Hençe sweet harmonious Beattie sung Or tore, with noble ardour stung, "To lower orders are assign'd The humbler ranks of humankind, All choose, as various they're inclined, "When yellow waves the heavy grain, With tillage skill; And some instruct the shepherd-train, "Some hint the lover's harmless wile; And make his cottage-scenes beguile "Some, bounded to a district-space, Of rustic bard: And careful note each opening grace, A guide and guard. "Of these am I-Coila my name, And this district as mine I claim, Where once the Campbells,* chiefs of fame, Held ruling power, I mark'd thy embryo tuneful flame, Thy natal hour. * The Loudoun branch of the Campbell family is here meant. When youthful love, warm-blushing, strong, Keen-shivering shot thy nerves along, Those accents, grateful to thy tongue, Th' adored Name, I taught thee how to pour in song, To soothe thy flame. "I saw thy pulse's maddening play, Wild, send thee Pleasure's devious way, Misled by Fancy's meteor-ray, By passion driven ; But yet the light that led astray Was light from Heaven. "I taught thy manners-painting strains, The loves, the ways of simple swains, Till now, o'er all my wide domains Thy fame extends; And some, the pride of Coila's plains, "Thou canst not learn, nor can I show, With Shenstone's art; Or pour, with Gray, the moving flow "Yet all beneath the unrivall'd rose, The lowly daisy sweetly blows; Though large the forest's monarch throws His army shade, CARLYLE says of this Poem-"How touching is it, amid the gloom of personal misery that broods over and around him, that, amid the storm, he still thinks of the cattle, the silly sheep, and the wee harmless birdies !-yes, the tenant of the mean lowly hut has the heart to pity all these. This is worth a whole volume of homilies on mercy, for it is the voice of mercy itself. Burns lives in sympathy: his soul rushes forth into all the realms of being: nothing that has existence can be indifferent to him." "Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are, How shall your houseless heads, and unfed sides, WHEN biting Boreas, fell1 and doure,2 Ae night the storm the steeples rocked, Or through the mining outlet bocked,5 Down headlong hurl. Listening the doors and winnocks rattle, O' winter war, And through the drift, deep-lairing sprattle,9 Beneath a scaur. 10 Ilk happing11 bird, wee, helpless thing, 4 Sky. 8 Dashing storm. Delighted me to hear thee sing, What comes o' thee? Whare wilt thou cower thy chittering wing, Even you, on murdering errands toil'd, While pitiless the tempest wild Sore on you beats. Now Phoebe, in her midnight reign, When on my ear this plaintive strain, Slow, solemn, stole : 66 Blow, blow, ye winds, with heavier gust! Than heaven-illumined man on brother man bestows! "See stern Oppression's iron grip, Truth, weeping, tells the mournful tale, With all the servile wretches in the rear, Whose toil upholds the glittering show, Some coarser substance unrefined, Placed for her lordly use thus far, thus vile, below. "Where, where is Love's fond, tender throe, The powers you proudly own? Regardless of the tears and unavailing prayers! She strains your infant to her joyless breast, "O ye who, sunk in beds of down, Whom friends and fortune quite disown! Stretch'd on his straw he lays himself to sleep, I heard na mair, for chanticleer And hail'd the morning with a cheer, But deep this truth impress'd my mind— Through all His works abroad, The heart benevolent and kind The most resembles God. SCOTCH DRINK. DUNCAN FORBES of Culloden, who did so much to pacify the country after the defeat of Culloden, received from the government as a reward for his services the privilege of distilling whisky free of duty. So popular did his whisky become, that Ferintosh, the name of his barony in which his whisky was manufactured, became a recognised name or synonym throughout the country for all sorts of whisky. When the privilege was withdrawn in 1785, his family received from the government compensation to the amount of £21,580. In addition to this the public attention was further turned to "the national beverage," on account of the stringent way in which the Excise laws were being enforced at the various distilleries. These circumstances gave the poet his cue. Writing to Robert Muir, Kilmarnock, he says, "I here enclose you my 'Scotch Drink,' and may the devil follow with a blessing for your edification. I hope some time before we hear the gowk, [cuckoo,] to have the pleasure of seeing you at Kilmarnock, when I intend we shall have a gill between us in a mutchkin stoup, which will be a great comfort and consolation to your humble servant, R. B.' "Gie him strong drink, until he wink, |