Robert Burns (1759–1796). Poems and Songs.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.
140 . Masonic SongYe Sons of Old Killie
Y
To follow the noble vocation;
Your thrifty old mother has scarce such another
To sit in that honoured station.
I’ve little to say, but only to pray,
As praying’s the ton of your fashion;
A prayer from thee Muse you well may excuse
’Tis seldom her favourite passion.
Who markèd each element’s border; Who formed this frame with beneficent aim, Whose sovereign statute is order:— Within this dear mansion, may wayward Contention Or witherèd Envy ne’er enter; May secrecy round be the mystical bound, And brotherly Love be the centre!