Halloween.

He marches through amang the stacks,

Though he was something sturtin;

The graip he for a harrow taks,
And haurls it at his curpin ;
And every now and then he says,
"Hemp-seed, I saw thee,

And her that is to be my lass,

Come after me, and draw thee
As fast this night."

He whistled up Lord Lennox' march
To keep his courage cheery;
Although his hair began to arch,
He was sae fley'd and eerie:
Till presently he hears a squeak,
And then a grane and gruntle;
He by his shouther gae a keek,
And tumbled wi' a wintle

Out-owre that night.

He roar'd a horrid murder-shout,

In dreadfu' desperation!

And young and auld cam rinnin' out

To hear the sad narration :

He swore 'twas hilchin Jean M'Craw, Or crouchie Merran Humphie,

Till, stop! she trotted through them a' And wha was it but grumphie

Asteer that night!

Meg fain wad to the barn hae gaen,
To win three wechts o' naething;
But for to meet the deil her lane,
She pat but little faith in :
She gies the herd a pickle nits,

And twa red-cheekit apples,

To watch, while for the barn she sets,
In hopes to see Tam Kipples
That very night.

She turns the key wi' cannie thraw,
And owre the threshold ventures;
But first on Sawnie gies a ca',

Syne bauldly in she enters:

A ratton rattled up the wa',

And she cried, Lord, preserve her!
And ran through midden-hole and a',
And pray'd wi' zeal and fervour,
Fu' fast that night.

They hoy't out Will, wi' sair advice;
They hecht him some fine braw ane;
It chanced the stack he faddom't thrice,
Was timmer-propt for thrawin';
He taks a swirlie, auld moss-oak,

For some black, grousome carlin;
And loot a winze, and drew a stroke,
Till skin in blypes cam haurlin'

Aff's nieves that night.

Halloween.

A wanton widow Leezie was,

As canty as a kittlin;

But, och! that night, amang the shaws,

She got a fearfu' settlin'!

She through the whins, and by the cairn, And owre the hill gaed scrievin,

Whare three lairds' lands met at a burn,

To dip her left sark-sleeve in,

Was bent that night.

Whyles owre a linn the burnie plays,
As through the glen it wimpl't;
Whyles round a rocky scaur it strays;
Whyles in a wiel it dimpl't;
Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays,
Wi' bickering, dancing dazzle;
Whyles cookit underneath the braes,
Below the spreading hazel,

Unseen that night.

Amang the brackens, on the brae,
Between her and the moon,

The deil, or else an outler quey,

Gat up and gae a croon :

Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool!

Near lav'rock-height she jumpit ;

But mist a fit, and in the pool

Out-owre the lugs she plumpit,

Wi a plunge that night.

In order, on the clean hearth-stane,
The luggies three are ranged,
And every time great care is ta'en
To see them duly changed:
Auld Uncle John, wha wedlock's joys
Sin' Mar's year did desire,

Because he gat the toom dish thrice,

He heaved them on the fire

In wrath that night.

Wi' merry sangs, and friendly cracks,

I wat they didna weary;

And unco tales, and funny jokes,

Their sports were cheap and cheery ;

Till butter'd so'ns, wi' fragrant lunt,

Set a' their gabs a-steerin';

Syne, wi' a social glass o' strunt,

They parted aff careerin'

Fu' blythe that night.

WHEN biting Boreas, fell and doure, Sharp shivers through the leafless bower; When Phoebus gies a short-lived glower Far south the lift,

Dim-darkening through the flaky shower, Or whirling drift :

Ae night the storm the steeples rocked, Poor labour sweet in sleep was locked, While burns, wi' snawy wreaths up-choked,

Wild-eddying swirl,

Or through the mining outlet bocked,

Down headlong hurl.