[Page 181]

ON A SCOTCH BARD GONE TO THE WEST INDIES.

1 A' Ye wha live by sowps o' drink,
2 A' ye wha live by crambo-clink,
3 A' ye wha live and never think,
4 Come, mourn wi' me!
5 Our billie's gien us a' a jink,
6 An' owre the Sea.
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7 Lament him a' ye rantan core,
8 Wha dearly like a random-splore;
9 Nae mair he'll join the merry roar,
10 In social key;
11 For now he's taen anither snore,
12 An' owre the Sea!
13 The bonie lasses weel may wiss him,
14 And in their dear petitions place him:
15 The widows, wives, an' a' may bless him,
16 Wi' tearfu' e'e;
17 For weel I wat they'll sairly miss him
18 That's owre the Sea!
19 O Fortune, they hae room to grumble!
20 Hadst thou taen aff some drowsy bummle,
21 Wha can do nought but fyke an' fumble,
22 'Twad been nae plea;
23 But he was gleg as onie wumble,
24 That's owre the Sea!
25 Auld, cantie KYLE may weepers wear,
26 An' stain them wi' the saut, saut tear:
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27 'Twill mak her poor, auld heart, I fear,
28 In flinders flee:
29 He was her Laureat monie a year,
30 That's owre the Sea!
31 He saw Misfortune's cauld Nor-west
32 Lang-mustering up a bitter blast;
33 A Jillet brak his heart at last,
34 Ill may she be!
35 So, took a birth afore the mast,
36 An' owre the Sea.
37 To tremble under Fortune's cummock,
38 On scarce a bellyfu' o' drummock,
39 Wi' his proud, independant stomach,
40 Could ill agree;
41 So, row't his hurdies in a hammock,
42 An' owre the Sea.
43 He ne'er was gien to great misguidin,
44 Yet coin his pouches wad na bide in;
45 Wi' him 'it ne'er was under hidin;
46 He dealt it free:
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47 The Muse was a' that he took pride in,
48 That's owre the Sea.
49 Jamaica bodies, use him weel,
50 An' hap him in a cozie biel:
51 Ye'll find him ay a dainty chiel,
52 An' fou o' glee:
53 He wad na wrang'd the vera Diel,
54 That's owre the Sea.
55 Fareweel, my rhyme-composing billie!
56 Your native soil was right ill-willie;
57 But may ye flourish like a lily,
58 Now bonilie!
59 I'll toast you in my hindmost gillie,
60 Tho' owre the Sea!

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Title (in Source Edition): ON A SCOTCH BARD GONE TO THE WEST INDIES.
Author: Robert Burns
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Genres: address

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Burns, Robert, 1759-1796. POEMS, CHIEFLY IN THE SCOTTISH DIALECT, BY ROBERT BURNS. Kilmarnock: printed by John Wilson, M,DCC,LXXXVI., 1786, pp. 181-184. 240p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T91548) (Page images digitized by National Library of Scotland.)

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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.

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