 | Poems and songs |  |
79
MAY;
OR, AN ADDRESS TO THE SWALLOW. 1795.
Come, bonny birdie, come awa,
An' big your housie on my wa',
There safe your covey lay;
The drift an' snawy wreaths are gane,
The surly blasts o' hail an' rain
Gie place to blooming May.
An' big your housie on my wa',
There safe your covey lay;
The drift an' snawy wreaths are gane,
The surly blasts o' hail an' rain
Gie place to blooming May.
Fu' lang an' bitter was the storm
That did baith hill an' dale deform,
But now a' Nature's gay;
The meadows an' the plains revive,
The ploughmen see their labour thrive,
Aneath the smiles o' May.
That did baith hill an' dale deform,
But now a' Nature's gay;
The meadows an' the plains revive,
The ploughmen see their labour thrive,
Aneath the smiles o' May.
80
But ablins ye may chance to hear,
Whan scudding through the viewless air,
The cannon's roundelay;
For still in pomp terrific reigns
The God o' War, in crimson stains
To bluther cheerfu' May.
Whan scudding through the viewless air,
The cannon's roundelay;
For still in pomp terrific reigns
The God o' War, in crimson stains
To bluther cheerfu' May.
Peace, wi' the olive in her neb,
Flees far ayont yon gowany glebe,
An' hands us in dismay;
While blood an' carnage, dire alarms,
An' a' the horrid din of arms,
Salute the dewy May.
Flees far ayont yon gowany glebe,
An' hands us in dismay;
While blood an' carnage, dire alarms,
An' a' the horrid din of arms,
Salute the dewy May.
But thou, sweet bird o' passage, can
In this, advantage take o' man,
An' make a shorter stay.
The twa three months o' simmer gane,
Ye scour out-owre the hill an' plain,
To seek anither May.
In this, advantage take o' man,
An' make a shorter stay.
The twa three months o' simmer gane,
Ye scour out-owre the hill an' plain,
To seek anither May.
81
The Muse wad here a lesson learn,
An', by your flitting, sae discern
Her ain uncertain stay:
A bird o' passage now she sings;
To-morrow, on seraphic wings,
She seeks celestial May.
An', by your flitting, sae discern
Her ain uncertain stay:
A bird o' passage now she sings;
To-morrow, on seraphic wings,
She seeks celestial May.
Come then, sweet birdie, come awa,
Big your wee housie on my wa';
There safe your covey lay:
An' while ye twitter on my roof,
Let dool an' care gae by my houff,
An' ilka hour be May.
Big your wee housie on my wa';
There safe your covey lay:
An' while ye twitter on my roof,
Let dool an' care gae by my houff,
An' ilka hour be May.
| Poems and songs | |