5 slap

6 blazing

7 pit

8 slow

9 bashful

10 timid

11 sometimes

12 unroofing

13 lonely

The humorous satire of the piece is at the expense of popular Scottish Calvinism."—J L. Robertson.

"Spairges is the best Scots word in its place I ever met with. The deil is not standing flinging the liquid brimstone on his friends with a ladle, but we see him standing at a large boiling vat, with something like a golf. bat, striking the liquid this way and that way aslant, with all his might, making it fly through the whole apartment, while the inmates are winking and holding up their arms to defend their faces." (James Hogg.) This interpretation admirably fits the word spairges (Latin. spargere, to sprinkle; English, asperge, asperse); if it is correct, the word cootie, which properly means a wooden kitchen dish of any size from a ladle to a small tub. is used rather boldly for the contents of the cootie.

Or where auld ruin'd castles gray
Nod to the moon,

Ye fright the nightly wand 'rer's way
Wi' eldritch14 croon.15

6

When twilight did my graunie summon

To say her pray 'rs, douce16 honest woman!
Aft yont17 the dyke she's heard you bummin,18
Wi' eerie14 drone;

Or, rustlin, thro' the boortrees1 comin,
Wi' heavy groan.

7

Ae dreary, windy, winter night,

The stars shot down wi' sklentin20 light, Wi' you mysel gat a fright

Ayont1 the lough;21

Ye like a rash-buss22 stood in sight,
Wi' waving sough.

8

The cudgel in my nieve23 did shake,
Each bristl'd hair stood like a stake,
When wi'an eldritch, stoor24 “ Quaick, quaick."
Amang the springs,
Awa ye squatter 'd25 like a drake,
On whistlin wings.

9

Let warlocks26 grim, an' wither'd hags, Tell how wi' you, on ragweed nags, They skim the muirs27 an' dizzy crags, Wi' wicked speed;

And in kirk-yards renew their leagues, Owre howket28 dead.

10

Thence, countra wives wi' toil and pain
May plunge an' plunge the kirn29 in vain;
For oh! the yellow treasure's ta'en
By witchin skill;

An' dawtet,30 twal31-pint hawkie's32 gaen
As yell's33 the bill.34

11

Thence, mystic knots mak great abuse On young guidmen, fond, keen, an' crouse; 35 14 ghostly

15 moan 16 grave 17 beyond 18 buzzing 19 elders 20 slanting 21 lake

22 bush of rushes 23 fist

24 harsh

25 fluttered 26 wizards 27 moors 28 dug up

29 churn

30 doted on, dear

31 twelve

32 Cow

33 dry as

24 bull

35 spirited

9

Ev'n thou who mourn'st the Daisy's fate,
That fate is thine-no distant date;
Stern Ruin's plough-share drives elate,
Full on thy bloom,

Till crush'd beneath the furrow's weight
Shall be thy doom!

TAM O' SHANTER

A TALE

"Of Brownyis and of Bogillis full is this Buke." -GAWIN DOUGLAS.

When chapman1 billies2 leave the street,
And drouthy3 neibors neibors meet,
As market-days are wearing late,
And folk begin to tak the gate;
While we sit bousin at the nappy,5
An' getting fous and unco happy,
We think na on the lang Scots miles,
The mosses, waters, slaps,8 and stiles,
That lie between us and our hame,
Whare sits our sulky, sullen dame,
Gathering her brows like gathering storm,
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm.

5

10

This truth fand honest Tam o' Shanter,
As he frae Ayr ae night did canter:
(Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses, 15
For honest men and bonie lasses).

O Tam! had'st thou but been sae wise,
As taen thy ain wife Kate's advice!
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum,10

A bletherin,11 blusterin, drunken blellum; 12 20
That frae November till October,
Ae market-day thou was na sober;
That ilka melder 13 wi' the miller,
Thou sat as lang as thou had siller;
That ev'ry naig was ca'd14 a shoe on,
The smith and thee gat roarin fou on;
That at the Lord's house, ev'n on Sunday,
Thou drank wi' Kirkton Jean till Monday.
She prophesied that, late or soon,

25

Thou would be found, deep drown'd in
Doon,

Or catch'd wi' warlocks15 in the mirk,16
By Alloway's auld, haunted kirk.

Ah, gentle dames! it gars me greet,17
To think how mony counsels sweet,

1 pedlar

2 fellows

3 thirsty

+ drinking 5 ale

6 full

7 very

He ruin'd sink!

3 barren

8 gates

4 compass-card

9 found

10 rascal

11 idly-talking

12 babbler

30

13 every grinding of

corn

14 driven

15 wizards

16 dark

17 make me weep