The Poetry of Robert Burns Edited by William Ernest Henley and Thomas F. Henderson |
 | I. |
| 2. |
 | III. |
SWEET AFTON |
| IV. |
 | The Poetry of Robert Burns |  |
SWEET AFTON
I
Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes!Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise!
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream—
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream!
II
Thou stock dove whose echo resounds thro' the glen,Ye wild whistling blackbirds in yon thorny den,
Thou green-crested lapwing, thy screaming forbear—
I charge you, disturb not my slumbering fair!
III
How lofty, sweet Afton, thy neighbouring hills,Far mark'd with the courses of clear, winding rills!
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My flocks and my Mary's sweet cot in my eye.
IV
How pleasant thy banks and green vallies below,Where wild in the woodlands the primroses blow
There oft, as mild Ev'ning weeps over the lea,
The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary and me.
V
Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides,And winds by the cot where my Mary resides!
How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave,
As, gathering sweet flowerets, she stems thy clear wave!
VI
Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes!Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays!
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream—
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream!
| The Poetry of Robert Burns | |