May ne'er his generous, honest heart I will not wind a lang conclusion But whilst your wishes and endeavours But if (which Powers above prevent !) By sad mistakes and black mischances, Your humble servant then no more; For who would humbly serve the poor? INVITATION TO A MEDICAL GENTLEMAN TO ATTEND A MASONIC ANNIVERSARY MEETING. THE meetings of the members of St. James's Masonic Lodge were held in a small room in a public-house in Mauchline, kept by a man of the name of Manson. On the approach of St. John's day, Burns sent the following rhymed invitation to his friend Mr. Mackenzie: FRIDAY first's the day appointed, 1 Great-grandchild. * John Hamilton, Esq., a worthy scion of a noble stock. To hold our grand procession; If death, then, wi' skaith, then, That Saturday ye'll fecht3 him. THE FAREWELL. "THE following touching stanzas," says Cunningham, "were composed in the autumn of 1786, when the prospects of the poet darkened, and he looked towards the West Indies as a place of refuge, and perhaps of hope. All who shared his affections are mentioned-his mother-his brother Gilbert-his illegitimate child, Elizabeth,-whom he consigned to his brother's care, and for whose support he had appropriated the copyright of his poems,--and his friends Smith, Hamilton, and Aiken; but in nothing he ever wrote was his affection for Jean Armour more tenderly or more naturally displayed." "The valiant in himself, what can he suffer? 1 Sample. Or what does he regard his single woes? But when, alas! he multiplies himself, To dearer selves, to the loved tender fair, To those whose bliss, whose being hang upon him, To helpless children! then, oh, then! he feels The point of misery festering in his heart, And weakly weeps his fortune like a coward. -THOMSON's Edward and Eleanora. FAREWELL, Old Scotia's bleak domains, A faithful brother I have left, My Smith, my bosom frien'; Oh, then befriend my Jean! I, for thy sake, must go! All hail then, the gale then, I'll never see thee more! LINES WRITTEN ON A BANK-NOTE. For lack o' thee, I leave this much-loved shore, VERSES TO AN OLD SWEETHEART AFTER HER MARRIAGE. WRITTEN ON THE BLANK LEAF OF A COPY OF HIS POEMS PRESENTED TO THE LADY. THE name of the lady to whom the following lines were addressed has eluded discovery. ONCE fondly loved, and still remember'd dear; And when you read the simple, artless rhymes, Or haply lies beneath th' Atlantic's roar. VERSES WRITTEN UNDER VIOLENT GRIEF. THE following lines, which first appeared in the Sun newspaper, April 1823, were originally written on the fly-leaf of a copy of the poet's works presented to a friend. ACCEPT the gift a friend sincere Wad on thy worth be pressin' ; Though 'twad my sorrows lessen. H My morning raise sae clear and fair, You think I'm glad; oh, I pay weel My deeply-ranklin' sorrow. A tear may wet thy laughin' ee, THE CALF. TO THE REV. MR. JAMES STEVEN. THE Rev. James Steven was afterwards one of the Scottish clergy in London, and ultimately minister of Kilwinning in Ayrshire. He was no favourite of the poet's, and the following lines were written on hearing him preach from the text MALACHI IV. 2.-" And they shall go forth, and grow up, RIGHT, sir! your text I'll prove it true, For instance; there's yoursel just now, And should some patron be so kind I doubt na, sir, but then we'll find But if the lover's raptured hour Forbid it, every heavenly power, Though, when some kind connubial dear Your but-and-ben3 adorns, The like has been that you may wear A noble head of horns. And in your lug, most reverend James, Few men o' sense will doubt your claims 1 A year-oid bullock. % Ox. 3 Kitchen and parlour. 5 Cattle. And when ye're number'd wi' the dead, Wi' justice they may mark your head- WILLIE CHALMERS. MR. W. CHALMERS, a gentleman in Ayrshire, a particular friend of mine, asked me to write a poetic epistle to a young lady, his Dulcinea. I had seen her, but was scarcely acquainted with her, and wrote as follows:-R. B. 1 Bridle. 2 Also. MADAM, Wi' braw new branks,1 in mickle pride, And eke2 a braw new brechan,3 My Pegasus I'm got astride, And up Parnassus pechin;4 Whiles owre a bush, wi' downward crush, The doited beastie stammers; Then up he gets, and off he sets, For sake o' Willie Chalmers. I doubt na, lass, that weel-kenn'd name I am nae stranger to your fame, Nor his warm-urgèd wishes. And faith ye'll no be lost a whit, Though waired on Willie Chalmers. I doubt na Fortune may you shore" Some gapin', glowrin' country laird 8 8 Prim and powdered parson. 9 Strive. |