 | Later Lays and Lyrics |  |
158
MY SCOTTISH BEAUTIES.
I.
Ellen, Jean and FloraI prize all things above,
With blushes like Aurora,
Smiles like the Queen of Love.
They are my own three Graces
With eyes that flash delight,
May Time on their sweet faces
One wrinkle never write.
II.
Thy form, majestic Ellen!Thy proud and stately mien
Should grace no humbler dwelling
Than palace of a Queen.
Across the dark blue water,
In Europe's ancient land
Was never born a daughter
With air of more command.
III.
I know that there are manyMore dazzling in their charms,
But Burns would long, sweet Jenny!
To clasp you in his arms.
When near I feel devotion
As if thou wert a shrine—
Eyes, with the blue of ocean
In their clear depths, are thine.
159
IV.
And Flora, gentle Flora,Unsung thou shalt not be;
Rose, Mary, Blanche and Cora
Are names less dear to me.
Thy household virtues make thee
A wife to be desired;
For life the bard would take thee
Although in rags attired.
V.
I am no pleasure-seeker,A sober life I live,
But fill, fill high the beaker,
And pledge the toast I give!
“Ellen, Jean and Flora
I prize all things above,
With blushes like Aurora,
Smiles like the Queen of Love.”
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