Robert Burns

Epistle to Major Logan

HAIL, thairm-inspirin’, rattlin’ Willie!
Though fortune’s road be rough an’ hilly
To every fiddling, rhyming billie,
    We never heed,
But take it like the unback’d filly,
    Proud o’ her speed.

When idly govin’ whyles we saunter,
Yirr, fancy barks, awa’ we canter
Uphill, down brae, till some mishanter,
    Some black bog-hole,
Arrests us, then the scathe an’ banter
    We’re forced to thole.

Hale be your heart! hale be your fiddle!
Lang may your elbuck jink and diddle,
To cheer you through the weary widdle
    O’ this wild warl’,
Until you on a crummock driddle
    A gray-hair’d carl.

Come wealth, come poortith, late or soon,
Heaven send your heart-strings aye in tune,
And screw your temper-pins aboon,
    A fifth or mair,
The melancholious lazy croon,
    O’ cankrie care.

May still your life from day to day
Nae ‘lente largo’ in the play,
But ‘allegretto forte’ gay
    Harmonious flow,
A sweeping, kindling, bauld strathspey-
    Encore!  Bravo!

A blessing on the cheery gang
Wha dearly like a jig or sang,
An’ never think o’ right an’ wrang
    By square an’ rule,
But as the clegs o’ feeling stang
    Are wise or fool.

My hand-waled curse keep hard in chase
The harpy, hoodock, purse-proud race,
Wha count on poortith as disgrace-
    Their tuneless hearts!
May fire-side discords jar a base
    To a’ their parts!

But come, your hand, my careless brither,
I’ th’ ither warl’ if there ‘s anither,
An’ that there is I’ve little swither
    About the matter;
We cheek for chow shall jog thegither,
    I’se ne’er bid better.

We’ve faults and failings-granted clearly,
We’re frail backsliding mortals merely,
Eve’s bonnie squad priests wyte them sheerly
    For our grand fa’;
But still, but still, I like them dearly-
    God bless them a’!

Ochone for poor Castalian drinkers,
When they fa’ foul o’ earthly jinkers,
The witching cursed delicious blinkers
    Hae put me hyte,
And gart me weet my waukrife winkers,
    Wi’ girnin’ spite.

But by yon moon!-and that’s high swearin’-
An’ every star within my hearin’!
An’ by her een wha was a dear ane!
    I’ll ne’er forget;
I hope to gie the jads a clearin’
    In fair play yet.

My loss I mourn, but not repent it,
I’ll seek my pursie where I tint it;
Ance to the Indies I were wonted,
    Some cantraip hour,
By some sweet elf I’ll yet be dinted,
    Then "vive l’amour!"

"Faites mes baissemains respectueuse"
To sentimental sister Susie,
An’ honest Lucky; no to roose you,
    Ye may be proud
That sic a couple Fate allows ye
    To grace your blood.

Nea mair at present can I measure,
An’ trowth my rhymin’ ware’s nae treasure;
But when in Ayr, some half hour’s leisure,
    Be ‘t light, be ‘t dark,
Sir Bard will do himself the pleasure
    To call at Park.