Through weary winter's wind and rain,
With joy, with rapture, I would toil,
And nightly to my bosom strain

The bonnie lass o' Ballochmyle.

Then pride might climb the slippery steep, Where fame and honours lofty shine; And thirst of gold might tempt the deep, Or downward seek the Indian mine; Give me the cot below the pine,

To tend the flocks, or till the soil, And every day has joys divine

With the bonnie lass o' Ballochmyle.

TO MR. JOHN KENNEDY.

(Between 3d and 16th August, 1786.)

FAREWELL, dear friend! may guid-luck hit you,
And 'mang her favourites admit you.
If e'er Detraction shore to smit you,
May nane believe him,
And ony deil that thinks to get you,
Good L-, deceive him.

threaten

R. B.

THE FAREWELL.

"The valiant, in himself, what can he suffer? 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 hangs 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.
Such, such am I! undone!"

THOMSON'S Edward and Eleanora.

FAREWELL, Old Scotia's bleak domains,
Far dearer than the torrid plains

Where rich ananas blow!

Farewell, a mother's blessing dear!
A brother's sigh! a sister's tear!
My Jean's heart-rending throe!
Farewell, my Bess! though thou'rt bereft

Of my parental care,

A faithful brother I have left,
My part in him thou'lt share!

Adieu too, to you too,

My Smith, my bosom frien';
When kindly you mind me,
Oh then befriend my Jean!

remember

What bursting anguish tears my heart!
From thee, my Jeanie, must I part?

Thou, weeping, answ'rest "No!"
Alas! misfortune stares my face,
And points to ruin and disgrace;
I for thy sake must go!
Thee, Hamilton, and Aiken dear,
A grateful, warm adieu!
I, with a much-indebted tear,
Shall still remember you!

All-hail then, the gale then,

Wafts me from thee, dear shore !

It rustles, and whistles

I'll never see thee more!

LINES WRITTEN ON A BANK-NOTE.1

WAE worth thy power, thou cursed leaf,
Fell source o' a' my wo and grief:
For lack o' thee I've lost my lass,
For lack o' thee I scrimp my glass;
I see the children of affliction
Unaided, through thy cursed restriction.
I've seen the oppressor's cruel smile
Amid his hapless victim's spoil,

1 "The above verses, in the handwriting of Burns, are copied from a bank-note, in the possession of Mr. James F. Gracie of Dumfries. The note is of the Bank of Scotland, and is dated so far back as 1st March, 1780." — MOTHER

WELL.

And, for thy potence, vainly wished
To crush the villain in the dust.

For lack o' thee I leave this much-loved shore,
Never perhaps to greet old Scotland more.
R. B.- Kyle.

WRITTEN

ON A BLANK LEAF OF A COPY OF THE POEMS, PRESENTED TO AN OLD SWEETHEART,1 THEN MARRIED.

ONCE fondly loved, and still remembered dear, Sweet early object of my youthful vows! Accept this mark of friendship, warm, sincere — Friendship! 'tis all cold duty now allows.

And when you read the simple artless rhymes, One friendly sigh for him—he asks no more, Who distant burns in flaming torrid climes,

Or haply lies beneath the Atlantic's roar.

1 According to Dr. Currie, this old sweetheart was a girl whom the poet had seen at Kirkoswald, when he was attending school there. If so, she was a Mrs. Neilson, living in Ayr.

VERSES WRITTEN UNDER VIOLENT

GRIEF.1

ACCEPT the gift a friend sincere
Wad on thy worth be pressin' ;
Remembrance oft may start a tear,
But oh! that tenderness forbear,

Though 'twad my sorrows lessen.

My morning raise sae clear and fair,
I thought sair storms wad never
Bedew the scene; but grief and care
In wildest fury hae made bare

My peace, my hope, for ever!

You think I'm glad; oh, I pay weel
For a' the joy I borrow,

In solitude then, then I feel
I canna to mysel' conceal
My deeply-ranklin' sorrow.

Farewell! within thy bosom free
A sigh may whiles awaken;

A tear may wet thy laughin' e'e,
For Scotia's son

ance gay like thee Now hopeless, comfortless, forsaken!

1 These verses were probably written, like the preceding, on a copy of the volume of poems. They were first published in the Sun newspaper, April, 1823.