I see the spreading leaves and flowers, I can na tell, I maun na tell, I daur na for your anger; But secret love will break my heart, Beyond thee, &c. I see thee gracefu', straight and tall, Beyond thee, &c. To see thee in another's arms, In love to lie and languish, have none must dare not 'Twad be my dead, that will be seen, It would death But Jeanie, say thou wilt be mine, Beyond thee, &c. [Craigieburn is a beautiful locality in the neighborhood of Moffat, where the parents of Jean Lorimer (afterwards the celebrated "Chloris" of Burns) resided, and where she was born in September, 1775. This song is the first of a long series of lyrics which the young woman's charms elicited from the muse of Burns, although, it was only a vicarious expression of passion felt by John Gillespie, a brother exciseman of Dumfries. He was smitten by the fascinations of the fair young beauty, and seems to have re quested the poet to plead for him in this fashion; but the wooing was not destined to be successful. Chambers mentions that the names of Jean Lorimer and John Gillespie were still (in 1856) to be seen inscribed on a pane of the poet's parlor window at Ellisland. The parents of the young woman, at the period when the song was composed, resided at Kemmis Ha'* on the Nith, near Kirkmahoe, and in the course of the poet's Excise avocations, he had frequent occasion to visit the Lorimers, who dealt in excisable commodities. Jean, the eldest daughter, was then but fifteen years old, but tall and womanly at her years. George Thomson afterwards took a fancy for this song and prevailed on the author to make him an altered, if not amended, version of it, excluding the chorus. The melody seems to have been recovered by Burns, who had it noted down from the singing of a native of the district. This was probably done by Allan Masterton in the autumn of 1789, when he and Nicol spent their vacation in that quarter. Mr. Stephen Clarke, the musical editor of the Museum, wrote the following note at the foot of the music-score of this song:"There is no need to mention the chorus. The man that would attempt to sing a chorus to this beautiful air should have his throat cut to prevent him from doing it again." The air, as given in Johnson, is quite impracticable in the second part. George Thomson tried to modify it, but with no great success. " Sweet closes the ev'- ning on Craig-ie-burn Wood, And blyth-ly a-wauk-ens the mor-row; But the pride of the Spring in the Craig-in-burn Wood, Can yield me no-thing but CHORUS. sor-row. Be-yond thee, dear-ie, be-yond thee, dear-ie, And O to be lying be-yond thee! O sweet -ly, sound-ly, weel may he sleep, That is laid in the bed be-yond thee. * Kemmis Hall is a corruption for Comyn's Hall, the place where Comyns once held high command.”—J. H. THE BONIE WEE THING. (JOHNSON'S MUSEUM, 1792.) Chorus.-Bonie wee thing, cannie wee thing, gentle Lovely wee thing, wert thou mine, I wad wear thee in my bosom, Lest my jewel it should tine. WISHFULLY I look and languish In that bonie face o' thine, And my heart it stounds wi' anguish, Bonie wee thing, &c. Wit and Grace, and Love, and Beauty, In ae constellation shine; To adore thee is my duty, Goddess o' this soul o' mine! Bonie wee thing, &c. one [This admired song was, according to the author's own note, composed on his little idol-the 'charming, lovely Davies.' The lady is said to have been of English birth, and a relative of the Glenriddell family. Burns became acquainted with her during the last year of his residence at Ellisland, and besides making her the subject of another song and an epigram, two letters addressed to her appear in his correspondence. Allan Cunningham gives some affecting particulars' of the private history of Miss Deborah Davies-for such was the lady's name-obtained from the information of her nephew. She was of small stature, but of exquisite form and beauty, and possessed more than an average share of mental graces. A Captain Delany had made himself agreeable to her by his attentions, and by writing verses to and concerning her. At length they came under marriage-engagements to each other; but delays ensued, and cold * Johnson reads "I should tine;" but the original MS. in the British Museum reads as in the text. In line second, Johnson has "was" instead of "wert" in the MS. ness on his part at length became manifest. He joined his regiment abroad, and, with the exception of one formal letter, she never heard from him again. From some expressions in Burns's letters to her, it may be gathered that he had been made acquainted with this part of her story. She did not long survive the cruel blow thus inflicted on her hopes and affections. After her death, some verses that she had composed, and wrapped round her lover's miniature, were found among her papers. The following extract is worthy of preservation :— "Next to Thyself, 'tis all on earth, thy 'Stella' dear doth hold; The glass is clouded with my breath, and, as my bosom, cold: That bosom, which so oft has glowed with Love and Friendship's name, The melody of this song, taken from Oswald's collection, is one of the most charming of the Scottish airs, and we here annex it.] nie wee thing, can - nie wee thing, Love - ly wee thing wert thou mine 1 wad wear thee in my bosom, Lest my jewel it should tine. Wishfully I look and languish In that bo - nie face o' thine; Ask why God made the gem so small? [This is what Allan Cunningham calls "a handsome apology for scrimpet stature." The epigram is said to have been uttered, and then inscribed on a window-pane of the principal Inn, at Moffat, on observing Miss Davies ride past in company with a lady of portly dimensions. Burns thought so well of it as to record it in the Glenriddell MS. Book, now at Liverpool.] THE CHARMS OF LOVELY DAVIES. (JOHNSON'S MUSEUM, 1792.) O HOW Shall I, unskilfu', try The Poet's occupation? The tunefu' powers, in happy hours, Even they maun dare an effort mair Each eye, it cheers when she appears, When past the shower, and every flower As the wretch looks o'er Siberia's shore, Her smile's a gift frae 'boon the lift, A sceptred hand, a king's command, The man in arms 'gainst female charms, He hugs his chain, and owns the reign must above |
