 | The Writings of Bret Harte |  |
SCOTCH LINES TO A. S. B.
(FROM AN UNINTELLIGENT FOREIGNER)
We twa hae heard the gowans sing,
Sae saft and dour, sae fresh and gey;
And paidlet in the brae, in Spring,
To scent the new-mown “Scots wha hae.”
Sae saft and dour, sae fresh and gey;
And paidlet in the brae, in Spring,
To scent the new-mown “Scots wha hae.”
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But maist we loo'ed at e'en to chase
The pibroch through each wynd and close,
Or climb the burn to greet an' face
The skeendhus gangin' wi' their Joes.
The pibroch through each wynd and close,
Or climb the burn to greet an' face
The skeendhus gangin' wi' their Joes.
How aft we said“Eh, Sirs!” and “Mon!”
Likewise “Whateffer”—apropos
Of nothing. And pinned faith upon
“Aiblins”—though why we didna know.
Likewise “Whateffer”—apropos
Of nothing. And pinned faith upon
“Aiblins”—though why we didna know.
We 've heard nae mon say “gowd” for “gold,”
And yet wi' all our tongues up-curled,
We—like the British drum-beat—rolled
Our “R's” round all the speaking worruld.
And yet wi' all our tongues up-curled,
We—like the British drum-beat—rolled
Our “R's” round all the speaking worruld.
How like true Scots we didna care
A bawbee for the present tense,
But said “we will be” when we were,
'T was bonny—but it wasna sense.
A bawbee for the present tense,
But said “we will be” when we were,
'T was bonny—but it wasna sense.
And yet, “ma frien” and “trusty frere,”
We'll take a right gude “Willie Waught”
(Tho' what that may be is not clear,
Nor where it can be made or bought).
We'll take a right gude “Willie Waught”
(Tho' what that may be is not clear,
Nor where it can be made or bought).
| The Writings of Bret Harte | |