Letter to James Clark: 17 December 1809
[Heavily defaced with scribbling] Mr James Clark Musician1 Argyle
Shire Militia Band Ayr Paisley
17th Dec. 1809 My Dear Friend There
is not a man in the world whom I would wish to oblige
before yourself, and I am sorry that I cannot comply with your flattering
proposition of my writing an Ode for your ensuing Anniversary. A few days prior
to the receipt of yours, Wylie was chosen for our next year’s President and in
a moment of enthusiasm I came under a promise to furnish him with something of
that kind for what he calls his Night. I shall attempt something — however, I tremble when I think of it. To do justice to the
subject would require the abilities of a Campbell or a Scott, and I almost
despair of being able to produce any thing half so good as what has already
been, by different hands, given to the public; besides, I know that the Society
are determined to have a blazing account of our Meeting sent to some of
the Newspapers; of course my rhymes are designed to be attached as a train to
the dazzling Luminary: or as a lang wigl-waglin tail to a Callan’s
Dragon. We have [c]lever fellows in the Society, men of genius and
college-bred, but there seems to be a jealousy subsisting among them, or a fear
of one another, which has prevented any account, worthy of our former Meetings,
from being given in print. I hope our next will be better. I should ere now
have acknowledge yours of the 30th
ultc, but we have been all very busy on this week. Smith had
the best Concert on Tuesday,˄night˄ both for
performance and attendance, that ever I winessed in this place, and who could
tamely return all at once to sowen-brods an’ cauld seatries? Allow me
now to thank you for the Music you sent me, except “The fair hair’d Child” all
the Airs are new to me. I have found a set of Peggy O’Leven here, so you need
not mind about it. I was quite sensible that, in the song I sent you, our most
worthy friend Smith, deserved something more than merely musical to be said of
him but the shortness of the stanza confines one so much that I could not get
my breath half out about any of you. Let me hear from you soon: your happiness
and welfare ever adds to mine. I would send you some rhymes but have not
leisure at present to copy them. I remain, my Dear
Friend, Yours
most Faithfully R.
Tannahill. Emendations: clever • [◊l]ever Copy Text: MS Robertson 1/33 Previous Publication: Notes: 1 The address page is heavily defaced with scribbling, which
appears to have occurred at a later date. |