WEE WILLIE.+

WEE Willie Gray, and his leather wallet;
Peel a willow-wand to be him boots and jacket:
The rose upon the brier will be him trouse and

doublet,

The rose upon the brier will be him trouse and doublet!

Wee Willie Gray, and his leather wallet;

Twice a lily flower will be him sark and cravat; Feathers of a flee wad feather up his bonnet, Feathers of a flee wad feather up his bonnet.

+ This song is in the Musical Museum, p. 530, and is there said to have been written, for that work, by Burns.

* Burns wrote to Thomson, April, 1793: "There is one sentimental song of mine in the Museum, which never was known out of the immediate neighbourhood, until I got it taken down from a country girl's singing. It is called Craigieburn Wood;' and in the opinion of Mr. Clarke is one of our sweetest Scottish songs. He is quite an enthusiast about it; and I would take his taste in Scottish music against the taste of most connoisseurs."

On the 19th October, 1794, he wrote, " I hope Clarke will persuade you to adopt my favourite, Craigie-burnwood' in your selection: it is as great a favourite of his as of mine. The lady on whom it was made is one of the finest women in Scotland; and, in fact (entre nous), is in a manner to me what Sterne's Eliza was to him-a mistress, a friend, or what you will, in the guileless simplicity of Platonic love. (Now don't put any of your squinting constructions on this, or have any clishmaclaiver about it among

CRAIGIE-BURN-WOOD.*

Beyond thee, dearie, beyond thee, dearie,
And O to be lying beyond thee,
O sweetly, soundly, weel may he sleep,
That's laid in the bed beyond thee.

SWEET closes the evening on Craigie-burn-wood,
And blythely awakens the morrow;
But the pride of the spring in the Craigie-burn-wood
Can yield to me nothing but sorrow.
Beyond thee, &c.

our acquaintances.) I assure you that to my lovely friend you are indebted for many of your best songs of mine. Do you think that the sober, gin-horse routine of existence could inspire a man with life, with love, and joy-could fire him with enthusiasm, or melt him with pathos, equal to the genius of your book?-No! no!-Whenever I want to be more than ordinary in song; to be in some degree equal to your diviner airs-do you imagine I fast and pray for the divine emanation? Tout au contraire! I have a glorious recipe: the very one that for his own use was invented by the divinity of healing and poetry, when erst he piped to the flocks of Admetus. I put myself in a regimen of admiring a fine woman; and in proportion to the adorability of her charms, in proportion you are delighted with my verses. The lightning of her eye is the godhead of Parnassus, and the witchery of her smile, the divinity of Helicon !"

In November following, he said, “ I thank you for admitting Craigie-burn-wood;' and I shall take care to furnish you with a new chorus. In fact, the chorus was not my work, but a part of some old verses to the air. If I can

I see the spreading leaves and flowers,
I hear the wild birds singing;
But pleasure they hae nane for me,
While care my heart is wringing.
Beyond thee, &c.

I canna tell, I maun na tell,

my heart

I dare na for your anger;
But secret love will break
If I conceal it langer.
Beyond thee, &c.

I see thee gracefu', straight and tall,
see thee sweet and bonnie,
But oh, what will my torments be,
If thou refuse thy Johnie !
Beyond thee, &c.

To see thee in anither's arms,
In love to lie and languish,
"Twad be my dead, that will be seen,
My heart wad burst wi' anguish.
Beyond thee, &c.

catch myself in a more than ordinarily propitious moment, I shall write a new Craigie-burn-wood' altogether, my heart is much in the theme."

"The song," Burns elsewhere says, "was composed on a passion which a Mr. Gillespie, a particular friend of mine, had for a Miss Lorimer, afterwards a Mrs. Whelpdale. The young lady was born at Craigie-burn-wood. The chorus is part of an old foolish ballad." The heroine was the Chloris of so many of his songs; but the poet's verses and the lover's eloquence alike failed, as she married Mr. Whelpdale, vide vol. i. p. 278.

But Jeanie, say thou wilt be mine,
Say, thou lo'es nane before me;
An' a' my days o' life to come,
I'll gratefully adore thee.
Beyond thee, &c.

HERE'S HIS HEALTH IN WATER!+

TUNE THE JOB OF JOURNEY-WORK.'

ALTHO' my back be at the wa',
And tho' he be the fautor;

Altho' my

back be at the wa',

Yet, here's his health in water!
O! wae gae by his wanton sides,
Sae brawlie he could flatter;
Till for his sake I'm slighted sair,
And dree the kintra clatter.
But tho' my back be at the wa',
And tho' he be the fautor;
But tho' my back be at the wa',

Yet, here's his health in water!

+ This song was published in the Museum, vol. iii. p. 494, but without the name of the author. Allan Cunningham says it has been asserted that Burns wrote it in humorous allusion to the condition in which Jean Armour found her.. self before marriage.

AS DOWN THE BURN THEY TOOK THEIR WAY.†

As down the burn they took their way,

And thro' the flowery dale;

His cheek to hers he aft did lay,

And love was ay the tale.

With "

Mary, when shall we return,

Sic pleasure to renew ?"

Quoth Mary," Love, I like the burn,
And ay shall follow you."

LADY ONLIE.

TUNE RUFFIAN'S RANT.'

A' THE lads o' Thornie-bank,

When they gae to the shore o' Bucky,

They'll step in an' tak' a pint

Wi' Lady Onlie, honest Lucky!

In a letter to Mr. Thomson, in September, 1793, Burns said, 'Down the burn, Davie." I have this moment tried an alteration, leaving out the last half of the third stanza, and the first half of the last stanza.

164

This song occurs in the Musical Museum, vol iv. p. but without any name. Part of this song is certainly old; and it is impossible to say how much of it was written by Burns.