The complete works of Robert Burns : containing his poems, songs, and correspondence. With a new life of the poet, and notices, critical and biographical

Front matter

BRANCH .

PUBLIC LIBRARY 3RT WAYNE & ALLEN CO

PUBLIC LIBRARY

Dedication

viii spirit, she may expect protection, wealth, and liberty. In the last place, I come to proffer my warmest wishes to the great fountain of honour, the Monarch of the universe, for your welfare and happiness.

When you go forth to waken the echoes, in the ancient and favourite amusement of your forefathers, may Pleasure ever be of your party : and may social joy await your return ! When harassed in courts or camps with the jostlings of had men and bad measures, may the honest consciousness of injured worth attend your return to your native seats ; and may domestic happiness, with a smiling welcome, meet you at your gates ! May corruption shrink at your kindling indignant glance ; and may tyranny in the ruler, and licentiousness in the people, equally find you an inexorable foe !

With the sincerest gratitude and highest respect,

Preface

I cannot give to my country this edition of one of its favourite poets, without | stating that I have deliberately omitted several pieces of verse ascribed to Burns t by other editors, who too hastily, and I think on insufficient testimony, admitted them | among his works. If I am unable to share in the hesitation expressed by one of them j on the authorship of the stanzas on “ Pastoral Poetry/’ I can as little share in the feelj ings with which they have intruded into the charmed circle of his poetry such composi* tions as “ Lines on the Ruins of Lincluden College,” “ Verses on the Destruction of the Woods of Drumlanrig,” “Verses written on a Marble Slab in the Woods of Aberfeldy,” and those entitled “ The Tree of Liberty.” These productions, with the exception of the last, were never seen by any one even in the handwriting of Burns, and are one and all wanting in that original vigour of language and manliness of sentiment which distinguish his poetry. With respect to “The Tree of Liberty” in particular, a subject dear to the heart of the Bard, can any one conversant with his genius imagine that he welcomed its growth or celebrated its fruit with such “capon craws” as these?

“ Upo’ this tree there grows sic fruit,

Its virtues a’ can tell, man ;

It raises man aboon the brute,

It mak’s him ken himsel’, man.

Gif ance the peasant taste a bit,

He’s greater than a lord, man,

An’ wi’ a beggar shares a mite O’ a’ he can afford, man.”

There are eleven stanzas, of which the best, compared with the “ A man’s a man for a’

; that” of Burns, sounds like a cracked pipkin against the “ heroic clang” of a Damascus blade. That it is extant in the handwriting of the poet cannot be taken as a proof that I it is his own composition, against the internal testimony of utter want of all the marks i Dy which we know him — the Burns-stamp, so to speak, which is visible on all that ever came from his pen. Misled by his handwriting, I inserted in my former edition of his works an epitaph, beginning

“ Here lies a rose, a budding rose,”

X

PREFACE.

the composition of ShenBtone, and which is to he found in the churchyard of Hales- Owen : as it is not included in every edition of that poet’s acknowledged works, Burns, who was an admirer of his genius, had, it seems, copied it with his own hand, and hence my error. If I hesitated about the exclusion of “The Tree of Liberty,” and its three false brethren, I could have no scruples regarding the fine song of “ Evan Banks,” claimed and justly for Miss Williams by Sir Walter Scott, or the humorous song called “ Shelah O’Neal,” composed by the late Sir Alexander Boswell. When I have stated that I have arranged the Poems, the Songs, and the Letters of Burns, as nearly as possible in the order in which they were written ; that I have omitted no piece of either verse or prose which bore the impress of his hand, nor included any by which his high reputation would likely be impaired, I have said all that seems necessary to be said, save that the following letter came too late for insertion in its proper place : it is characteristic and worth a place anywhere.

ALLAN CUNNINGHAM

TO DR. ARCHIBALD LAURIE.

Mossgiel, 13 th Nov. 1786

I have along with this sent the two volumes of Ossian, with the remaining volume of the Songs. Ossian I am not in such a hurry about ; but I wish the Songs, with the volume of the Scotch Poets, returned as soon as they can conveniently be dispatched. If they are left at Mr. Wilson, the bookseller’s shop, Kilmarnock, they will easily reach me.

My most respectful compliments to Mr. and Mrs. Laurie ; and a Poet’s warmest wishes for their happiness to the young ladies ; particularly the fair musician, whom I think much better qualified than ever David was, or could be, to charm an evil spirit out of a Saul.

Indeed, it needs not the feelings of a poet to be interested in the welfare of one of the sweetest scenes of domestic peace and kindred love that ever I saw ; as I think the peaceful unity of St. Margaret’s Hill can only be excelled by the harmonious concord of the Apocalyptic Zion.

I am, dear Sir, yours sincerely,

Robert Burks.

I

TABLE OP CONTENTS

The Life of Robert Burns .

Preface to the Kilmarnock Edition of 1786 . Dedication to the Edinburgh Edition of 1787 u«i

. xxiii lix

POEMS.

PAGE

Winter. A Dirge 61

The Death and dying Words of poor Mailie . 61

Poor Mailie’s Elegy 62

First Epistle to Davie, a brother Poet . . 63

Address to the Beil 65

The auld Farmer’s New-year Morning Salutation to his auld Mare Maggie ... 67

To a Haggis 7 68

A Prayer under the pressure of violent Anguish 69 A Prayer in the prospect of Death . . 69

Stanzas on the same occasion . . .69

A Winter Night 70

Remorse. A Fragment 71

The Jolly Beggars. A Cantata ... 71

Death and Dr. Hornbook. A True Story . .76

The Twa Herds; or, the Holy Tulzie . . 78

Holy Willie’s Prayer 79

Epitaph on Holy Willie .... 80

The Inventory ; in answer to a mandate by the

surveyor of taxes 81

The Holy Fair 82

The Ordination 84

To James Smith 86

The Vision 88

Halloween 92

Man was made to Mourn. A Dirge . . 95

To Ruin 96

To John Groudie of Kilmarnock, on the publication of his Essays 97

To J. Lapraik, an old Scottish Bard. First

Epistle 97

To J. Lapraik. Second Epistle ... 99

PAGE

To J. Lapraik. Third Epistle . . 100

To William Simpson, Ochiltree . . .101

Address to an illegitimate Child . . 103

Nature’s Law. A Poem humbly inscribed to

To the Rev. John M’Math .... 104

To a Mouse 105

Scotch Drink 106

The Author’s earnest Cry and Prayer to the Scotch Representatives of the House of Commons 107 Address to the unco Guid, or the rigidly Righteous 110

Tam Samson’s Elegy .... Ill

Lament, occasioned by the unfortunate issue of a Friend’s Amour .... 112

Despondency. An Ode .... 113 The Cotter’s Saturday Night . . . 114

The first Psalm 117

The first six Verses of the ninetieth Psalm . 118

To a Mountain Daisy 118

Epistle to a young Friend . . . 119

To a Louse, on seeing one on a Lady’s Bonnet

at Church 120

Epistle to J. Rankine, enclosing some Poems 121

On a Scotch Bard, gone to the West Indies 122

The Farewell 123

Written on the blank leaf of my Pooms, presented to an old Sweetheart then married 123

A Dedication to Gavin Hamilton, Esq. . 123

Elegy on the Death of Robert Ruisseaux . 125 Letter to James Tennant of Glenconner . 125

On the Birth of a posthumous Child . 126

To Miss Cruikshank ..... 126 Willie Chalmers . . . . . 127