The Canongate Burns (66 page)

 Turn again, thou fair Eliza,

         Ae kind blink before we part;
one, glance

Rew on thy despairing Lover,
have pity

         Canst thou break his faithfu' heart!

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Turn again, thou fair Eliza,

         If to love thy heart denies,

For pity hide the cruel sentence

         Under friendship's kind disguise!

Thee, sweet maid, hae I offended?
have

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         The offence is loving thee:

Canst thou wreck his peace for ever,

         Wha for thine wad gladly die!
who

While the life beats in my bosom,

         Thou shalt mix in ilka throe:
every

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Turn again, thou lovely maiden,

         Ae sweet smile on me bestow. —
one

Not the bee upon the blossom,

         In the pride o' sinny noon;
sunny

Not the little sporting fairy,

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         All beneath the simmer moon;
summer

Not the Poet in the moment

         Fancy lightens in his e'e,
eye

Kens the pleasure, feels the rapture,
knows

         That thy presence gies to me.
gives

Ye Jacobites by name, give an ear, give an ear;

        Ye Jacobites by name, give an ear;

                Ye Jacobites by name

                        Your fautes I will proclaim,
faults

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                                Your doctrines I maun blame,
will

                                        You shall hear. — 

What is Right, and what is Wrang, by the law, by the law?

        What is Right, and what is Wrang, by the law?

                What is Right, and what is Wrang?

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                        A short Sword, and a lang,
long

                                A weak arm, and a strang

                                        For to draw. — 

What makes heroic strife, fam'd afar, fam'd afar?

        What makes heroic strife, fam' d afar?

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                What makes heroic strife?

                        To whet th' Assassin's knife,

                                Or hunt a Parent's life

                                        Wi' bludie war. —
bloody
 

 Then let your schemes alone, in the State, in the State,

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        Then let your schemes alone in the State,

                Then let your schemes alone,

                        Adore the rising sun,

                                And leave a Man undone

                                        To his fate. — 

O luve will venture in where it daur na weel be seen,
dare not well

O luve will venture in where wisdom ance hath been;
once

But I will doun yon river rove, amang the woods sae green,
down, so

       And a' to pu' a posie to my ain dear May. —
pull, own

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The primrose I will pu', the firstling o' the year;

And I will pu' the pink, the emblem o' my Dear,

For she's the pink o' womankind, and blooms without a peer;

       And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. —

I'll pu' the budding rose when Phoebus peeps in view,
the Sun

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For it's like a baumy kiss o' her sweet, bonie mou;
mouth

The hyacinth's for constancy, wi' its unchanging blue,

       And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. —

The lily it is pure, and the lily it is fair,

And in her lovely bosom I'll place the lily there;

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The daisy's for simplicity and unaffected air,

       And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. —

The hawthorn I will pu', wi' its locks o' siller gray,
silver

Where, like an agèd man it stands at break o' day;

But the songster's nest within the bush I winna tak away;
will not

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       And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. —

The woodbine I will pu' when the e'ening star is near,

And the diamond draps o' dew shall be her een sae clear;
drops, eyes so

The violet's for modesty which weel she fa's to wear,
well has a right

       And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. —

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I'll tie the posie round wi' the silken band o' luve,

And I'll place it in her breast, and I'll swear by a' abuve,
above

That to my latest draught o' life the band shall ne'er
remuve
, remove

       And this will be a posie to my ain dear May.

Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon,

       How can ye blume sae fair;
bloom so

How can ye chant, ye little birds,

       And I sae fu' o' care!
so full

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Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird

       That sings upon the bough;

Thou minds me o' the happy days

       When my fause luve was true.
false

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird

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       That sings beside thy mate;

For sae I sat, and sae I sang,
so

       And wist na o' my fate.
knew nothing

Aft hae I rov'd by bonie Doon,
often have

       To see the wood-bine twine,

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And ilka bird sang o' its luve,
each

       And sae did I o' mine.
so

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
pulled

       Frae aff its thorny tree,
from off

And my fause luver staw my rose,
false, stole

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       But left the thorn wi' me.

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose,
pulled

       Upon a morn in June:

And sae I flourish'd on the morn,
so

       And sae was pu'd or noon!
so, pulled ere

Ye banks and braes o' bonie Doon,
hill slopes

        How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair;
so

How can ye chant, ye little birds,

        And I sae weary, fu' o' care!
so

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Thou'll break my heart, thou warbling bird,

        That wantons thro' the flowering thorn:

Thou minds me o' departed joys,

        Departed never to return. —

Aft hae I rov'd by bonie Doon,
often have

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        To see the rose and woodbine twine;

And ilka bird sang o' its Luve,
each

        And fondly sae did I o' mine. —
so

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose,
pulled

        Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree;

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And my fause Luver staw my rose,
stole

        But, ah! he left the thorn wi' me. —

Willie Wastle dwalls on Tweed,
dwelt

        The spot they ca' it Linkumdoddie.
called

A creeshie wabster till his trade,
weaver good

        Can steal a clue wi' ony bodie:
any

He has a wife that's dour and din,
sulky, pale

        Tinkler Madgie was her mither;
gypsy, mother

Sic a wife as Willie's wife,
such

        I wadna gie a button for her. —
would not give

She has an e'e, she has but ane,
eye, one

        The cat has twa, the very colour;
two

Five rusty teeth, forbye a stump,
also

        A clapper-tongue wad deave a miller:
would deafen

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A whiskin beard about her mou,
mouth

        Her nose and chin they threaten ither;
each other

Sic a wife as Willie's wife,
such

        I wadna gie a button for her. —
would not give

She's bow-hough'd, she's hem-shin'd,
bandy-legged, splayed feet

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        Ae limpin leg a hand-bread shorter;
one, hand-breadth/size

She's twisted right, she's twisted left,

        To balance fair in ilka quarter:
each

She has a hump upon her breast,

        The twin o' that upon her shouther;
shoulder

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Sic a wife as Willie's wife,

        I wadna gie a button for her. —

Auld baudrans by the ingle sits,
old cat, fireside

        An' wi' her loof her face a washin;
paw

But Willie's wife is nae sae trig,
not so dainty

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        She dights her grunzie wi' a hushian:
wipes, mouth, arm stockings

Her waly nieves like midden-creels,
big fists, byre baskets

        Her face wad fyle the Logan-water;
would foul

Sic a wife as Willie's wife,

        I wadna gie a button for her. —

O Lady Mary Ann looks o'er the castle-wa',
wall

She saw three bonie boys playing at the ba',
ball

The youngest he was the flower amang them a',

        My bonie laddie's young but he's growin yet. —

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O Father, O Father, an ye think it fit,

We'll send him a year to the College yet,

We'll sew a green ribban round about his hat,
ribbon

        And that will let them ken he's to marry yet. —
know

Lady Mary Ann was a flower in the dew,

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Sweet was its smell and bonie was its hue,

And the langer it blossom'd, the sweeter it grew,
longer

        For the lily in the bud will be bonier yet. —

Young Charlie Cochran was the sprout of an aik,
oak

Bonie, and bloomin and straucht was its make,
straight, like

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The sun took delight to shine for its sake,

And it will be the brag o' the forest yet. —
boast

The Simmer is gane when the leaves they were green,
summer, gone

And the days are awa that we hae seen,
away, have

But far better days I trust will come again,

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        For my bonie laddie's young but he's growin yet. —