O JENNY DEAR, THE WORD IS GANE. Susanna Blamire Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. 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.

This e-text is part of the Works section of the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA).

XML created for the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA).

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 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.

Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center; text-align: right; text-align: left; display: inline font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;
O JENNY DEAR , THE WORD IS GANE . Air — Cauld and Raw . O Jenny dear , the word is gane , That ye are unco saucy , And that ye think this race o' men Deserves na sic a lassie . Troth ! gin ye wait till men are made O' something like perfection , I fear ye'll wait till it be said — Ye're late for your election . The men agree to gie ye choice , — What think ye o' young Harry ? " He ne'er shall hae my hand or voice Wha wad a monkey marry ? He plays his pranks , he curls his hair , And acts by imitation ; A dawted monkey does nae mair Than ape the tricks o' fashion . Now Sandy he affects the bear , And growls at a' that's pleasing ; Gin ye've a soft or jaunty air , That air provokes his teasing : Gin ye be cheerfu' , blithe , and free , A' that is unbecoming , — Can ne'er the heartsome temper be Of ony modest woman . Then Colin , too , although polite , Has nae sma' share o' learning , Yet stretching out his words sae tight , They're sadly spoil'd wi' darning . He cons his speech , he mends his phrase , For fear he speaks na grammar ; When done , ye'd think that a' his days He'd only learn'd to hammer . Now Jocky he has wit at will , He sings , he plays , he dances , He's aye sae blithe , he's certain still To hit the young ane's fancies ; His words they flow wi' gracefu' ease , They speak a heart maist tender ; Yet underneath these words that please There lurks a sad offender . Not a' the wealth o' rich Peru Could keep poor James frae fretting ; The gentlest gales that ever blew His peace wad overset in . What can I do , gin apes below To lead should be my station , — Although ilk ape should prove some beau Once famous in this nation ? "