It may escape the courtly sparks,
It may escape the learned clerks;
But weel the watching lover marks
The kind love that's in her ee.
NOW SPRING HAS CLAD THE GROVE IN GREEN.
Now spring has clad the grove in
And strewed the lea wi' flowers;
The furrowed waving corn is seen
Rejoice in fostering showers;
While ilka thing in Nature join
Their sorrows to forego,
Oh, why thus all alone are mine
The weary steps of woe?
The trout within yon wimpling burn
Glides swift, a silver dart,
And safe beneath the shady thorn
Defies the angler's art:
My life was ance that careless stream,
That wanton trout was I;
But love, wi' unrelenting beam,
Has scorched my fountain dry.
The little floweret's peaceful lot,
In yonder cliff that grows,
Which, save the linnet's flight, I wot,
Nae ruder visit knows,
Was mine; till love has o'er me past,
And blighted a' my bloom,
And now beneath the withering blast
My youth and joy consume.
The wakened laverock warbling springs,
And climbs the early sky,
Winnowing blithe her dewy wings
In morning's rosy eye;
As little reckt I sorrow's power,
Until the flowery snare
O' witching Love, in luckless hour,
Made me the thrall o' care.
Oh, had my fate been Greenland snows,
Or Afric's burning zone,
Wi' man and nature leagued my foes,
So Peggy ne'er I'd known!
The wretch whase doom is, 'Hope nae mair,"
What tongue his woes can tell!
Within whase bosom, save Despair,
Nae kinder spirits dwell!
O BONNIE WAS YON ROSY BRIER.
O BONNIE was yon rosy brier,
That blooms sae far frae haunt o' man;
And bonnie she, and ah, how dear!
It shaded frae the e'enin' sun.
Yon rosebuds in the morning dew,
How pure amang the leaves sae green;
But purer was the lover's vow
They witnessed in their shade yestreen.
All in its rude and prickly bower,
That crimson rose, how sweet and fair!
But love is far a sweeter flower
Amid life's thorny path o' care.
The pathless wild and wimpling burn,
Wi' Chloris in my arms, be mine;
And I the world nor wish nor scorn,
Its joys and griefs alike resign.
FORLORN, MY LOVE, NO COMFORT NEAR.
FORLORN, my love, no comfort near,
Far, far from thee, I wander here;
Far, far from thee-the fate severe
At which I most repine, love.
O wert thou, love, but near me,
But near, near, near me ;
How kindly thou wouldst cheer me,
And mingle sighs with mine, love!
Around me scowls a wintry sky,
That blasts each bud of hope and joy;
And shelter, shade, nor home have I,
Save in those arms of thine, love.
Cold, altered Friendship's cruel part,
To poison Fortune's ruthless dart-
Let me not break thy faithful heart,
that fate is mine, love.
And say
But, dreary though the moments fleet,
O let me think we yet shall meet !
That only ray of solace sweet
Can on thy Chloris shine, love.
LAST MAY A BRAW WOOER.
LAST May a braw wooer cam down the lang glen, And sair wi' his love he did deave me ;
I said there was naething I hated like men,-
The deuce gae wi'm to believe me, believe me!
The deuce gae wi'm to believe me!
He spak o' the darts in my bonnie black een,
And vowed for my love he was dying;
I said he might die when he liked, for Jean,-
The Lord forgi'e me for lying, for lying!
The Lord forgi'e me for lying!
A weel-stockèd mailen, himsel' for the laird,
And marriage aff-hand, were his proffers: I never loot on that I kenned it, or cared,
But thought I might hae waur offers, waur offers, But thought I might hae waur offers.
But what wad ye think? in a fortnight or less-
The Deil tak his taste to gae near her!
He up the lang loan to my black cousin Bess,-
Guess ye how, the jad! I could bear her, could bear her,
Guess ye how, the jad! I could bear her.
But a' the niest week, as I fretted wi' care,
I gaed to the tryste o' Dalgarnock,
And wha but my fine fickle lover was there!—
I glow'red as I'd seen a warlock, a warlock,
I glow'red as I'd seen a warlock.
But owre my left shouther I gave him a blink,
Lest neebors might say I was saucy;
My wooer he capered as he'd been in drink,
And vowed I was his dear lassie, dear lassie,
And vowed I was his dear lassie.
I spiered for my cousin fu' couthy and sweet,
Gin she had recovered her hearin',
And how my auld shoon suited her shauckled teet,-
Gude save us! how he fell a-swearin', a-swearin',
Gude save us! how he fell a-swearin'!'
He begged, for Gudesake, I wad be his wife,
Or else I wad kill him wi' sorrow:
So, e'en to preserve the poor body in life,
I think I maun wed him to-morrow, to-morrow,
I think I maun wed him to-morrow.
WHY, why tell thy lover
Bliss he never must enjoy?
Why, why undeceive him,
And give all his hopes the lie?
O why, while Fancy, raptured, slumbers,
Chloris, Chloris all the theme,
Why, why wouldst thou, cruel,
Wake thy lover from his dream?
O, WHISTLE, AND I'LL COME TO YOU.
O, whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad,
O, whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad,
Though father and mither and a' should gae mad,
O, whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad.
But warily tent when you come to court me,
And come na unless the back-yett be a-jee;
Syne up the back-stile, and let naebody see,
And come as ye were na comin' to me,
And come as ye were na comin' to me.
At kirk, or at market, whene'er ye meet me,
Gang by me as though that ye cared na a flie;
But steal me a blink o' your bonnie black ee,
Yet look as ye were na lookin' at me,
Yet look as ye were na lookin' at me.
Aye vow and protest that ye care na for me,
And whyles ye may lightly my beauty a wee:
But court na anither, though jokin' ye be,
For fear that she wyle your fancy frae me,
For fear that she wyle your fancy frae me.
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