University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
Poems on several subjects

Nicol, Alexander

collapse section 
[section]
  
TO THE HONOURABLE JAMES HALYBURTON of Pitcur, Esq; Member of Parliament of Orkney and Shetland, and Colonel of the Third Regiment of Foot-Guards, &c.
  
PREFACE.
  
To the Author, on his Collection of Miscellany Poems.
collapse sectionI. 
NATURE without ART.
  
An Account of the Author, being an Epistle to the Right Honourable Susanna Countess of Strathmore, in the Year 1727; but newly revised and corrected, with some Circumstances then omitted.
  
An Introduction to a Wedding SONG. To the Right Honourable the Lord ------.
  
The ODE.
  
A POEM, inscribed to the Right Honourable the Earl of Morton, on his accepting the former Ode, &c.
  
The DREAM.
  
On the Death of the Honourable Henry Crawfoord of Monorgan, who died March 1731.
  
The young Man's Litany.
  
The young Woman's Litany in Choice of an Husband.
  
To the Right Honourable, the Lord Gray, upon his sending me Mr Ramsay's Poems.
  
To two GENTLEWOMEN.
  
An ACROSTIC.
  
Another ACROSTIC.
  
LOVE's CURE.
collapse section 
A Collection of Scots Songs, being new Words adapted to old Tunes.
 I. 
SONG I.
 II. 
SONG II.
 III. 
SONG III. TIMBER STAIRS.
 IV. 
SONG IV. The poor Prentice.
 V. 
SONG V. Few good Fellows when Jamie's awa'.
 VI. 
SONG VI. The Pease Straw.
 VII. 
SONG VII. My Love she is the Ring-leader
 VIII. 
SONG VIII. The Summer Evening.
 IX. 
SONG IX.
 X. 
SONG X. O'er the Muir to Meggy.
 XI. 
SONG XI. The Leacher's Lament.
 XII. 
SONG XII. The amorous Shepherd.
 XIII. 
SONG XIII. The ADMIRATION.
 XIV. 
SONG XIV. The COMMENDATION.
 XV. 
SONG XV.
 XVI. 
SONG XVI. The COMPLAINT.
 XVII. 
SONG XVII. The Auld Goodman.
 XVIII. 
SONG XVIII. The FIDELITY.
 XIX. 
SONG XIX. The forlorn MAID.
 XX. 
SONG XX. The BANKS of TAY.
  
An Epitaph on that puissant Duke of Berwick, Great Marshal of France, who, at the siege of Phillipsburgh, viewing the trenches, had his head shot off by a cannon ball, in the year 1734.
  
CHRIST's KIRK on the GREEN.
  
An Epistle to Mr P---, one of his Majesty's Officers of Excise, on his ridiculing my Verses.
  
A Letter to J--- B--- an old Batchelor, persuading him to marry.
  
Written by a Gentleman upon seeing some of my Verses.
  
My ANSWER.
  
An Epistle to Mr Allan Ramsay.
  
Said on WRITING.
  
An Epistle to a Friend newly married, against the will of his Wife's Friends.
  
To the Laird of ABERCAIRNIE.
  
Upon our jolly Change-Keeper leaving the place.
  
A Tale of two Brothers, and their Posterity.
  
The AUTHOR's Wish.
  
On FORTUNE.
  
Upon the fair Sex.
  
PROVERBS, Chap. xxxi. Verse 10.
  
The honest Country-man's Meditation, as he was humming it over alone in Words at Resting-time.
  
Thirty Riddles, with their Expositions.
  
A POEM, shewing the Original, Antiquity, Beauty, and Glory of Masonry; also its Progress, Improvements, and Usefulness; with a Description of the Mason's Lodge. All which is concluded with an Ode, sung to the tune of, The free and accepted Mason. To which is prefixed, instead of a Preface, a Poem on the printed Pamphlet.
  
A POEM on Masonry.
  
The Masons Lodge.
  
The ODE.
  
On receiving a Compliment from the Right Honourable the Lord Kinnaird.
  
An ELEGY on auld Use and Wont
  
An ELEGY on Johnie Galla'.
  
An EPISTLE, from Mr D--- L--- Schoolmaster at Kinnaird, to Alexander Nicol Schoolmaster at Collace, February 3d 1749; on seeing my last book, called Nature without Art.
  
Alexander Nicol's Answer to the foregoing Epistle, February 6th 1749.
  
James Ratcliff's Retreat from the Prison of Edinburgh, Monday 23d of July 1739, he being to be hanged the Wednesday after:
  
A SAPPHIC ODE.
  
A SONG, Tune Allan Water.
  
A POEM on R--- H--- of South-Ballo.
  
ACROSTIC.
  
A Remark on the Poverty of Poets.
collapse section 
The Complaint of a Lark directed to a great Lion: A Fable; occasioned by another Lion being influenced by some evil Speaker, to suspect the honesty of the Lark.
  
[section]
  
The MORAL.
collapse section 
The Cat and the Ape. A Fable.
  
[section]
  
The MORAL.
  
On seeing Smith and Craig's bantering Poems, anent the building of a School-house at Glenshie.
  
An EPISTLE to Mr Robert Smith Schoolmaster at Kinnaird, upon his saying he would not stay in the Place.
  
Mr Smith's ANSWER.
  
Another EPISTLE to Mr Robert Smith.
  
The PETITION of Alexander Nicol. Schoolmaster at Collace, to the Honourable Sir William Nairn of Dunsinnan Baronet.
  
An EPITAPH on Alexander Robertson of Struan.
  
An ACROSTICK.
  
To the Memory of the Honourable George Hay of Leys, Esq
  
On Captain Balnave's being dangerously sick of a Fever at the time he should have been married; inscribed to his Lady afterwards.
  
On the City of DUNDEE.
collapse section 
The BROKEN LAIRD REPAIR'D; OR, The DYVOUR turn'd a THRIVER:
 I. 
CANTO I.
 II. 
CANTO II.
 III. 
CANTO III.
 IV. 
CANTO IV.
 V. 
CANTO V.
  
Sung by Miss JENNY.
  
On FORTUNE.
  
A PASTORAL between Colin, Willie, and Deavy, upon Baledgarno's Marriage.
  
VENUS's JOURNEY. A POEM inscribed to Mr Ogilvie of Inchmartine, on his Marriage.
  
On Mrs Ogilvie's Chariot-wheel sinking on the Brink of the River Spey.
  
To the Right Honourable the Lord Kinnaird, on his commencing Master of Masons, &c.
collapse sectionII. 
NATURE without ART.
  
An Invocation to the heavenly Muse.
  
Forty five Wonders; or, an Imitation of a Pamphlet of moral sayings, called, A Book of Fives, or five and forty Wonders.
  
Alphabetical Verses on the Life of MAN, being eight Verses annexed to each Letter.
collapse section 
The four Seasons of the Year compared to the four Ages of Man's Life, viz. Infancy, Childhood or Youth, Manhood, and old Age.
 I. 
I. WINTER.
 II. 
II. SPRING.
 III. 
III. SUMMER.
 IV. 
IV. Autumn, or Harvest.
  
A Meditation at the Communion-table.
  
On the Fall of Man.
  
To the holy Trinity, on the Redemption of Man.
  
A Meditation for a Traveller.
  
Upon the WORLD.
  
A Meditation for a Fast-day before the Communion.
  
A Lamentation, &c.
  
The contented Christian, or the Christian's Content.
  
A Soliloquy for an unregenerate Sinner.
collapse section 
A BUNDLE OF FLOWERS FOR CHILDREN:
  
To my young Reader.
  
The First Chapter of Genesis.
  
A Meditation on the Second Chapter of Genesis.
  
VERSES upon the most remarkable Men and Women mentioned in the BIBLE.
  
[Methuselah liv'd to the greatest age]
collapse section 
REMARKS.
 I. 
[I.]
 II. 
II.
 III. 
III.
 IV. 
IV.
 V. 
V.
  
Fifty Golden Verses.
  
An ACROSTIC.
  
An ACROSTIC.
collapse section 
An Epistle, or New-year's Gift, to a young Merchant in Perth, January 1st 1751.
  
[section]
  
POSTSCRIPT.
  
The Brevity of Human Life.
  
The Eighth Chapter of Solomon's Proverbs.
  
The Love of Christ, An Hymn.
  
An Hymn on Death.
  
Hymn for a Fellowship Meeting.
collapse section 
THE CHILD's COMPANION; IN A NATURAL DIALOGUE BETWIXT A Child and One of riper Years: Useful for Young Ones.
  
To my young Reader.
  
An Advice to Children. By another Hand.
  
The CHILD's COMPANION, &c.
collapse section 
KING SOLOMON's BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES, IN METRE.
  
On the BOOK.
collapse section 
King Solomon's Book of Ecclesiastes, in Verse.
 I. 
CHAP. I.
 II. 
CHAP. II.
 III. 
CHAP. III.
 IV. 
CHAP. IV.
 V. 
CHAP. V.
 VI. 
CHAP. VI.
 VII. 
CHAP. VII.
 VIII. 
CHAP. VIII.
 IX. 
CHAP. IX.
 X. 
CHAP. X.
 XI. 
CHAP. XI.
 XII. 
CHAP. XII.

collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
previous sectionCHAP. II. Poems on several subjects
next section
317

CHAP. II.

[1]

I bade my heart prove mirth and pleasure; they
I also found but empty vanity.

2

I said of laughter, Surely it is madness;
And what does mirth but fills the mind with sadness?

3

With wine I sought to chear my heart; but, when
I thought on wisdom, this was also vain:
Folly I try'd, to see what's good for men
To do on earth while they alive remain.

4

Great works I made, and built me houses great,
And planted vineyards at a costly rate:

5

Gardens I made, and orchards to my mind,
And fruit trees planted therein of each kind:

6

I made me pools for wat'ring nurseries,
That bringeth forth the young and tender trees:

7

I got me servants, yea, and maidens fair,
And in my house too servants born were:
I had great store of cattle great and small,
Exceeding far my predecessors all:

8

I gath'red silver, gold, and ev'ry thing
That proper were for princes or a king:
I got me singers and delightful sports,
With instrumental music of all sorts.

9

So I was great, increas'd above all them
That were before me in Jerusalem;
Also my wisdom did with me remain.

10

Mine eyes desire I never did restrain;
I ne'er withheld my heart from any joys,
And in my labours greatly did rejoice:
This was the portion of my labours all,
That unto me of all these did befal:

11

I look'd on all the works my hands had wrought,
And on the labours my inventions sought;
And lo, I found them trifling vanity,
And sore vexation of my soul to be:
There was no profit in ought I had done,
Nor satisfaction here below the sun.
318

12

I turn'd myself sage wisdom to behold;
With madness too, and folly, I made bold:
What can the man do that comes after me?
Ev'n what is done, surely no more can he.

13

Then did I see that wisdom did excel
Folly, as far as heaven itself does hell.

14

The wise man's eyes are in his head; but lo,
The fool in paths of darkness on doth go:
And I myself perceiv'd, that unto all
One event still, for the most part, doth fall.

15

Then did I say, Why should I wiser be
Than is the fool? for now I plainly see
One event happ'neth both to him and me;
Then said I thereby this is vanity.

16

For there's no more remembrance of the wise
Than of the fool: in death all hidden lyes:
That which is now shall all forgotten be;
And as the fool, doth not the wise man, die?

17

Therefore I even hated life, because
The work I did unto me grievous was:
For surely all is empty vanity,
And sore vexation of the spirit be.

18

I hated all the labours I had done,
And my inventions here below the sun;
Because that he who shall come after me
Shall in short time thereof possessor be.

19

And who knows whether he'll be wise or fool?
Yet he o'er all my labours shall have rule,
Wherein I labour'd, and my wisdom shown:
This is a vanity below the sun.

20

Then did I seek to cause my heart despair
Of all the works whereof my heart took care.

21

For there's a man hath wisdom to invent,
And knowledge to work out his whole intent;
In equity he deals with all mankind:
Yet must he leave his labours all behind,
Unto a man that ne'er employ'd a thought
T'accomplish them, nor therein ever wrought:
319

This surely is a sordid vanity,
And also a great evil certainly.

22

For what hath man of all his labours done,
And heart's vexation here below the sun?

23

For all his days are sorrows, travel, grief;
Yea, all he doth can yield him no relief.
When as at night his heart can take no rest:
This is a vanity, and not the least.

24

There's nothing better for a man, I think,
Than that he should with pleasure eat and drink;
And let his soul enjoy the happiness
Of all he does, and all he doth possess:
But this I saw to mortals certainly
Came from the lib'ral hand of the Most High.

25

For who can eat, his soul to satisfy,
Or who can hasten thereto more than I?

26

For God gives still to good men in his sight
Wisdom and knowledge, joy and heart's delight:
But to the wicked travel, toil and pain,
God gives, that they may wealth and riches gain,
That he may give't to good men in his sight.
This is a vain vexation of the sp'rit.
previous sectionCHAP. II. Poems on several subjects
next section