Robert Burns (1759–1796). Poems and Songs.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.
326 . SongThe Posie
O
O luve will venture in where wisdom ance has been;
But I will doun yon river rove, amang the wood sae green,
And a’ to pu’ a Posie to my ain dear May.
And I will pu’ the pink, the emblem o’ my dear; For she’s the pink o’ womankind, and blooms without a peer, And a’ to be a Posie to my ain dear May. For it’s like a baumy kiss o’ her sweet, bonie mou; The hyacinth’s for constancy wi’ its unchanging blue, And a’ to be a Posie to my ain dear May. And in her lovely bosom I’ll place the lily there; The daisy’s for simplicity and unaffected air, And a’ to be a Posie to my ain dear May. Where, like an aged man, it stands at break o’ day; But the songster’s nest within the bush I winna tak away And a’ to be a Posie to my ain dear May. And the diamond draps o’ dew shall be her een sae clear; The violet’s for modesty, which weel she fa’s to wear, And a’ to be a Posie to my ain dear May. And I’ll place it in her breast, and I’ll swear by a’ above, That to my latest draught o’ life the band shall ne’er remove, And this will be a Posie to my ain dear May.