HALLOWEEN*.

"Yes! let the rich deride, the proud disdain,
"The simple pleasures of the lowly train :
"To me more dear, congenial to my heart,
"One native charm, than all the gloss of art."
GOLDSMITH,

UPON that night, when fairies light
On Cassillis Downans + dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the route is ta'en,
Beneath the moon's pale beams,

There, up the Covet, to stray and rove
Amang the rocks and streams

To sport that night.

* Is thought to be a night when Witches, Devils, and other mischief-making beings, are all abroad on their baneful, midnight errands; particularly, those aerial people, the Fairies, are said, on that night, to hold a grand anniversary.

+ Certain little romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the Earl of Cassillis.

A noted cavern near Colean House, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Cassillis Downans, is famed, in country tory, for being a favourite haunt of Fairies.

Amang the bonnie winding banks,

Whare Doon rins, wimplin clear,

Whare Bruce* ance rul'd the martial ranks,
And shook the Carrick spear,

Some merry, friendly, country folks,

Together did convene,

To burn their nuts, and pou their stocks,

And haud their Halloween

Fu'blythe that night.

The lasses feat, and cleanly neat,
Mair braw than when they're fine;
Their faces blythe, fu' sweety kythe,
Hearts leal, and warm, and kin':
The lads sae trig, wi' wooer-babs,
Weel knotted on their garten,
Some unco blate, and some wi' gabs
Gar lasses hearts gang startin'

Whiles fast at night.

Then, first and foremost, through the kail,
Their stocks + maun a' be sought ance;

*The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.

+ The first ceremony of Halloween is, pulling each a stock, or plant of kail. They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and pull the first they meet with: its being big or little, straight or crooked, is prophetic of the size and shape of the grand object of all their spells-the husband or wife. If any yird, or earth, stick to the root, that is tocher, or fortune; and the

They steek their een, and grape and wale
For muckle anes and straught anes.
Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,
And wander'd through the bow-kail,
And pu't, for want o' better shift,
A runt was like a sow-tail,

Sae bow't that night.

Then, straught or crooked, yird or nane,
They roar and cry a' throu'ther;
The very wee-things, todlin, rin

Wi' stocks out-owre their shouther:
And gif the custoc's sweet or sour,
Wi' joctelegs they taste them;
Syne coziely, aboon the door,

Wi' canny care they've plac'd them

To lie that night.

The lasses staw frae 'mang them a’,
To pou their stalks o' corn*;

taste of the custoc, that is, the heart of the stem, is indicative of the natural temper and disposition. Lastly, the stems, or to give them their ordinary appeilation, the runts, are placed somewhere above the head of the door; and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings into the house, are, according to the priority of placing the runts, the names in question.

*They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three several times, a stalk of oats. If the third stalk wants the top pickle, that is, the grain at the top of the stalk, the party in question will come to the marriage bed any thing but a maid.

But Rab slips out, and jinks about
Behint the muckle thorn :

He grippet Nelly hard and fast,
Loud skirl'd a' the lasses;

But her tap-pickle maist was lost
When kitlin in the fause-house*

Wi' him that night.

The auld gudewife's weel-hoorded nits †
Are round and round divided,
And mony lads and lasses fates
Are there that night decided :
Some kindle, couthie, side by side,
And burn thegither trimly;
Some start awa' wi' saucy pride,
And jump out-owre the chimlie

Fu' high that night.

Jean slips in twa wi' tentie ee;
Wha 'twas she wadna tell;
But this is Jock, and this is me,

She says in to hersel:

When the corn is in a doubtful state, by being too green of wet, the stalk-builder, by means of old timber, &c. makes a large apartment in his stack, with an opening in the side which is fairest exposed to the wind: this he calls a fause-house.

+ Burning the nuts is a favourite charm. They name the lad and lass to each particular nut, as they lay them in the fire; and according as they burn quietly together, or start from beside one another, the course and issue of the courtship will be.

He bleez'd owre her, and she owre him,
As they wad never mair part,

Till, fuff: he started up the lum,
And Jean had e'en a sair heart

To see't that night.

Poor Willie, wi' his bow-kail runt,
Was brunt wi' primsie Mallie;
And Mary, nae doubt, took the drunt
To be compar'd to Willie:
Mall's nit lap out wi' pridefu' fling,

And her ain foot it brunt it;

While Willie lap, and swore by jing, "Twas just the way he wanted

To be that night.

Nell had the fause-house in her min',
She pits hersel and Rob in:
In loving bleeze they sweetly join,
Till white in ase they're sobbin :
Nell's heart was dancin at the view,
She whisper'd Rob to leuk for't;
Rob, stowlins, prie'd her bonnie mou,
Fu' cozie in the neuk for't,

Unseen that night.

But Merran sat behint their backs,

Her thoughts on Andrew Bell;

She lea'es them gashin at their cracks,
And slips out by hersel: