the sowp their only hawkie does afford,
that, 'yont the hallan snugly chows her cood:
the dame brings forth, inplimental mood,
to grace the lad, her weel-hain'd kebbuck, fell;
and aft he's prest, and aft he ca's it guid:
the frugal wifie, garrulous, will tell
how t'was a towmond auld, sin' lint was i' the bell.
the cheerfu' supper done, wi' serious face,
they, round the ingle, form a circle wide;
the sire turns o'er, with patriarchal grace,
the big ha'bible, ance his father's pride:
his bonnet rev'rently is laid aside,
his lyart haffets wearing thin and bare;
those strains that once did sweet in zion glide,
he wales a portion with judicious care;
and “let us worship god!” he says with solemn air.
they chant their artless notes in simple guise,
they tune their hearts, by far the noblest aim;
perhaps dundee's wild-warbling measures rise;
or plaintive martyrs, worthy of the name;
or noble elgin beets the heaven-ward flame;
the sweetest far of scotia's holy lays:
par'd with these, italian trills are tame;
the tickl'd ears no heart-felt raptures raise;
nae unison hae they with our creator's praise.
the priest-like father reads the sacred page,
how abram was the friend of god on high;
or moses bade eternal warfare wage
with amalek's ungracious progeny;
or how the royal bard did groaning lie
beneath the stroke of heaven's avenging ire;
or job's pathetic plaint, and wailing cry;
or rapt isaiah's wild, seraphic fire;
or other holy seers that tune the sacred lyre.
perhaps the christian volume is the theme,
how guiltless blood for guilty man was shed;
how he, who bore in heaven the second name,
had not on earth whereon to lay his head:
how his first followers and servants sped;
the precepts sage they wrote to many a land:
how he, who lone in patmos banished,
saw in the sun a mighty angel stand,
and heard great bab'lon's doom pronounc'd by heaven'smand.
then, kneeling down to heaven's eternal king,
the saint, the father, and the husband prays:
hope “springs exulting on triumphant wing,”
that thus they all shall meet in future days,
there, ever bask in uncreated rays,
no more to sigh, or shed the bitter tear,
together hymning their creator's praise,
in such society, yet still more dear;
while circling time moves round in an eternal sphere
par'd with this, how poor religion's pride,
in all the pomp of method, and of art;
when men display to congregations wide
devotion's ev'ry grace, except the heart!
the power, incens'd, the pageant will desert,
the pompous strain, the sacerdotal stole;
but haply, in some cottage far apart,
may hear, well-pleas'd, the language of the soul;
and in his book of life the inmates poor enroll.
then homeward all take off their sev'ral way;
the youngling cottagers retire to rest:
the parent-pair their secret homage pay,
and proffer up to heaven the warm request,
that he who stills the raven's clam'rous nest,
and decks the lily fair in flow'ry pride,
would, in the way his wisdom sees the best,
for them and for their little ones provide;
but chiefly, in their hearts with grace divine preside.
from scenes like these, old scotia's grandeur springs,
that makes her lov'd at home, rever'd abroad:
princes and lords are but the breath of kings,
“an honest man's the noblest work of god;”
and certes, in fair virtue's heavenly road,
the cottage leaves the palace far behind;
what is a lordling's pomp? a cumbrous load,
disguising oft the wretch of human kind,
studied in arts of hell, in wickedness refin'd!
o scotia! my dear, my native soil!
for whom my warmest wish to heaven is sent,
long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil
be blest with health, and peace, and sweet content!
and o! may heaven their simple lives prevent
from luxury's contagion, weak and vile!
then howe'er crowns and coronets be rent,
a virtuous populace may rise the while,
and stand a wall of fire around their much-lov'd isle.
o thou! who pour'd the patriotic tide,
that stream'd thro' wallace's undaunted heart,
who dar'd to nobly stem tyrannic pride,
or nobly die, the second glorious part:
(the patriot's god peculiarly thou art,
his friend, inspirer, guardian, and reward!)
o never, never scotia's realm desert;
but still the patriot, and the patriot-bard
in bright succession raise, her ornament and guard!
Poems and Songs of Robert Burns address to the deil address to the deil
o prince! o chief of many throned pow'rs
that led th' embattl'd seraphim to war—
milton.
o thou! whatever title suit thee—
auld hornie, satan, nick, or clootie,
wha in yon cavern grim an' sootie,
clos'd under hatches,
spairges about the brunstane cootie,
to scaud poor wretches!
hear me, auld hangie, for a wee,
an' let poor damned bodies be;
i'm sure sma' pleasure it can gie,
ev'n to a deil,
to skelp an' scaud poor dogs like me,
an' hear us squeel!
great is thy pow'r an' great thy fame;
far ken'd an' noted is thy name;
an' tho' yon lowin' heuch's thy hame,
thou travels far;
an' faith! thou's neither lag nor lame,
nor blate, nor scaur.
whiles, ranging like a roarin lion,
for prey, a' holes and corners tryin;
whiles, on the strong-wind'd tempest flyin,
tirlin the kirks;
whiles, in the human bosom pryin,
unseen thou lurks.
i've heard my rev'rend graunie say,
in lanely glens ye like to stray;
or where auld ruin'd castles grey
nod to the moon,
ye fright the nightly wand'rer's way,
wi' eldritch croon.
when twilight did my graunie summon,
to say her pray'rs, douse, honest woman!
aft'yont the dyke she's heard you bummin,
wi' eerie drone;
or, rustlin, thro' the boortreesin,
wi' heavy groan.
ae dreary, windy, winter night,
the stars shot down wi' sklentin light,
wi' you, mysel' i gat a fright,
ayont the lough;
ye, like a rash-buss, stood in sight,
wi' wavin' sough.
the cudgel in my nieve did shake,
each brist'ld hair stood like a stake,
when wi' an eldritch, stoor “quaick, quaick,”
amang the springs,
awa ye squatter'd like a drake,
on whistlin' wings.
let warlocks grim, an' wither'd hags,
tell how wi' you, on ragweed nags,
they skim the muirs an' dizcrags,
wi' wicked speed;
and in kirk-yards renew their leagues,
owre howkit dead.
thence countra wives, wi' toil and pain,
may plunge an' plunge the kirn in vain;
for oh! the yellow treasure's ta'en
by witchin' skill;
an' dawtit, twal-pint hawkie's gane
as yell's the bill.
thence mystic knots mak great abuse
on young guidmen, fond, keen an' crouse,
when the best wark-lume i' the house,
by cantrip wit,
is instant made no worth a louse,
just at the bit.
when thowes dissolve the snawy hoord,
an' float the jinglin' icy boord,
then water-kelpies haunt the foord,
by your direction,
and 'nighted trav'llers are allur'd
to their destruction.
and aft your moss-traversin spunkies
decoy the wight that late an' drunk is:
the bleezin, curst, mischievous monkies
delude his eyes,
till in some miry slough he sunk is,