THE RESOLVE
______ “Him, who ne’er listen’d to the voice of praise The silence of neglect can ne’er appal.” BEATTIE. * * * * * * * * 1 ’TWAS on a sunny Sabbath-day, 2 When wark-worn bodies get their play, 3 (Thanks to the rulers o’ the nation, 4 Wha gi’e us all a toleration, 5 To gang, as best may please oursel’s; 6 Some to the kirk, some to the fiel’s) 7 I wander’d out, wi’ serious leuk, 8 To read twa page on Nature’s beuk; 9 For lang I’ve thought, as little harm in 10 Hearing a lively out-fiel’ sermon, 11 Even tho’ rowted by a stirk, 12 As that aft bawl’d in crowded kirk, 13 By some proud, stern, polemic wight 14 Wha cries, “My way alone is right!” 15 Wha lairs himsel’ in controversy, 16 Then d***s his neighbours without mercy; 17 As if the fewer that were spar’d, 18 These few would be the better ser’d. 19 Now to my tale—Digression o’er— 20 I wander’d out by Stanely tow’r, 21 The lang grass on its tap did wave, 22 Like weeds upon a warrior’s grave; 23 Whilk seem to mock the bloody braggers, 24 An grow on theirs’ as rank’s on beggars’— 25 But hold, I’m frae the point again.— 26 I wander’d up Gleniffer glen; 27 There, leaning ’gainst a mossy rock, 28 I, musing, ey’d the passing brook, 29 That in its murmurs seem’d to say, 30 “ ’Tis thus thy life glides fast away: 31 Observe the bubbles on my stream; 32 Like them, Fame is an empty dream, 33 They blink a moment to the sun, 34 Then burst, and are for ever gone: 35 So Fame’s a bubble of the mind; 36 Possess’d, ’tis nought, but empty wind, 37 No courtly gem e’er purchas’d dearer, 38 An ne’er can satisfy the wearer. 39 Let them wha hae a bleezing share o’t 40 Confess the truth, they sign for mair o’t. 41 Then let contentment be thy cheer, 42 An’ never soar aboon thy sphere; 43 Rude storms assail the mountains brow, 44 That lightly skiff the vale below.” 45 A gaudy rose was growing near, 46 Proud, tow’ring on its leafy brier, 47 In fancy’s ear it seem’d to say— 48 “Sir, have you seen a flow’r so gay? 49 The poets in my praise combine, 50 Comparing Chloe’s charms to mine; 51 The sun-beams for my favour sue me, 52 And dark-brow’d night comes down to woo me; 53 But when I shrink from his request, 54 He draps his tears upon my breast, 55 And in his misty cloud sits wae, 56 Till chas’d awa’ by rival day— 57 That streamlet’s grov’ling grunting fires me, 58 Since no’ ane sees me, but admires me, 59 See yon bit violet ’neath my view: 60 Wee sallow thing, its nose is blue! 61 An’ that but primrose ’side the breckan, 62 Poor yellow ghaist, it seems forsaken! 63 The sun ne’er throws’t ae transient glow 64 Unless when passing whether or no; 65 But wisely spurning ane sae mean, 66 He blinks on me frae morn till e’en.” 67 To which the primrose calm replied— 68 “Poor gaudy gowk suppress your pride, 69 For soon the strong flow’r-sweeping blast 70 Shall strew your honours in the dust; 71 While I beneath my lowly bield, 72 Will live an’ bloom frae harm conceal’d; 73 An’ while the heavy-rain draps pelt you, 74 Ye’ll may-be think on what I’ve tell’t you.”— 75 The rose derisive seem’d to sneer, 76 An wav’d upon its bonny brier. 77 Now dark’ning clouds began to gather, 78 Presaging sudden change of weather; 79 I wandered hame by Stanely green, 80 Deep pond’rin what I’d heard an’ seen, 81 Firmly resolved to shun from hence, 82 The dangerous steeps of eminence; 83 To drap this rhyming trade for ever, 84 And creep thro’ life, a plain, day-plodding weaver. |
Epigraph. Beattie: From James Beattie's The Minstrel: or, The Progress of Genius I.ii.3-4. Published 1771. Beattie lived 1735-1803. 2. wark: Sc. form of St.Eng. work 6. kirk: a church-building, a building used for Christian worship. 7. leuk: Sc. form of St.Eng. look. 9. beuk: Sc. form of St.Eng. book 10. out-fiel': Outfield; refers to the outlying, less fertile parts of a farm, as opposed to the infield. 11. rowted: a loud noise; a roaring, bellowing crying. 11. stirk: a young bovine kept for slaughter 12. wight: a human being, man or woman. Also: physically strong, powerful, robust; mentally strong, brave, bold. 15. lairs: to sink in mire, to become bogged, to stick fast in soft ground, mud, snow or the like 16. d***s: censored, damns 20. Stanely tow'r: a massive fortalice to the south of Paisley, probably early 15th c. It formerly sat on an island in a marsh and is now partly submerged by the Paisley Reservoir. Tannahill would have known the castle as an abandoned ruin, but not submerged because the Reservoir was not built until 1838. 23. whilk: Sc. form of Eng. what. 25. frae: Sc. form and usage of St.Eng. from. 26. Gleniffer: The Gleniffer braes are a range of hills south of Paisley running along the border of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. Robert Tannahill is honored today by the Tannahill Walkway and Tannahill Well established in his name. 39. bleezing: to columniate; to make false and defamatory statements about; to boast, brag 40. mair: Gen.Sc. form of St.Eng. more 44. skiff: to move in a light airy manner, barely touching the ground; to skim, glide, skip. 54. draps: Sc. form and use of St.Eng. drops. 55. wae: Sc. form and use of St. Eng woe. 59. yon: that, those, yonder, indicating a person or thing at some distance in time or space, gen. more remote than that 61. breckan: Sc. variants of Eng. bracken. The name is given to any large and coarse kind of fern, gen. Pteris aquilina. The word is often used in the sing. in a collective sense 62. ghaist: Sc. form of Eng. ghost 68. gowk: The cuckoo; a fool or simpleton. 71. bield: protection, shelter. 76. bonny: beautiful, pretty, fair; handsome, attractive; a term of endearment. 79. hame: Sc. form of Eng. home |