1 Poverty. • Off-hand.

For still the important end of life
They equally may answer:
A man may hae an honest heart,

Though poortith1 hourly stare him;
A man may tak2 a neebor's part,
Yet hae nae cash to spare him.

Aye free aff han' 4

your story tell,
When wi' a bosom crony ; 5
But still keep something to yoursel
You scarcely tell to ony.?
Conceal yoursel as weel's ye can
Frae critical dissection;

But keek 10 through every other man
Wi' sharpened, slee11 inspection.

The sacred lowe 12 o' weel-placed love,
Luxuriantly indulge it;

But never tempt the illicit rove,
Though naething should divulge it :
I wave the quantum o' the sin,
The hazard of concealing;

But oh! it hardens a' within,
And petrifies the feeling!

To catch dame Fortune's golden smile,
Assiduous wait upon her;

And gather gear by every wile
That's justified by honour;
Not for to hide it in a hedge,
Not for a train attendant;
But for the glorious privilege
Of being independent.

The fear o' hell's a hangman's whip

To haud 13 the wretch in order;
But where ye feel your honour grip,
Let that aye be your
border;

Its slightest touches-instant pause;
Debar a' side pretences;
And resolutely keep its laws,
Uncaring consequences.

The great Creator to revere

Must sure become the creature;

But still the preaching cant forbear,
And even the rigid feature:

8 As well as.

13 Hold.

12 Flame.

Yet ne'er with wits profane to range
Be complaisance extended;

An Atheist's laugh 's a poor exchange
For Deity offended.

When ranting round in pleasure 's ring
Religion may be blinded;

Or, if she gie a random sting,

It may be little minded;

But when on life we 're tempest-driven-
A conscience but a canker-

A correspondence fixed wi' heaven
Is sure a noble anchor.

Adieu, dear, amiable youth!

Your heart can ne'er be wanting;
May prudence, fortitude, and truth,
Erect your brow undaunting!

In ploughman phrase, "God send you speed,"
Still daily to grow wiser;

And may you better reck the rede 2

Than ever did the adviser.

This poem, it will be observed, is for the greater part in English; and it is not throughout written with all the purity of diction which Burns never violates in his native dialect. For instance, in the fourth stanza the word "censure " is used to suit the exigencies of the rhyme, where the sense demands some such term as deplore or regret; for, although we might censure the man himself who fails to succeed in life (which, however, is not the idea here), we do not censure, that is blame or condemn, his fate; we can only lament it; if we censure anything, it is his conduct. In the same stanza, the expression "stare him " is, we apprehend, neither English nor Scotch : usage authorizes us to speak of poverty staring a man in the face, but not of it staring him, absolutely. Again, in the tenth stanza, we have "Religion may be blinded," apparently, for may be blinked, disregarded, or looked at as with shut eyes. We notice these things, to prevent an impression being left with the English reader that they are characteristic of Burns. Νο such vices of style, we repeat, are to be found in his Scotch, where the diction is uniformly as natural and correct as it is appropriate and expressive.

*

In a far more elevated and impassioned strain is the poem

1 Give.

2 "Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,

And recks not his own read."-Shakespeare, Hamlet.

* Unless, indeed, we may interpret the word as meaning deprived of the power of seeing.

entitled The Vision. It is too long to be quoted entire; but the following extracts will be sufficiently intelliglble :

The sun had closed the winter day,
The curlers quat1 their roaring play,
An' hungered mawkin2 ta'en her way
To kail-yards 3 green,

While faithless snaws 4 ilk 5 step betray
Whare she has been.

The thresher's weary flingin' tree?
The lee-langs day had tired me;

9

And, whan the day had closed his e'e 10
Far i' the west,

Ben i' the spence," right pensivelie,
I gaed 12 to rest.

There, lanely,13 by the ingle-cheek,"
I sat and eyed the spewing reek,15
That filled wi' hoast-provoking smeek 16
The auld clay biggin';17
An' heard the restless rattons 18 squeak
About the riggin'.19

All in this mottie,20 misty clime,
I backward mused on wasted time,
How I had spent my youthfu' prime,
An' done nae thing

But stringin' blethers 21 up in rhyme,
For fools to sing.

Had I to guid advice but harkit,22
I might, by this,23 hae led a market,
Or strutted in a bank an' clarkit 24
My cash account:

While here, half-mad, half-fed, half-sarkit,
Is a' the amount.

I started, muttering Blockhead! Coof! 26
And heaved on high my waukit loof,27
To swear by a' yon starry roof,

Or some rash aith,28

That I henceforth would be rhyme-proof
Till my last breath-

2 The hare.

5 Every. 8 Live-long.

11 Within in the sitting apartment.
15 Smoke issuing out.

14 Fireside.

17 The old clay building, or house.

20 Full of motes.

23 By this time. 26 Fool.

25

18 Rats.
21 Nonsense, idle words.
24 Written.

27 My palm thickened (with labour).

25 Half-shirted.

28 Oath.

But this poem is too long for quotation, and is besides well known to every reader who knows anything of Burns. We will rather present our English readers with one or two shorter pieces that may serve to illustrate another quality of the man and of his poetry-the admirable sagacity and good sense, never separated from manliness and a high spirit, that made so large a part of his large heart and understanding. All the more considerate nature of Burns speaks in the following Epistle to a Young Friend, dated May, 1786:

1 Cliff.

I lang hae thought, my youthfu' friend,

A something to have sent you,
Though it should serve nae other end
Than just a kind memento;

But how the subject-theme may gang
Let time and chance determine;
Perhaps it may turn out a sang,
Perhaps turn out a sermon.
Ye'll try the world soon, my lad,
And, Andrew dear, believe me,
Ye'll find mankind an unco squad,
And muckle they may grieve ye:
For care and trouble set your thought,
Ev'n when your end 's attained;

8

And a' your views may come to nought,
Where every nerve is strained.

2 Small whirlpool.

3 Slily disappeared by dipping down, skulked. [Dr. Currie interprets it.

8 All.

4 Long have.
9 Not.
13 Who fall.

5 No. 10 Who have no 14 Not

"appeared and disappeared by fits."]
6 Strange crew. 7 Much.
11 Restricted. 12 Very, strangely.

1 Poverty. • Off-hand.

Frae critical dissection;

6

But keek 10 through every other man
Wi' sharpened, slee" inspection.

The sacred lowe 12 o' weel-placed love,
Luxuriantly indulge it;

But never tempt the illicit rove,

Though naething should divulge it :

I wave the quantum o' the sin,
The hazard of concealing;
But oh! it hardens a' within,
And petrifies the feeling!

To catch dame Fortune's golden smile,
Assiduous wait upon her;

And gather gear by every wile
That's justified by honour;
Not for to hide it in a hedge,
Not for a train attendant;
But for the glorious privilege
Of being independent.

The fear o' hell's a hangman's whip
To haud 13 the wretch in order;
But where ye feel your honour grip,
Let that aye be your border;
Its slightest touches-instant pause;
Debar a' side pretences;

And resolutely keep its laws,
Uncaring consequences.

The great Creator to revere

Must sure become the creature ;

But still the preaching cant forbear,
And even the rigid feature:

2 Take.

3 Neighbour's.

5 Intimate associate.

6 Yourself. 10 Look slily.

7 Any. 11 Sly.

13 Hold.

12 Flame.