Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. III. The Eighteenth Century: Addison to Blake
Robert Fergusson (17501774)The Daft Days
N
Glowrs owr the rigs wi’ sour grimace,
While, thro’ his minimum of space,
The bleer-ey’d sun,
Wi’ blinkin light and stealing pace,
His race doth run.
To shepherd’s pipe nae hillock rings;
The breeze nae od’rous flavour brings
From Borean cave;
And dwyning Nature droops her wings,
Wi’ visage grave.
Frae snawy hill or barren plain,
Whan Winter, ’midst his nipping train,
Wi’ frozen spear,
Sends drift owr a’ his bleak domain,
And guides the weir.
A bield for mony caldrife soul,
Wha snugly at thine ingle loll,
Baith warm and couth;
While round they gar the bicker roll
To weet their mouth.
You ’ll scantlins find a hungry mou;
Sma’ are our cares, our stamacks fu’
O’ gusty gear,
And kickshaws, strangers to our view,
Sin’ fairn-year.
And fling your sorrows far awa’;
Then, come and gie ’s the tither blaw
Of reaming ale,
Mair precious than the Well of Spa,
Our hearts to heal.
Amang oursells we ’ll never quarrel;
Tho’ Discord gie a canker’d snarl
To spoil our glee,
As lang ’s there ’s pith into the barrel
We ’ll drink and ’gree.
And roset weel your fiddlesticks,
But banish vile Italian tricks
From out your quorum,
Nor fortes wi’ pianos mix—
Gie ’s Tullochgorum.
As can a canty Highland reel;
It even vivifies the heel
To skip and dance:
Lifeless is he wha canna feel
Its influence.
Invest the dawning of the year;
Let blithesome innocence appear
To crown our joy;
Nor envy, wi’ sarcastic sneer,
Our bliss destroy.
Wha sways the empire of this city—
When fou we ’re sometimes capernoity—
Be thou prepar’d
To hedge us frae that black banditti,
The City Guard.