The bursting sigh, th' unweeting groan The music of thy tongue I heard, Nor wist while it enslav'd me; The wheeling torrent viewing; 'Mid circling horrors yields at last To overwhelming ruin. To thee my fancy took its wing I sat, but neither heard nor saw. O, Mary, canst thou wreck his peace, But did you see my dearest Chloris, In simplicity's array; Lovely as yonder sweet opening flower is, .Shrinking from the gaze of day. O then the heart alarming, And all resistless charming, MEG O' THE MILL. Tune-" O bonnie lass, will you lie in a barrack.” The miller was strappin', the miller was ruddy; The miller he hecht her a heart leal and loving: ving; A fine pacing-horse wi' a clear-chain'd bridle, O wae on the siller, it's sae prevailing ; In Love's delightful fetters she chains the wil-But, Gie me my love, and a fig for the warl! ling soul! Care-untroubled, joy-surrounded, Gaudy day to you is dear. Gentle night, do thou befriend me, MY BONNIE MARY. MY LADY'S GOWN THERE'S GAIRS UPON'T. My lady's gown there's gairs upon't, My lord a-hunting he is gane, But hounds or hawks wi' him are nane; By Colin's cottage lies his game, If Colin's Jenny be at hame. My lady's white, my lady's red, THIS air is Oswald's; the first half-stanza And kith and kin o' Cassilis' blude, of the song is old, the rest mine." Go fetch to me a pint o' wine, A service to my bonnie lassie ; Fu' lond the wind blaws frae the ferry; The ship rides by the Berwick-law, The trumpets sound, the banners fly, The battle closes thick and bloody; Wad make me langer wish to tarry ; Nor shouts o' war that's heard afar, It's leaving thee, my bonnie Mary. But her ten-pund lands o' tocher gude Were a' the charms his lordship lo'ed. Out o'er yon moor, out o'er yon moss, Sae sweetly move her genty limbs, My lady's dink, my lady's drest, MY NANNIE, O. BEHIND yon hills where Stinchar flows, The westland wind blaws loud an' shrill; My Nannie's charming, sweet, an' young; That wad beguile my Nannie, O. A country lad is my degree, An' few there be that ken me, O; But what care I how few they be, I'm welcome aye to Nannie, O. My riches a' 's my penny-fee, An' I maun guide it cannie, O; Our auld Guidman delights to view But live, an' love my Nannie, O. MY PEGGY'S FACE. Mr Peggy's face, my Peggy's form The lily's hue, the rose's dye, The kindling lustre of an eye; Who but owns their magic sway, Who but knows they all decay! 'The tender thrill, the pitying tear, The generous purpose, nobly dear, The gentle look, that rage disarms, These are all immortal charms. I ONCE was a maid, tho' I canna tell when, The first of my loves was a swaggering blade, But the godly old chaplain left him in the lurch, But the peace it reduc'd me to beg in despair, And now I have liv'd-I know not how long, Here's to thee, my hero, my sodger laddie. MY SPOUSE NANCIE. Tune-" My Jo, Janet." One of two must still obey, Is it man or woman, say, My spouse Nancie ? If 'tis still the lordly word, Yet I'll try to make a soift, My spouse Nancie. My poor heart then break it must, I will hope and trust in Heaven, Well, Sir, from the silent dead, I'll wed another like my dear MY TOCHER'S THE JEWEL. O MEIKLE thinks my luve o' my beauty, My tocher's the jewel has charms for him. It's a' for the apple he'll nourish the tree; It's a' for the hinney he'll cherish the bee, My laddie's sae meikle in luve wi' the siller, He canna hae luve to spare for me. Your proffer o' luve's an arle penny, My tocher's the bargain ye wad buy; But an' ye be crafty, I am cunnin, Sae ye wi' anither your fortune maun try. Ye're like to the timmer o' yon rotten wood, Ye're like to the bark o' yon rotten tree, Ye'll slip frae me like a knotless thread, And ye'll crack your credit wi' mae nor me. MY WIFE'S A WINSOME WEE THING. Tune--" My wife's a wanton wee thing." This sweet wee wife of mine! I never saw a fairer, I never loo'd a dearer; And neist my heart I'll wear her, For fear my jewel tine. She is a winsome wee thing, This sweet wee wife o' mine, The warld's wrack we share o't, NAE-BODY. I HAE a wife o' my ain, I'll gie cuckold to nae-body. I hae a penny to spend, I am nae-body's lord, I'll be slave to nae-body; I hae a guid braid sword, I'll tak dunts frae nae-body. I'll be merry and free, I'll be sad for nae-body; If nae-body care for me, I'll care for nae-body. NANCY. THINZ am I, my faithful fair, To thy bosom lay my heart, There to throb and languish ; Tho' despair had wrung its core, That would heal its anguish. Take away these rosy lips, Rich with balmy treasure: Turn away thine eyes of love, Lest I die with pleasure. What is life when wanting love? Night without a morning: Love's the cloudless summer sun Nature gay adorning. NOW SPRING HAS CLAD THE GROVE IN GREEN. Now spring has clad the grove in green, And strew'd the lea wi' flowers; The furrow'd waving corn is seen Rejoice in fostering showers ; NOW WESTLIN' WINDS. Tune-" I had a horse, I had nae mair.” Now westlin' winds, and slaughtering guns, Now waving grain, wide o'er the plain, And the moon shine's bright, when I rove at night, To muse upon my charmer. The partridge loves the fruitful fells; The path of man to shun it; Thus every kind their pleasure find, Tyrannic man's dominion; But, Peggy dear, the evening's clear, And view the charms of nature; And every happy creature. We'll gently walk, and sweetly talk, Till the silent moon shine clearly; I'll grasp thy waist, and fondly press't, And swear I love thee dearly. Not vernal showers to budding flowers, Not autumn to the farmer, So dear can be as thou to me, My fair, my lovely charmer! |