TO WILLIAM CREECH. The brethren o' the Commerce-Chaumer 1 Amang them a’; I fear they'll now mak' mony a stammer, Willie's awa'! Now worthy Gregory's Latin face, As Rome ne'er saw; They a' maun meet some ither place, Willie's awa'! Poor Burns-e'en Scotch drink canna quicken, By hoodie-craw; Grief's gi'en his heart an unco kickin',- Now every sour-mou'd girnin' blellum,3 His quill may draw; Willie's awa'! Up wimpling, stately Tweed I've sped, And Ettrick banks now roaring red, While tempests blaw; But every joy and pleasure's fled, Willie's awa'! May I be slander's common speech; And lastly, streekit out to bleach In winter snaw; Though far awa'! When I forget thee, Willie Creech, 1 At Edinburgh. 201 2 Mr. Creech gave breakfasts to his authors-they were called Creech's Levées. 2 Idle chatterer. • Worthless fellow. 5 Nonsense. Ellisland, October 21, 1789. Wow, but your letter made me vauntie! Wad bring ye to: Lord send you aye as weel's I want ye, The ill-thief blaw the Heron 2 south! He'd tak' my letter; I lippened to the chiel in trouth, But what d'ye think, my trusty fier ?7 Ye'll now disdain me, And then my fifty pounds a year 66 Will little gain me. and to try his fortune as a poet. A blind poet, whose encouragement induced Burns to go to Edinburgh instead of to the West Indies, 2 Mr. Heron, author of a 3 Trusted. Learning. 4 Deserved. 7 Friend. 5 Spend. 8 Exciseman. 1 Foolish. 203 TO DR. BLACKLOCK. Ye glaiket,' gleesome, dainty damies, 2 That strang necessity supreme is ’Mang sons o men. I ha'e a wife and twa wee laddies, They maun ha'e brose and brats o' duddies; But I'll sned besoms-thraw saugh woodies," Lord help me through this warld o' care! Not but I ha'e a richer share Than mony ithers; But why should ae man better fare, And a' men brithers? Come, Firm Resolve, take thou the van, 6 And let us mind, faint heart ne'er wan A lady fair; Wha does the utmost that he can, "Will whyles do mair. But to conclude my silly rhyme, To make a happy fireside clime To weans and wife, That's the true pathos and sublime Of human life. My compliments to sister Beckie;" As e'er tread clay! I'm ROBERT BURNS. 4 Cut brooms. 2 Jump. 5 Twist willow-withes. 3 Rags of clothes. 6 The seed-bearing hemp. LETTER TO JAMES TAIT, OF GLENCONNER. AULD Comrade dear, and brither sinner, An' Smith, to common sense appealing. I pray an' ponder butt the house; My shins, my lane," I there sit roastin', I'll grunt a real gospel-groan: My heart-warm love to guid auld Glen, and cares, years My auld schoolfellow, preacher Willie, 1 Weavers. 2 Alone. 8 Choice. TO R. GRAHAM. May he be dad, and Meg the mither, An', Lord, remember singing Sannock, Tell them, frae me, wi' chiels be cautious, For, faith, they'll aiblins fin' them fashious; To grant a heart is fairly civil, But to grant a maidenhead 's the devil! Now fare ye weel, an' joy be wi' you! Ye'll fin' him just an honest man: Sae I conclude, and quat my chanter, Your's, saint or sinner,-ROB THE RANTER. 203 FIRST EPISTLE TO R. GRAHAM, ESQ., OF WHEN Nature her great masterpiece designed, She formed of various parts the various man. Robert Graham, Esq., of Fintry, was one of the Commissioners of Excise, and having met the Poet at the Duke of Athol's, he became interested in his behalf, and showed him many kindnesses. In August, 1788, Burns sent Mrs. Dunlop fourteen lines of this Epistle, beginning with— "Pity the tuneful Muses' helpless train,' saying, "Since I am in the way of transcribing, the following lines were the production of yesterday, as I jogged through the wild hills of New |