Whare three lairds' lands met at a burn,* Was bent that night. XXV. Whyles owre a linn the burnie plays, Unseen that night. XXVI. Amang the brachens, on the brae, Between her an' the moon, Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool; Wi' a plunge that night. * You go out, one or more, for this is a social spell, to a south-running spring or rivulet, where three lairds' lands meet,? and dip your left shirt sleeve. Go to bed in sight of a fire, and hang your wet sleeve before it to dry. Lie awake; and, some time near midnight, an apparition, having the exact figure of the grand object in question, will come and turn the sleeve, as to dry the other side of it. XXVII: In order, on the clean hearth-stane, In wrath that night. XXVIII. Wi' merry sangs, an' friendly cracks, Their sports were cheap an' cheery; Fu' blithe that night. Take three dishes: put clean water in one, foul water in another, leave the third empty : blindfold a person, and lead him to the hearth where the dishes are ranged; he (or she) dips the left hand: if by chance in the clean water, the future husband or wife will come to the bar of matrimony a maid; if in the foul, a widow; if in the empty dish, it foretells, with equal certainty, no marriage at all. It is repeated three times, and every time the arrangement of the dishes is altered. Sowens, with butter instead of milk to them, is always the Halloween Supper. THE AULD FARMER'S NEW-YEAR MORNING SALUTATION TO HIS AULD MARE MAGGIE, On giving her the accustomed Ripp of Corn to hansel in the New A Guid New-year I wish thee Maggie! Thou could hae gaen like onie staggie Tho' now thou's dowie, stiff, an' crazy, He should been tight that daur't to raize thee, Thou ance was i' the foremast rank, As e'er tread yird!” An' could hae flown out-owre a stank, It's now some nine-an-twenty year, Sin' thou was my guid father's meere ; He gied me thee, o' tocher clear, An' fifty mark; Tho' it was sma', 'twas weel-won gear, When first I gaed to woo my Jenny, Ye then was trottin wi' your minnie Tho' ye was trickie, slee an' funnie, : Ye ne'er was donsie ; But hamely, tawie, quiet, an' cannie, That day, ye pranc'd wi muckle pride, Kyle Stewart I could bragged wide, Tho' now ye dow but hoyte and hobble, An' wintle like a saumont-coble, That day ye was a jinker noble, For heels an' win'! An' ran them till they a' did wauble, When thou an' I were young and skeigh, An' stable-meals at fairs were dreigh, How thou wad prance, an' snore, an' skreigh, An' tak the road! Town's bodies ran, an' stood abeigh, An' ca't thee mad... When thou was corn't, an' I was mellow, We took the road ay like a swallow; At Brooses thou had ne'er a fellow, For pith an' speed; But ev'ry tail thou pay't them hollow, The sma', droop-rumpl't, hunter cattle, Might aiblins waur't thee for a brattle : But sax Scotch miles thou try't their mettle, An' gar't them whaizle; Nae whip nor spur, but just a wattle O' saugh or hazel. Thou was a noble fittie-lan',. As e'er in tug or tow was drawn ! On guid March weather, Hae turn'd sax rood beside our han', Thou never braindg't, an' fech't, an' fliskit, Till spritty knowes wad rair't and risket, When frosts lay lang, an' snaws were deep, An' threaten'd labour back to keep, I gied thy cog a wee-bit heap Aboon the timmer; I ken'd my Maggie wad na sleep For that, or simmer. |