MY MARY.
Air—“ Invercauld’s Reel.” * * * * * * * * 1 MY Mary is a bonny lassie, 2 Sweet as dewy morn, 3 When fancy tunes her rural reed, 4 Beside the upland thorn; 5 She lives ahint yon sunny knowe, 6 Where flow’rs in wild profusion grow, 7 Where spreading birks, an hazels throw 8 Their shadows o’er the burn. 9 It’s no’ the streamlet-skirted wood, 10 Wi’ a’ its leafy bow’rs, 11 That gars me wade in solitude 12 Amang the wild-sprung flow’rs; 13 But aft I cast a langin’ e’e, 14 Down frae the bank out owre the lee, 15 There haply I my lass may see, 16 As through the broom she scours. 17 Yestreen I met my bonny lassie 18 Coming frae the town, 19 We ’raptur’d sunk in ithers arms, 20 An’ prest the breckans down; 21 The pairtrick sung his e’ening note, 22 The rye-craik rispt his clam’rous throat, 23 While there the heav’nly vow I got 24 That erl’d her my own. |
1. bonny: beautiful, pretty, fair; handsome, attractive; a term of endearment. 5. ahint: behind. 5. knowe: a small rounded hill, a hillock or a mound. 7. birks: birch trees. 8. burn: a brook or stream. 11. gars: to make, to cause, to force, to compel. 12. amang: Sc. form of Eng. among,but meaning more often resembles that of amid, amidst, or in. 14. frae: St. form and suse of St.Eng. from. 14. owre: over. 16. broom: the plant broom. 17. yestreen: yesterday evening. 19. ithers: Sc. forms and usages of Eng. other. 20. breckan: Sc. variant of Eng. bracken. The name is given to any large and coarse kind of fern. 21. pairtrick: Sc. form of Eng. partridge. 22. rye-craik: the land-rail or corn crake Crex crex, a bird in the rail family; a nonce usage by Tannahill. 22. rispt: to make a harsh grating sound. 24. erl'd: engaged for service; secure a right to anything. |