University of Virginia Library


127

THE BANKS O' MAY.

Dear Peetie, tho' the snaws o' Time
May hap your forehead high,
Upon your heart nae winter rime
Gat ever leave to lie.
Ye've ever borne a heart aboon
The dulness o' the day,
As when ye roamed, a hardy loon,
Upon the banks o' May.
O fair atweel to strangers' een
The glancin' waters glide
The benty Ochil braes between
Wi' flocks on either side.
But fairer hues than ither men
He sees on burn an' brae,
Wha comes in age to roam again
Alang the banks o' May.
The bluebells at the dykeside hung
A fairy welcome ring,
An' laverocks to the lift upflung
In careless rapture sing,

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An' silent troots wi' sudden dart
Amang the pebbles play,
When you, wi' simmer i' your heart,
Regain the banks o' May.
Come, simmer sweet, in sober sooth,
To warm the waitin' hills,
That forth may wander age an' youth
Beside their quiet rills,—
Where still in simmer hand in hand
The modest Muses stray,
A gentle and a joyous band,
Alang the banks o' May.