Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne

The Mitherless Lammie

The mitherless lammie ne'er miss'd its ain mammie,—
We tentit it kindly by nicht and by day;
The bairnies made game o't, it had a blythe hame o't,
Its food was gowan, wi' dew drops o' May.
Without tie or fetter, it cou'dna been better,
But it wad gae witless the warld to see,
The foe that it fear'd not, it saw not, it heard not,
Was watching its wand'ring frae Bonnington Lea.

Oh what then befell it, 'twere waefu' to tell it,
Tod Lowrie kens best, wi' his lang head sae sly;
He met the pet lammie, that wanted its mammie,
And left its kind hame, the wide warld to try.
We miss'd at day dawin', we miss'd at night fa'in';
Its wee shed its tenantless under the tree;
Ae nicht i' the gloamin', it wad gae a roamin';
'Twill frolic nae mair upon Bonnington Lea.