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TO THE REV. JOHN M'MATH.

Inclosing a copy of Holy Willie's Prayer, which he had requested.
Sept. 17th, 1785.

WHILE at the stook' the shearers cower

To shun the bitter blaudin" shower,

Or in gulravage3 rinnin' scower,

To pass the time,

To you I dedicate the hour

In idle rhyme.

My musie, tired wi' mony a sonnet

On gown, an' ban', an' douse black bonnet,
Is grown right eerie1 now she's done it,

Lest they should blame her,
An' rouse their holy thunder on it

And anathem her.

I own 't was rash, an' rather hardy,
That I, a simple, kintra bardie,
Should meddle wi' a pack sae sturdy,
Wha, if they ken me,

Can easy, wi' a single wordie,

Lowse h-ll upon me.

But I gae mad at their grimaces,

Their sighin', cantin', grace-prood faces,
Their three-mile prayers, an' half-mile graces,
Their raxin" conscience,

Whase greed, revenge, an' pride disgraces
Waur nor their nonsense.

8

There's Gaun, miska't waur than a beast,
Wha has mair honor in his breast

Than mony scores as guid's the priest

Wha sae abus't him;

An' may a bard no crack his jest

10

What way they've use't him?

See him, the poor man's friend in need,

The gentleman in word an' deed;

Shock of corn.-2 Pelting.-3 Riotous merriment.-4 Frighted.—5 Coun try. Stretching.-7 Worse than.-8 Gavin Hamilton, Esq.-—9 Miscalled.

10 The poet has introduced the first two lines of this stanza into the dedication of his works to Mr. Hamilton.

An' shall his fame an' honor bleed

By worthless skellums,'

An' not a muse erect her head

To cowe the blellums ??

O Pope, had I thy satire's darts
To gie the rascals their deserts,
I'd rip their rotten, hollow hearts,
An' tell aloud

Their jugglin' hocus-pocus arts,

To cheat the crowd.

God knows, I'm no the thing I should be,
Nor am I even the thing I could be,
But twenty times I rather would be,
An atheist clean,

Than under gospel colors hid be

Just for a screen.

An honest man may like a glass,
An honest man may like a lass,
But mean revenge, an' malice fause,
He'll still disdain,

An' then cry zeal for gospel laws,

3

Like some we ken.

They take religion in their mouth;
They talk o' mercy, grace, an' truth,
For what? to gie their malice skouth'
On some puir wight,
An' hunt him down, o'er right an' ruth,
To ruin streight.

All hail, Religion! maid divine!
Pardon a muse sae mean as mine,
Who in her rough imperfect line

Thus daurs to name thee;

To stigmatize false friends of thine

Can ne'er defame thee,

Tho' blotcht an' foul wi' mony a stain,
An' far unworthy of thy train,

With trembling voice I tune my strain
To join with those,

1 Fellows.-2 Idle talkers.-3 False.-4 Scope.

Who boldly dare thy cause maintain
In spite of foes:

In spite o' crowds, in spite o' mobs,
In spite of undermining jobs,
In spite o' dark banditti stabs

At worth an' merit,

By scoundrels, even wi' holy robes,

But hellish spirit.

O Ayr, my dear, my native ground,
Within thy presbytereal bound
A candid, liberal band is found

Of public teachers,

As men, as Christians too, renown'd,
An' manly preachers.

Sir, in that circle you are named;

Sir, in that circle you are famed;

An' some by whom your doctrine's blamed,
(Which gies you honor,)

Even, Sir, by them your heart's esteem'd,
An' winning manner.

Pardon this freedom I have ta'en,
An' if impertinent I've been,
Impute it not, good Sir, in ane

Whase heart ne'er wrang'd ye,

But to his utmost would befriend

Aught that belang'd ye.

TO MR. M'ADAM, OF CRAIGEN-GILLAN,

In answer to an obliging letter he sent in the commencement of my poetic career.

SIR, o'er a gill I gat your card,

I trow it made me proud;
See wha takes notice o' the bard,
I lap' and cried fu' loud.

Now deil-ma-care about their jaw,
The senseless, gawky million;

1 Did leap.

I'll cock my nose aboon them a',
I'm roosed by Craigen-Gillan!

'Twas noble, Sir; 'twas like yoursel,
To grant your high protection;
A great man's smile ye ken fu' well,
Is ay a blest infection.

Though, by his banes wha in a tub
Match'd Macedonian Sandy!
On my ain legs thro' dirt an' dub,
I independent stand ay.—

And when those legs to guid, warm kail,
Wi' welcome canna bear me;

A lee' dyke'-side, a sybow3-tail,

And barley-scone shall cheer me.

Heaven spare you lang to kiss the breath
O' mony flowery simmers!"

And bless your bonnie lasses baith,"
I'm tald they're loosome kimmers!"

And God bless young Dunaskin's laird,
The blossom of our gentry!

And may he wear an auld man's beard,
A credit to his country!

TO TERRAUGHTY ON HIS BIRTH-DAY.

HEALTH to the Maxwells' veteran chief;
Health, ay unsour'd by care or grief:
Inspired, I turn'd Fate's sibyl leaf,

This natal morn,

I see thy life is stuff o' prief,'

Scarce quite half-worn.

This day thou metes three-score eleven,
And I can tell that bounteous Heaven,

1 Shaded, or grassy.-2 Wall.-3 A sort of leek.-4 Cake.-5 Sunimers.—

• Both.- Lovely girls. Mr. Maxwell, of Terraughty, near Dumfries.• Proof.

(The second sight, ye ken, is given
To ilka poet,)

On thee a tack o' seven times seven
Will yet bestow it.

If envious buckies view wi' sorrow,
Thy lengthen'd days on this blest morrow,
May desolation's lang-teeth'd harrow,
Nine miles an hour,

Rake them like Sodom and Gomorrah,
In brunstane stoure.1

But for thy friends, and they are monie,
Baith honest men and lasses bonnie,
May couthie' fortune, kind and cannie,
In social glee,

Wi' mornings blythe and e'enings funny,
Bless them and thee!

Fareweel, auld birkie! Lord be near ye,
And then the Deil he daur na steer1 ye:
Your friends ay love, your faes ay fear ye;
For me, shame fa' me,

If neist my heart I dinna wear ye,

While BURNS they ca' me.

TO CAPTAIN RIDDEL, GLENRIDDEL.

Extempore lines on returning a newspaper.)

ELLISLAND, Monday Evening.

YOUR news and review, Sir, I've read through and through, Sir,

With little admiring or blaming;

The papers are barren of home news or foreign,
No murders or rapes worth the naming.

Our friends the reviewers, those chippers and hewers,

Are judges of mortar and stone, Sir;

But of meet, or unmeet, in a fabric complete,
I'll boldly pronounce they are none, Sir.

'Brimstone dust.-2 Loving.-3 Clever fellow.-4 Dare not molest.- Next

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