THE HOLY FAIR

The rising sun owre Galston muirs
Wi' glorious light was glintin;
The hares were hirplin down the furrs,
The lav'rocks they were chantin
Fu' sweet that day.

As lightsomely I glowr'd abroad,
To see a scene sae gay,
Three hizzies, early at the road,
Cam skelpind up the way.

Twa had manteeles o' dolefu' black,
But ane wi' lyart lining;

e

The third, that gaed a wee a-back,'
Was in the fashion shining

Fu' gay that day.

The twa appear'd like sisters twin,
In feature, form, an' claes;
Their visage wither'd, lang an' thin,
An' sour as ony slaes:

The third cam up, hap-stap-an'-lowp,

As light as ony lambie,

An' wi' a curchie low did stoop,

As soon as e'er she saw me,

Fu' kind that day.

Wi' bonnet aff, quoth I, "Sweet lass,
I think ye seem to ken me;
I'm sure I've seen that bonie face,
But yet I canna name ye.”

• majority,

THE HOLY FAIR

Quo' she, an' laughin as she spak,
An' taks me by the han's,

"Ye, for my sake, hae gien the feck

Of a' the ten comman's

8

A screed some day."

"My name is Fun-your cronie dear,
The nearest friend ye hae;

An' this is Superstition here,
An' that's Hypocrisy.

I'm gaun to Mauchline 'holy fair,'
To spend an hour in daffin°:

Gin ye'll go there, yon runkl'dd pair,
We will get famous laughin

At them this day."

Quoth I, "Wi' a' my heart, I'll do't;
I'll get my Sunday's sark on,
An' meet you on the holy spot;

Faith, we'se hae fine remarkin! "1
Then I gaed hame at crowdie-time,
An' soon I made me ready;

For roads were clad, frae side to side,
Wi' mony a weary body

• breakfast-time.

In droves that day.

Here farmers gash,' in ridin graith,"

h

Gaed hoddin by their cotters;

There swankies1 young, in braw braid-claith,

Are springing owre the gutters.

The lasses, skelpin' barefit, thrang,

In silks an' scarlets glitter;

Wi' sweet-milk cheese, in mony a whang,
An' farls,' bak'd wi' butter,

1 strapping fellows.

b tear.

fsage.

J walking smartly.

1 "Qothie 'I'll get my tither coat, And on my Sunday's sark,

Fu' crump that day.

• merry-making.
8 attire.

k slice.

d wrinkled.

h riding heavily. 1 cakes.

An' meet ye in the yard without,
At op'ning o' the wark.'" (MS).

THE HOLY FAIR

When by the plate we set our nose,
Weel heaped up wi' ha'pence,
A greedy glowr black-bonnet throws,
An' we maun draw our tippence.
Then in we go to see the show:

On ev'ry side they're gath'rin;

Some carrying dails, some chairs an' stools,
An' some are busy bleth'rin

Right loud that day.

Here stands a shed to fend the show'rs,
An' screen our countra gentry;
There 'Racer Jess,' an' twa-three wh-res,
Are blinkin at the entry.

Here sits a raw o' tittlindjads,

Wi' heaving breast an' bare neck;
An' there a batch o' wabster lads,
Blackguarding frae Kilmarnock,
For fun this day.

Here some are thinkin on their sins,
An' some upo' their claes;
Ane curses feet that fyl'de his shins,
Anither sighs an' prays:

On this hand sits a chosen swatch,'
Wi' screw'd-up, grace-proud faces;
On that a set o' chaps, at watch,
Thrangs winkin on the lasses

To chairs that day.

O happy is that man, an' blest!
Nae wonder that it pride him!

Whase ain dear lass, that he likes best,
Comes clinkin down beside him!

THE HOLY FAIR

Wi' arm repos'd on the chair back,
He sweetly does compose him;

Which, by degrees, slips round her neck,
An's loof upon her bosom,

a

Unkend that day.

Now a' the congregation o'er
Is silent expectation;

For Moodie1 speels the holy door,
Wi' tidings o' damnation2:
Should Hornie, as in ancient days,
'Mang sons o' God present him,
The vera sight o' Moodie's face,
To 's ain het hame had sent him
Wi' fright that day.

Hear how he clears the points o' Faith
Wi' rattlin and wi' thumpin!
Now meekly calm, now wild in wrath,
He's stampin, an' he's jumpin!
His lengthen'd chin, his turned-up snout,
His eldritch squeel an' gestures,

O how they fire the heart devout,
Like cantharidian plaisters

On sic a day!

But hark! the tent has chang'd its voice
There's peace an' rest nae langer;

For a' the real judges rise,

They canna sit for anger,

Smith opens out his cauld harangues,

On practice and on morals;

An' aff the godly pour in thrangs,

⚫ palm.

To gie the jars an' barrels

1 Rev. Alexander Moodie of carton, called "Sawnie" in the version.

A lift that day.

b climbs.

Ric

MS.

2 "Salvation" in MS. and first

e unearthly.

edition. The improvement was suggested by Dr Blair.

3 Rev. George (subsequently Dr) Smith of Galston. "Geordie" in the

MS.

THE HOLY FAIR

What signifies his barren shine,
Of moral powers an' reason?1
His English style, an' gesture fine
Are a' clean out o' season.
Like Socrates or Antonine,

Or some auld pagan heathen,
The moral man he does define,
But ne'er a word o' faith in

That's right that day.

In guid time comes an antidote
Against sic poison'd nostrum ;
For Peebles,2 frae the water-fit,
Ascends the holy rostrum:
See, up he's got the word o' God,

An' meek an' mim has view'd it,
While Common-sense has taen the road,
An' aff, an' up the Cowgate

3

Fast, fast that day.

Wee Miller neist the guard relieves,

An' Orthodoxy raibles,

Tho' in his heart he weel believes,

An' thinks it auld wives' fables:
But faith! the birkieb wants a manse,

So, cannilie he hums them;
Altho' his carnal wit an' sense

Like hafflins-wised o'ercomes him

At times that day.

Now butt an' ben the change-house fills,
Wi' yill-caup commentators;

e

Here's cryin out for bakes' and gills,
An' there the pint-stowp clatters;