Robert Burns (1759-1796)
Last May a Braw Wooer
1Last May a braw wooer cam down the lang glen,
2 And sair wi' his love he did deave me;
3I said there was naething I hated like men:
4 The deuce gae wi 'm to believe me, believe me,
5 The deuce gae wi 'm to believe me.
6He spak o' the darts in my bonie black een,
7 And vow'd for my love he was diein;
8I said he might die when he liked for Jean:
9 The Lord forgie me for liein, for liein,
10 The Lord forgie me for liein!
11A weel-stocked mailen, himsel for the laird,
12 And marriage aff-hand, were his proffers:
13I never loot on that I ken'd it, or car'd,
14 But thought I might hae waur offers, waur offers,
15 But thought I might hae waur offers.
16But what wad ye think? in a fortnight or less,
17 (The deil tak his taste to gae near her!)
18He up the lang loan to my black cousin Bess,
19 Guess ye how, the jad! I could bear her, could bear her
20 Guess ye how, the jad! I could bear her.
21But a' the niest week I fretted wi' care,
22 I gaed to the tryste o' Dalgarnock,
23And wha but my fine fickle lover was there,
24 I glowr'd as I'd seen a warlock, a warlock.
25 I glowr'd as I'd seen a warlock.
26But owre my left shoulder I gae him a blink,
27 Lest neibors might say I was saucy;
28My wooer he caper'd as he'd been in drink,
29 And vow'd I was his dear lassie, dear lassie,
30 And vow'd I was his dear lassie.
31I spier'd for my cousin fu' couthy and sweet,
32 Gin she had recover'd her hearin,
33And how her new shoon fit her auld shachl't feet--
34 But, heavens! how he fell a swearin, a swearin,
35 But, heavens! how he fell a swearin.
36He begg'd, for gudesake, I wad be his wife,
37 Or else I wad kill him wi' sorrow:
38So e'en to preserve the poor body in life,
39 I think I maun wed him to-morrow, to-morrow,
40 I think I maun wed him to-morrow.
Notes
1] Sent to Thomson July 3, 1795 and written for Thomson's collection in 1795.
braw: handsome or finely dressed.
2] sair: sorely.
deave: deafen.
11] mailen: farm.
laird: owner.
13] loot on: let on, let him know.
14] waur: worse.
18] loan: lane.
19] jad: jade.
22] tryste: fair; literally a meeting-place.
31] spier'd: inquired.
couthy: kindly.
32] Gin: if.
33] shackl't: misshapen.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: George Thomson, A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs for the Voice, vol. II (1799) of 2 vols. (1798-99: London: T. Preston, 1803). musi Fisher Rare Book Library (Toronto) (held in MUSI).
First publication date:
1799
RPO poem editor: G. G. Falle
RP edition: 3RP 2.322.
Recent editing: 4:2002/3/19
Rhyme: ababb
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