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The songs and poems of Robert Tannahill

With biography, illustrations, and music
 
 

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KISS'D YESTREEN.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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[_]

The attribution of this poem is questionable.

KISS'D YESTREEN.

The lasses a' laughed, an' the carlin flate,
But Maggie was sitting fu' ourie an' blate;
The auld silly gawkie, she couldna contain,
How brawly she was kiss'd yestreen,
Kiss'd yestreen, kiss'd yestreen,
How brawly she was kiss'd yestreen:
She blether'd it round to her fae an' her frien',
How brawly she was kiss'd yestreen.

57

[She loosed the white napkin frae 'bout her dun neck,
And cried—“The big sorrow tak' lang Geordie Fleck!
D'ye see what a scart I gat frae a preen,
By his touslin' and kissin' at me yestreen,
At me yestreen, at me yestreen,
By his touslin' and kissin' at me yestreen:
I canna conceive what the fallow could mean
By kissin' sae meikle at me yestreen.”
Then she pu'd up her sleeve, and showed a blae mark,
Quoth she—“I gat that frae young Davie, our clerk;
But the creature had surely forgat himsel' clean,
When he nipped me sae hard for a kiss yestreen,
For a kiss yestreen, for a kiss yestreen,
When he nipped me sae hard for a kiss yestreen:
I wonder what keepit my nails frae his een,
When he nipped me sae hard for a kiss yestreen.”
Then she held up her cheek, and cried—“Foul fa' the laird,
Just look what I gat wi' his black birsie beard!
The vile filthy body! was e'er the like seen?
Tae rub me sae sair for a kiss yestreen,
For a kiss yestreen, for a kiss yestreen,
To rub me sae sair for a kiss yestreen:
I 'm sure that nae woman o' judgment need grien
To be rubbed, like me, for a kiss yestreen.”
Syne she told what grand offers she aften had had,
But, wad she tak' a man? na, she wasna sae mad!
For the whole o' the sex she cared no a preen,
And she hated the way she was kiss'd yestreen,
She was kiss'd yestreen, she was kiss'd yestreen,
And she hated the way she was kiss'd yestreen:
'Twas a mercy that naething mair serious had been,
For it 's dangerous, whiles, to be kiss'd at e'en.]
 

It is doubtful if Tannahill was the author of more than the first verse of this song.