"Through the lang muir I have follow'd my Willie,
Through the lang muir I have follow'd him hame;
Whatever betide us, nought shall divide us,

Love now rewards all my sorrow and pain.”

HERE awa', there awa', wandering Willie,
Her awa', there awa', haud awa' hame;
Come to my bosom, my ain only dearie,
Tell me thou bring'st me my Willie the same.

Winter winds blew loud and cauld at our parting,
Fears for my Willie brought tears in my ee:
Welcome now simmer, and welcome my Willie-
The simmer to nature, my Willie to me.

Rest, ye wild storms, in the cave of your slumbers,
How your dread howling a lover alarms!
Wauken, ye breezes! row gently, ye billows!

And waft my dear laddie ance mair to my arms!

But oh, if he's faithless, and minds na his Nannie,
Flow still between us thou wide roaring main !
May I never see it, may I never trow it,
Willie's my ain.

But, dying, believe that my

THE DEIL'S AWA' WI' THE EXCISEMAN.

Tune-"The deil cam fiddling through the town."

LOCKHART gives the following interesting account of this song :-"This spirited song was composed on the shores of the Solway, while the poet and a party of his brother excisemen were engaged in watching the motions of a suspicious looking brig, which had put in there, and which, it was supposed, was engaged in smuggling. The day following that on which she was first seen, the vessel got into shallow water, and it was then discovered that the crew were nume rous, and not likely to yield without a struggle. Lewars accordingly was despatched to Dumfries for a party of dragoons, and another officer proceeded on a similar errand to Ecclefechan, leaving Burns with some men under his orders, to watch the brig and prevent landing or escape. Burns manifested considerable impatience while thus occupied, being left for many hours in a wet salt-marsh with a force which he knew to be inadequate for the pupose it was meant to fulfil. One of his comrades hearing him abuse his friend Lewars in particular, for being slow about his journey, the man answered that he also wished the devil had him for his pains, and that Burns in the meantime would do well to indite a song upon the sluggard. Burns said nothing; but after taking a few strides by himself among the reeds and shingle, rejoined his party, and chanted to them this well-known ditty:"

To see her is to love her,
And love but her for ever;
For Nature made her what she is,
And never made anither.

Thou art a queen, fair Lesley,
Thy subjects we, before thee:
Thou art divine, fair Lesley,

The hearts o' men adore thee.

The deil he couldna skaith1 thee,
Nor aught that wad belang thee;
He'd look into thy bonny face,

And say, "I canna wrang thee."

The powers aboon will tent thee;
Misfortune sha' na steer thee:
Thou'rt like themselves sae lovely,
That ill they'll ne'er let near thee.

Return again, fair Lesley,

Return to Caledonie !

That we may brag we hae a lass
There's nane again sae bonny.

CRAIGIE-BURN WOOD.

BURNS composed the following song to aid the suit of a Mr. Gillespie, a friend of his. The lady who, by the way, did not surrender, even though her lover was so ably assisted by Burns, was the Chloris (Miss Lorimer) of several of his finest ballads. A brief account of the melancholy career of this unfortunate lady will be found at p. 203.

SWEET closes the evening on Craigie-burn Wood,
And blithely awaukens the morrow;

But the pride of the spring in the Craigie-burn Wood
Can yield to me nothing but sorrow.

Beyond thee, dearie, beyond thee, dearie,
And oh ! to be lying beyond thee;
Oh, sweetly, soundly, weel may he sleep
That's laid in the bed beyond thee!

I see the spreading leaves and flowers,
I hear the wild birds singing;
But pleasure they hae nane for me,
While care my heart is wringing.

1 Harm.

2 Guard.

I

I canna tell, I maunna tell,

I darena for your anger;

But secret love will break my heart,
If I conceal it langer.

I see thee gracefu', straight, and tall,
I see thee sweet and bonny;
But oh, what will my torments be,
If thou refuse thy Johnnie!

To see thee in anither's arms,
In love to lie and languish,
'Twad be my dead,1 that will be seen,
My heart wad burst wi' anguish.

But, Jeanie, say thou wilt be mine,
Say thou lo'es nane before me;
And a' my days o' life to come
I'll gratefully adore thee.

SECOND VERSION.

Sweet fa's the eve on Craigie-burn,
And blithe awakes the morrow;
But a' the pride o' spring's return
Can yield me nought but sorrow.

I see the flowers and spreading trees,
I hear the wild birds singing;
But what a weary wight can please,
And care his bosom wringing?

Fain, fain would I my griefs impart,
Yet darena for your anger;
But secret love will break my heart,
If I conceal it langer.

If thou refuse to pity me,

If thou shalt love anither,

When yon green leaves fade frae the tree,
Around my grave they'll wither.

FRAE THE FRIENDS AND LAND I LOVE.

1 Death.

Air-" Carron Side."

FRAE the friends and land I love,
Driven by Fortune's felly 2 spite,

2 Relentless,

Frae my best-beloved I rove,
Never mair to taste delight;
Never mair maun hope to find

Ease frae toil, relief frae care :
When remembrance wracks the mind,
Pleasures but unveil despair.

Brightest climes shall mirk appear,
Desert ilka blooming shore,
Till the Fates, nae mair severe,
Friendship, Love, and Peace restore ;
Till Revenge, wi' laurell'd head,

Bring our banish'd hame again;

And ilka loyal bonny lad

Cross the seas and win his ain.

MY TOCHER'S THE JEWEL.

Tune-"My Tocher's the Jewel."

OH meikle thinks my luve o' my beauty,
And meikle thinks my luve o' my kin;
But little thinks my luve I ken brawlie1
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 hiney he'll cherish the bee;
My laddie's sae meikle in luve with the siller
He canna hae luve to spare for me.

Your proffer o' luve's an airl-penny,3
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 timmero' 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 5 your credit wi' mae'

6

nor me.

WHAT CAN A YOUNG LASSIE DO?

Tune-"What can a young lassie do wi' an auld man?"

WHAT can a young lassie, what shall a young lassie,
What can a young lassie do wi' an auld man?