If, in the vale of humble life, TO A LOUSE, On seeing one on a lady's bonnet, at church. Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie! Owre gauze and lace; Tho' faith, I fear ye dine but sparely On sic a place. Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner, Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner, How dare ye set your fit upon her, Sae fine a lady! Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner Swith, in some beggar's haffet squattle; There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle Wi' ither kindred, jumpin cattle, In shoals and nations; Whare horn nor bane ne'er dare unsettle Your thick plantations. Now haud you there, ye're out of sight, 'Till ye've got on it, The vera tapmast, tow'ring height O' miss's bonnet. My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out, As plump and gray as onie grozet; O for some rank, mercurial rozet, Or fell, red smeddum, I'd gie you sic a hearty doze o't, Wad dress your droddum! I wad na been surpris'd to spy You on an auld wife's flainen toy; Or aiblins some bit duddie boy, On's wyliecoat; But miss's fine lunardi! fie, How dare ye do't! O, Jenny, dinna toss your head, An' set your beauties a' abread! Ye little ken what cursed speed The blastie's makin! Thae winks and finger-ends, I dread, Are notice takin! O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us And foolish notion : What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us, ADDRESS TO EDINBURGH. 1 Edina! Scotia's darling seat! All hail thy palaces and tow'rs, Where once, beneath a monarch's feet, Sat legislation's sov'reign pow'rs! From marking wildly-scatter'd flow'rs, As on the banks of Ayr I stray'd, And singing, lone, the ling'ring hours, I shelter in thy honour'd shade. II. Here Wealth still swells the golden tide, As busy Trade his labours plies; There Architecture's noble pride Bids elegance and splendour rise; Here Justice, from her native skies, High wields her balance and her rod; There Learning, with his eagle eyes, Seeks Science in her coy abode. III. Thy sons, Edina, social, kind, With open arms the stranger hail; Their views enlarg'd, their lib'ral mind, Above the narrow, rural vale; Attentive still to sorrow's wail, Or modest merit's silent claim ;And never may their sources fail! And never envy blot their name! IV. Thy daughters bright thy walks adorn! And own his work indeed divine! There, watching high the least alarms, V.I. With awe-struck thought, and pitying tears, VII. Wild beats my heart to trace your steps Haply my sires have left their shed, And fac'd grim danger's loudest roar, Bold-following where your fathers led! VIII. Edina! Scotia's darling seat! EPISTLE TO J. LAPRAIK, AN OLD SCOTTISH BARD. April 1st, 1785. While briers an' woodbines budding green, An' paitricks scraichin loud at e'en, An' morning poussie whiddin seen, Inspire my muse, This freedom in an unknown frien' I pray excuse. On fasten-een we had a rockin, Ye need na doubt; At length we had a hearty yokin At sang about. There was ae sang, amang the rest, Aboon them a' it pleas'd me best, That some kind husband had addrest To some sweet wife : It thirl'd the heart-strings thro' the breast, A' to the life. I've scarce heard ought describes sae weel What gen'rous, manly bosoms feel; Thought I," Can this be Pope, or Steele, Or Beattie's wark?" They tald me 'twas an odd kind chiel About Muirkirk. It pat me fidgin-fain to hear't, He had ingine, That nane excell'd it, few cam near't, It was sae fine. That set him to a pint of ale, An' either douce or merry tale, Or rhymes an' sangs he'd made himsel, Or witty catches, "Tween Inverness and Tiviotdale He had few matches. |