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ANNA, THY CHARMS.1

TUNE - Bonny Mary.

ANNA, thy charms my bosom fire,
And waste my soul with care ;
But, ah! how bootless to admire,
When fated to despair!
Yet in thy presence, lovely fair,
To hope may be forgiven;
For sure 'twere impious to despair,
So much in sight of heaven.

MY LADY'S GOWN, THERE'S GAIRS

UPON'T.

*

*

OUT ower yon muir, out ower yon moss, Whare gor-cocks through the heather moor-cocks

pass,

There wons auld Colin's bonny lass, lives A lily in a wilderness.

1 This song, with the four which follow it, were contributed by Burns to the sixth volume of Johnson's Museum, published in 1803.

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114 JOCKEY'S TA'EN THE PARTING KISS. [1794.

Sae sweetly move her gentle limbs,
Like music notes o' lovers' hymns;
The diamond dew is her e'en sae blue,
Where laughing love sae wanton swims.

*

*

*

JOCKEY'S TA'EN THE PARTING KISS.

TUNE - Jockey's ta' en the Parting Kiss.

JOCKEY'S ta'en the parting kiss
O'er the mountains he is gane,
And with him is a' my bliss,

Nought but griefs with me remain.
Spare my luve, ye winds that blaw,
Plashy sleets and beating rain!
Spare my luve, thou feathery snaw,
Drifting o'er the frozen plain!

When the shades of evening creep
O'er the day's fair, gladsome e'e,
Sound and safely may he sleep,
Sweetly blithe his waukening be!
He will think on her he loves,

Fondly he'll repeat her name;
For where'er he distant roves,

Jockey's heart is still at hame.

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O LAY thy loof in mine, lass,
In mine, lass, in mine, lass;

And swear on thy white hand, lass,
That thou wilt be my ain.

A slave to love's unbounded sway,
He aft has wrought me meikle wae;
But now he is my deadly fae,

Unless thou be my ain.

There's monie a lass has broke my rest,

That for a blink I hae lo'ed best

But thou art queen within my breast,
For ever to remain.

O lay thy loof in mine, lass,

In mine, lass, in mine, lass,

palm

an instant

And swear on thy white hand, lass,

That thou wilt be my ain.

O MALLY'S MEEK, MALLY'S SWEET.

O MALLY'S meek, Mally's sweet,
Mally's modest and discreet,
Mally's rare, Mally's fair,

Mally's every way complete.

As I was walking up the street,

A barefit maid I chanced to meet; But oh, the road was very hard

For that fair maiden's tender feet.

It were mair meet that those fine feet

Were weel laced up in silken shoon; And 'twere more fit that she should sit Within yon chariot gilt aboon.

Her yellow hair, beyond compare,

barefoot

above

Comes trinkling down her swan-like neck; And her two eyes, like stars in skies, Would keep a sinking ship frae wreck.

SONNET ON THE DEATH OF GLENRIDDEL.

It is not of course to be supposed that Burns was to mend his breach with the family at Woodley Park by lampooning the lady. Nor did the evil stop here. Very naturally, the good couple at Carse, by whose fireside he had spent so many happy evenings, took part with their friends at Woodley; and most sad it is to relate, that "the worthy Glenriddel, deep read in old coins," adopted sentiments of reprobation and aversion towards the Bard of the Whistle.

In April, the Laird of Carse died, unreconciled to our poet, who, remembering only his worth and former kindness, immediately penned an elegiac sonnet on the sad event. It was done on the spur of a first impulse the sonnet being completed so early as to appear in the local newspaper, beneath the announcement of Glenriddel's death.

No more, ye warblers of the wood, no more, Nor pour your descant grating on my soul! Thou young-eyed Spring, gay in thy verdant stole,

More welcome were to me grim Winter's wildest

roar !

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