VI. These wild-wood flowers I've pu'd, to deck The courtier's gems may witness love- CCXXXII. CHLOE. Tune-"Daintie Davie." ["Conjugal love," says the poet, "is a passion which I deeply feel and highly venerate: but somehow it does not make such a figure in poesie as that other species of the passion, where love is liberty and nature law. Musically speaking, the first is an instrument of which the gamut is scanty and confined, but the tones inexpressibly sweet, while the last has powers equal to all the intellectual modulations of the human soul." It must be owned that the bard could render very pretty reasons for his rapture about Jean Lorimer.] [When Burns transcribed the following song for Thomson, on the 20th of November, 1794, he added, "Well! I think this to be done in two or three turns across my room, and with two or three pinches of Irish blackguard, is not, so far, amiss. You see I am resolved to have my quantum of applause from somebody." The poet in this song complains of the coldness of Mrs. Riddel: the lady replied in a strain equally tender and forgiving.] I. Now in her green mantle blythe nature arrays, And listens the lambkins that bleat o'er the braes, While birds warble welcome in ilka green shaw; But to me it's delightless-my Nannie's awa! II. The snaw-drap and primrose our woodlands adorn, III. Thou lav'rock that springs frae the dews of the lawn, The shepherd to warn o' the gray-breaking dawn, And thou mellow mavis that hails the night-fa', Give over for pity-my Nannie's awa! IV. Come autumn, sae pensive, in yellow and gray, And soothe me with tidings o' nature's decay: The dark dreary winter, and wild driving snaw, Alane can delight me-now Nannie's awa! ["This song," says Sir Harris Nicolas, "is said, in Thomson's collection, to have been written for that work by Burns: but it is not included in Mr. Cunningham's edition." If Sir Harris would be so good as to look at page 245, vol. V., of Cunningham's edition of Burns, he will find the song: and if he will look at page 28 and page 193 of vol. III. of his own edition, he will find that he has not committed the error of which he accuses his fellow-editor, for he has inserted the same song twice. The same may be said of the song to Chloris, which Sir Harris has printed at page 312, vol. II., and at page 189, vol. III., and of "Ae day a braw wooer came down the lang glen," which appears both at page 224 of vol. II., and at page 183 of vol. III.] [There is both knowledge of history and elegance of allegory in this singular lyric: it was first printed by Currie.] I. THERE was once a day-but old Time then was young That brave Caledonia, the chief of her line, From some of your northern deities sprung, (Who knows not that brave Caledonia's divine?) From Tweed to the Orcades was her domain, To hunt, or to pasture, or do what she would: Her heav'nly relations there fixed her reign, And pledg'd her their godheads to warrant it good. |