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Last May a Braw Wooer

Burns, Robert
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. Back to Line
2] sair: sorely.
deave: deafen. Back to Line
11] mailen: farm.
laird: owner. Back to Line
13] loot on: let on, let him know. Back to Line
14] waur: worse. Back to Line
18] loan: lane. Back to Line
19] jad: jade. Back to Line
22] tryste: fair; literally a meeting-place. Back to Line
31] spier'd: inquired.
couthy: kindly. Back to Line
32] Gin: if. Back to Line
33] shackl't: misshapen. Back to Line