[Page 238]

O JENNY DEAR, THE WORD IS GANE.

Air Cauld and Raw.
1 O Jenny dear, the word is gane,
2 That ye are unco saucy,
3 And that ye think this race o' men
4 Deserves na sic a lassie.
5 Troth! gin ye wait till men are made
6 O' something like perfection,
7 I fear ye'll wait till it be said
8 Ye're late for your election.
9 The men agree to gie ye choice,
10 What think ye o' young Harry?
11 "He ne'er shall hae my hand or voice
12 Wha wad a monkey marry?
13 He plays his pranks, he curls his hair,
14 And acts by imitation;
15 A dawted monkey does nae mair
16 Than ape the tricks o' fashion.
17 Now Sandy he affects the bear,
18 And growls at a' that's pleasing;
19 Gin ye've a soft or jaunty air,
20 That air provokes his teasing:
21 Gin ye be cheerfu', blithe, and free,
22 A' that is unbecoming,
23 Can ne'er the heartsome temper be
24 Of ony modest woman.
[Page 239]
25 Then Colin, too, although polite,
26 Has nae sma' share o' learning,
27 Yet stretching out his words sae tight,
28 They're sadly spoil'd wi' darning.
29 He cons his speech, he mends his phrase,
30 For fear he speaks na grammar;
31 When done, ye'd think that a' his days
32 He'd only learn'd to hammer.
33 Now Jocky he has wit at will,
34 He sings, he plays, he dances,
35 He's aye sae blithe, he's certain still
36 To hit the young ane's fancies;
37 His words they flow wi' gracefu' ease,
38 They speak a heart maist tender;
39 Yet underneath these words that please
40 There lurks a sad offender.
41 Not a' the wealth o' rich Peru
42 Could keep poor James frae fretting;
43 The gentlest gales that ever blew
44 His peace wad overset in.
45 What can I do, gin apes below
46 To lead should be my station,
47 Although ilk ape should prove some beau
48 Once famous in this nation? "

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Title (in Source Edition): O JENNY DEAR, THE WORD IS GANE.
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Genres: song

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Blamire, Susanna, 1747-1794. The Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire “The muse of Cumberland.” Now for the first time collected by Henry Lonsdale, M.D. with a preface, memoir, and notes by Patrick Maxwell, ... Edinburgh: John Menzies, 61 Princes Street; R. Tyas, London; D. Robertson, Glasgow; and C. Thurnam, Carlisle. MDCCCXLII., 1842, pp. 238-239.  (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [42.256].)

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Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

Other works by Susanna Blamire