English Prose and Poetry

But to our tale: Ae market night,

1Ο

Tam had got planted unco right,

Fast by an ingle,12 bleezin finely,

Wi' reamin swats 13 that drank divinely; 40 And at his elbow, Souter Johnie,

His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony:

Tam lo'ed him like a vera brither; 14

They had been fou 15 for weeks thegither.

The night drave on wi' sangs and clatter; 45
And ay the ale was growing better:
The landlady and Tam grew gracious
Wi' secret favours, sweet, and precious:
The souter 16 tauld his queerest stories;
The landlord's laugh was ready chorus:
The storm without might rair and rustle,
Tam did na mind the storm a whistle.

You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed; 60
Or like the snow falls in the river,

A moment white then melts forever;
Or like the borealis

race,

That flit ere you can point their place;

1 wretch 2 idle-talker 3 one every 5 grinding 7 driven 8 wizards 9 dark 10 makes nag 11 weep 12 fireside 13 14 foaming ale brother 15 full 16 cobbler 17 ale

That hour, o' night's black arch the key- And, wow! Tam saw an unco sight! stane,

That dreary hour he mounts his beast in; 70
And sic a night he taks the road in,
As ne'er poor sinner was abroad in.

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Warlocks and witches in a dance; Nae cotillon brent-new 5 frae France, But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and reels Put life and mettle in their heels: A winnock bunker 7 in the east, There sat Auld Nick in shape o' beast; A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large, To gie them music was his charge; He screw'd the pipes and gart' them skirl,10 Till roof and rafters a' did dirl." Coffins stood round like open presses,

I 20

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Tam skelpit1 on thro' dub2 and mire, Despising wind and rain and fire;

That shaw'd the dead in their last dresses; And by some devilish cantraip " sleight Each in its cauld hand held a light,

By which heroic Tam was able

A murderer's banes in gibbet airns; 13
Twa span-lang, wee, unchristen'd bairns;
A thief, new-cutted frae the rape 14
Wi' his last gasp his gab 15 did gape;
Five tomahawks, wi' blude red-rusted;
Five scymitars, wi' murder crusted;
A garter, which a babe had strangled;
A knife, a father's throat had mangled,
Whom his ain son o' life bereft

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By this time he was cross the ford,
Whare in the snaw the chapman smoor'd; '
And past the birks and meikle stane, 91
Whare drucken Charlie brak's neck-bane;
And thro' the whins,10 and by the cairn,"
Whare hunters fand the murder'd bairn; 12
And near the thorn, aboon 13 the well,

Whare Mungo's mither hang'd hersel.
Before him Doon pours all his floods;
The doubling storm roars thro' the woods;
The lightnings flash from pole to pole,
Near and more near the thunders roll;
When, glimmering thro' the groaning trees,
Kirk-Alloway seemed in a bleeze: 14
Thro' ilka bore 15 the beams were glancing,
And loud resounded mirth and dancing.

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They reel'd, they set, they cross'd, they

cleekit,16

new

1 ale 2 foamed 3 copper marvellous 5 brand6 window seat * shaggy cur 9 made 12 tricksy 18 irons 17 old woman 18 sweated

scream

11 throb

15 mouth 16 clutched

19 steamed 20 cast aside

mise girls

rope

21 clothes 22 work 23 che

180

But here my Muse her wing maun cow'r, Sic flights are far beyond her pow'r; To sing how Nannie lap and flang, (A souple jad she was and strang,) And how Tam stood like ane bewitch'd, And thought his very een 15 enrich'd;

Even Satan glowr'd and fidg'd 16 fu' fain,17 185 And hotch'd 18 and blew wi' might and main:

Till first ae caper, syne 19 anither,
Tam tint 20 his reason a' thegither,
And roars out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!" "1
And in an instant all was dark:
And scarcely had he Maggie rallied,

When out the hellish legion sallied.

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Ah, Tam! ah, Tam ! thou'll get thy fairin!1 In hell they'll roast thee like a herrin ! In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin! Kate soon will be a woefu' woman! Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg, And win the key-stane of the brig: 2 There at them thou thy tail may toss, A running stream they dare na cross. But ere the key-stane she could make, The fient 3 a tail she had to shake! For Nannie, far before the rest, Hard upon noble Maggie prest, And flew at Tam wi' furious ettle; But little wist she Maggie's mettle Ae spring brought aff her master hale, But left behind her ain 6 grey tail: The carlin claught her by the rump, And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.

Now, wha this tale o' truth shall read, Ilk man and mother's son, take heed, Whene'er to drink you are inclin'd, Or cutty-sarks run in your mind,

Think, ye may buy the joys owre9 dear, Remember Tam o' Shanter's mear.10

BONIE DOON

Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, How can ye blume sae fair? How can ye chant, ye little birds, And I sae fu' o' care?

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