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THE COTTER'S(1) SATURDAY NIGHT.

INSCRIBED TO R. A****, ESQ.

BY ROBERT BURNS.

"Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
"Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
"Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile,
"The short and simple annals of the poor."

I.

GRAY.

My loved, my honor'd, much respected friend!
No mercenary bard his homage pays;
With honest pride, I scorn each selfish end,
My dearest meed, a friend's esteem and praise :
To you I sing, in simple Scottish lays,

The lowly train in life's sequester'd scene;
The native feelings strong, the guileless ways;
What A**** in a cottage would have been ;

Ah! though his worth unknown, far happier there, I ween!

II.

November chill blaws (2) loud wi'(3) angry sugh ;(4)
The shortening winter-day is near a close;
The miry beasts retreating frae(5) the plew :(6)
The blackening trains o'(7) craws (8) to their repose;
The toil-worn Cotter frae his labor goes,

This night his weekly moil(9) is at an end,

(1) The inhabitant of a cot-house or cottage. (2) Blows.
(3) With. (4) The continued rushing noise of wind or wafer.
(5) From. (6) Plow. (7) Of. (8) Crows. (9) Labor.

S

Collects his spades, his mattocks, and his hoes,
Hoping the morn in ease and rest to spend,

And weary, o'er the moor, his course does hameward (1) bend.

III.

At length his lonely cot appears in view,

Beneath the shelter of an aged tree:

Th' expectant wee-things, (2) todlin,(3) stacher(4) through

To meet their dad, wi' flichterin (5) noise an'(6) glee. His wee bit(7) ingle(8) blinkin(9) bonnily,(10)

His clean hearth-stane,(11) his thriftie wifie's(12) smile,

The lisping infant prattling on his knee,

Does a'(13) his weary carking cares beguile, An' makes him quite forget his labor an' his toil.

IV.

Belyve(14) the elder bairns (15) come drapping(16) in, At service out amang(17) the farmers roun' ;(18) Some ca'(19) the plew, some herd,(20) some tentie (21) rin (22)

A cannie(23) errand to a neebor(24) town: Their eldest hope, their Jenny, woman grown,

In youthfu'(25) bloom, love sparkling in her e'e,(26) Comes hame,(27) perhaps to show a braw (28) new gown,

(1) Homeward. (2) Little ones. (3) Tottering. (4) Stagger. (5) Fluttering. (6) And. (7) A small matter. (8) A fire, or fire-place. (9) Smirking. (10) Beautifully. (11) Hearth-stone. (12) An endearing term for wife. (13) All. (14) By and by. (15) Children. (16) Dropping. (17) Among. (18) Around, in the circle of the neighborhood. (19) Drive. (20) To tend flocks. (21) Heedful, cautious. (22).Run. (23) Gentle, mild, dexterous. (24) Neighbor. (25) Youthful. (26) Eye. (27) Home. (28) Fine, handsome.

Or deposite her sair-won(1) penny fee,

To help her parents dear, if they in hardship be.

V.

Wi' joy unfeign'd brothers and sisters meet,
An' each for other's weelfare (2) kindly speirs:(3)
The social hours, swift-wing'd, unnoticed fleet;
Each tells the uncos(4) that he sees or hears;
The parents, partial, eye their hopeful years;
Anticipation forward points the view.

The mother, wi' her needle an' her sheers,
Gars(5) auld(6) claes(7) look amaist(8) as weel's(9)

the new;

The father mixes a' wi' admonition due.

VI.

Their masters' an' their mistresses' command,
The younkers a' are warned to obey;

An' mind their labors wi' an eydent(10) hand,

An' ne'er, though out o' sight, to jauk(11) or play; "An' O! be sure to fear the LORD alway! "An' mind your duty, duly, morn an' night ! Lest in temptation's paths ye gang(12) astray, "Implore his counsel and assisting might;

They never sought in vain, that sought the LORD aright."

VII.

But hark! a rap comes gently to the door;
Jenny, wha(13) kens(14) the meaning o' the same,
Tells how a neebor lad cam(15) o'er the moor,
To do some errands, and convoy her hame.

(1) Service-won. (2) Welfare. (3) Inquires. (4) News. (5) Makes. (6) Old. (7) Clothes. (8) Almost. (9) Well? (10) Diligent. (11) To dally, to trifle. (12) To go, to walk. (13) Who. (14) Knows. (15) Came.

The wily mother sees the conscious flame
Sparkle in Jenny's e'e, and flush her cheek;
With heart-struck, anxious care, inquires his name,
While Jenny hafflins (1) is afraid to speak;
Weel pleased the mother hears, it's nae(2) wild, worth-
less rake.

VIII.

Wi' kindly welcome Jenny brings him ben ;(S)

A strappan (4) youth: he takes the mother's eye; -Blithe Jenny sees the visit's no ill ta'en;

The father cracks(5) of horses, plews, and kye.(6) The youngster's artless heart o'erflows wi' joy,

But, blate and laithfu',(7) scarce can weel behave ; The mother, wi' a woman's wiles, can spy

What makes the youth sae (8) bashfu’(9) and sae grave; Weel pleased to think her bairn's respected like the lave.(10)

IX.

Q happy love! where love like this is found!
O heart-felt raptures! bliss beyond compare!
I've paced much this weary, mortal round,
And sage Experience bids me this declare-
"If Heaven a draught of heavenly pleasure spare,
"One cordial in this melancholy vale,

'Tis when a youthful, loving, modest pair,

"In other's arms breathe out the tender tale,

"Beneath the milk-white thorn that scents the evening gale."

(1) Nearly half, partly. (2) No. (3) Into the spence or parfor. (4) Tall and handsome. (5) Converses. (6) Cows.

(7) Bashful, sheepish. (8) So. (9) Bashful.

(10) The rest, the remainder, the others,

X.

Is there, in human form, that bears a heart-
A wretch! a villain! lost to love and truth!
That can, with studied, sly, ensnaring art,

Betray sweet Jenny's unsuspecting youth ?
Curse on his perjured arts! dissembling smooth!
Are honor, virtue, conscience, all exiled ?
Is there no pity, no relenting ruth,

Points to the parents fondling o'er their child? Then paints the ruin'd maid, and their distraction wild!

XI.

But now the supper crowns their simple board,

The healsome(1) parritch (2) chief o' Scotia's food: The soupe(3) their only Hawkie(4) does afford, That 'yont(5) the hallan (6) snugly chows(7) her cood ;(8)

The dame brings forth, in complimental mood,

To grace the lad, her weel-hain'd(9) kebbuck,(10) fell,(11)

An' aft(12) he's press'd, an' aft he ca's(13) it guid ;(14) The frugal wifie, garrulous, will tell,

How 'twas a towmond (15) auld, sin'(16) lint(17) was i'(18) the bell.(19)

XII.

The cheerfu' (20) supper done, wi' serious face,
They round the ingle form a, circle wide;

(1) Healthful, wholesome.

(2) Oatmeal pudding, a well-known Scotch dish. (3) A spoonful, a small quantity of any thing liquid. (4) A cow-properly, one with a white face. (5) Beyond, (6) A particular partition wall in a cottage. (7) Chews. (8) Cud. (9) Well-spared. (10) A cheese. (11) Keen, biting, (12) Oft. (13) Calls. (14) Good. (15) Twelvemonth. (16) Since. (17) Flax. (18) In. (19) Flower. (20) Cheerful.

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