The Poetry of Robert Burns Edited by William Ernest Henley and Thomas F. Henderson |
 | I. |
| 2. |
 | III. |
YOUNG JESSIE |
| IV. |
 | The Poetry of Robert Burns |  |
YOUNG JESSIE
I
True hearted was he, the sad swain o' the Yarrow,And fair are the maids on the banks of the Ayr;
But by the sweet side o' the Nith's winding river
Are lovers as faithful and maidens as fair:
To equal young Jessie you seek Scotia all over—
To equal young Jessie you seek it in vain!
Grace, beauty, and elegance fetter her lover,
And maidenly modesty fixes the chain.
227
II
Fresh is the rose in the gay, dewy morning,And sweet is the lily at evening close;
But in the fair presence o' lovely young Jessie
Unseen is the lily, unheeded the rose.
Love sits in her smile, a wizard ensnaring;
Enthron'd in her een he delivers his law;
And still to her charms she alone is a stranger:
Her modest demeanour's the jewel of a'.
| The Poetry of Robert Burns | |