ILLE TERRARUM

RAE nirly, nippin', Eas'lan' breeze,

FRAE

Frae Norlan' snaw, an' haar o' seas,
Weel happit in your gairden trees,
A bonny bit,

Atween the muckle Pentland's knees,
Secure ye sit.

Beeches an' aiks entwine their theek,
An' firs, a stench, auld-farrant clique.
A' simmer day, your chimleys reek,
Couthy and bien;

An' here an' there your windies keek
Amang the green.

A pickle plats an' paths an' posies,
A wheen auld gillyflowers an' roses:
A ring o' wa's the hale encloses

Frae sheep or men;

An' there the auld housie beeks an' doses, A' by her lane.

The gairdner crooks his weary back
A' day in the pitaty-track,

Or mebbe stops awhile to crack
Wi' Jane the cook,

Or at some buss, worm-eaten-black,
To gie a look.

Frae the high hills the curlew ca's; The sheep gang baaing by the wa's; Or whiles a clan o' roosty craws Cangle thegether;

The wild bees seek the gairden raws, Weariet wi' heather.

Or in the gloamin' douce an' gray
The sweet-throat mavis tunes her lay;
The herd comes linkin' doun the brae;
An' by degrees

The muckle siller müne maks way
Amang the trees.

Here aft hae I, wi' sober heart,
For meditation sat apairt,

When orra loves or kittle art

Perplexed my mind;

Here socht a balm for ilka smart
O' humankind.

Here aft, weel neukit by my lane,
Wi' Horace, or perhaps Montaigne,
The mornin' hours hae come an' gane
Abüne my heid-

I wadnae gi'en a chucky-stane

For a' I'd read.

ILLE TERRARUM

But noo the auld city, street by street,
An' winter fu' o' snaw an' sleet,
Awhile shut in my gangrel feet
An' goavin' mettle;

Noo is the soopit ingle sweet,
An' liltin' kettle.

An' noo the winter winds complain;
Cauld lies the glaur in ilka lane;
On draigled hizzie, tautit wean
An' drucken lads,

In the mirk nicht, the winter rain
Dribbles an' blads.

Whan bugles frae the Castle rock,
An' beaten drums wi' dowie shock,
Wauken, at cauld-rife sax o'clock,
My chitterin' frame,

I mind me on the kintry cock,
The kintry hame.

I mind me on yon bonny bield;
An' Fancy traivels far afield
To gaither a' that gairdens yield
O' sun an' Simmer:

To hearten up a dowie chield,
Fancy's the limmer!

III

HEN aince Aprile has fairly come,

Wan birds may bigg in winter's lum,

An'

An pleisure's spreid for a' and some
O' whatna state,

Love, wi' her auld recruitin' drum,
Than taks the gate.

The heart plays dunt wi' main an' micht;
The lasses' een are a' sae bricht,

Their dresses are sae braw an' ticht,
The bonny birdies!-

Puir winter virtue at the sicht

Gangs heels ower hurdies.

An' aye as love frae land to land
Tirls the drum wi' eident hand,
A' men collect at her command,
Toun-bred or land'art,
An' follow in a denty band

Her gaucy standart.

An' I, wha sang o' rain an' snaw,
An' weary winter weel awa',
Noo busk me in a jacket braw,
An' tak my place

I' the ram-stam, harum-scarum raw,
Wi' smilin' face.

A

A MILE AN' A BITTOCK

MILE an' a bittock, a mile or twa,

Abüne the burn, ayont the law, Davie an' Donal' an' Cherlie an' a',

An' the müne was shinin' clearly!

Ane went hame wi' the ither, an' then
The ither went hame wi' the ither twa men,
An' baith wad return him the service again,
An' the müne was shinin' clearly!

The clocks were chappin' in house an' ha', Eleeven, twal an' ane an' twa;

An' the guidman's face was turnt to the wa', An' the mûne was shinin' clearly!

A wind got up frae affa the sea,
It blew the stars as clear's could be,

It blew in the een of a' o' the three,

An' the müne was shinin' clearly!

Noo, Davie was first to get sleep in his head, "The best o' frien's maun twine," he said; "I'm weariet, an' here I'm awa' to my bed.” An' the müne was shinin' clearly!