwoing Locks (Fragment of a Song)
HER flowing locks, the raven’s wing,
Adown her neck and bosom hing;
How sweet unto that breast to cling,
And round that neck entwine her!
Her lips are roses wat wi’ dew, 5
O’ what a feast her bonie mou’!
Her cheeks a mair celestial hue,
A crimson still diviner!
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75.
Halloween
The following poem will, by many readers, be well enough understood; but for the sake of those who are unacquainted with the manners and traditions of the country where the scene is cast, notes are added to give some account of the principal charms and spells of that night, so big with prophecy to the peasantry in the west of Scotland. The passion of prying into futurity makes a striking part of the history of human nature in its rude state, in all ages and nations; and it may be some entertainment to a philosophic mind, if any such honour the author with a perusal, to see the remains of it among the more unenlightened in our own. — R. B.
Yes! let the rich deride, the proud disdain,
The simple pleasure of the lowly train;
To me more dear, congenial to my heart,
One native charm, than all the gloss of art. — GOLDSMITH.
UPON that night, when fairies light
On Cassilis Downans dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the rout is ta’en, 5
Beneath the moon’s pale beams;
There, up the Cove, to stray an’ rove,
Amang the rocks and streams
To sport that night;
Amang the bonie winding banks, 10
Where Doon rins, wimplin, clear;
Where Bruce ance rul’d the martial ranks,
An’ shook his Carrick spear;
Some merry, friendly, countra-folks
Together did convene, 15
To burn their nits, an’ pou their stocks,
An’ haud their Halloween
Fu’ blythe that night.
The lasses feat, an’ cleanly neat,
Mair braw than when they’re fine; 20
Their faces blythe, fu’ sweetly kythe,
Hearts leal, an’ warm, an’ kin’:
The lads sae trig, wi’ wooer-babs
Weel-knotted on their garten;
Some unco blate, an’ some wi’ gabs 25
Gar lasses’ hearts gang startin
Whiles fast at night.
Then, first an’ foremost, thro’ the kail,
Their stocks maun a’ be sought ance;
They steek their een, and grape an’ wale 30
For muckle anes, an’ straught anes.
Poor hav’rel Will fell aff the drift,
An’ wandered thro’ the bow-kail,
An’ pou’t for want o’ better shift
A runt was like a sow-tail 35
Sae bow’t that night.
Then, straught or crooked, yird or nane,
They roar an’ cry a’ throu’ther;
The vera wee-things, toddlin, rin,
Wi’ stocks out owre their shouther: 40
An’ gif the custock’s sweet or sour,
Wi’ joctelegs they taste them;
Syne coziely, aboon the door,
Wi’ cannie care, they’ve plac’d them
To lie that night. 45
The lassies staw frae ‘mang them a’,
To pou their stalks o’ corn;
But Rab slips out, an’ jinks about,
Behint the muckle thorn:
He grippit Nelly hard and fast: 50
Loud skirl’d a’ the lasses;
But her tap-pickle maist was lost,
Whan kiutlin in the fause-house