University of Virginia Library


367

THE ADVICE.

[_]

Air,—“John Anderson, my Joe.”

Dear lass, while lads are plenty,
Wale ane, if ye be wise;
For, ance ye're five-and-twenty,
But few will speer your price;
But few will speer your price, Jean;
And, mind, ye'll find it sae,
For the witchery o' your cheeks and een
Will rapidly decay.
I ance was young like you, Jean,
Aud wooers had nae few,
Wha roosed my een sae blue, Jean,
And neck o' lily hue;
Yet I, sae wise, took nae advice,
But teased them ane and a';
So now I'm left, o' joes bereft,
And ha'e nae choice ava.
When youth is on our side, Jean,
A' looks life fairy-land;
Age flings the curtain wide, Jean,
And breaks the magic wand:
Ye maun ha'e a' lads rich and braw,
O' fau'ts and failin's free;
But mark in time, while in your prime,
The fate o' ane like me.
“Dear aunt, ye counsel kindly,
I thank ye for the rede;
But think nae I act blindly,
Although I'm no yet wed.
My folk wad ha'e me tak' the laird,
But aye my heart says—no!
For him I can ha'e nae regard;—
Young Jamie is my joe.
“He tells his love sincerely;
Behaves himsel' wi' mense;
For lang has loe'd me dearly;
Can talk wi' muckle sense.
Though dad should preach, and minnie fleech,
And a' my kin should jeer,
I'll wed wi' nane but him alane,
To me than life mair dear.”