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Home  »  The Oxford Book of English Verse  »  437. Peggy

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Allan Ramsay. 1686–1758

437. Peggy

MY Peggy is a young thing, 
    Just enter’d in her teens 
Fair as the day, and sweet as May, 
Fair as the day, and always gay; 
  My Peggy is a young thing,         5
    And I’m not very auld, 
  Yet well I like to meet her at 
    The wawking of the fauld. 
 
  My Peggy speaks sae sweetly 
    Whene’er we meet alane,  10
I wish nae mair to lay my care, 
I wish nae mair of a’ that’s rare; 
  My Peggy speaks sae sweetly, 
    To a’ the lave I’m cauld, 
  But she gars a’ my spirits glow  15
    At wawking of the fauld. 
 
  My Peggy smiles sae kindly 
    Whene’er I whisper love, 
That I look down on a’ the town, 
That I look down upon a crown;  20
  My Peggy smiles sae kindly, 
    It makes me blyth and bauld, 
  And naething gi’es me sic delight 
    As wawking of the fauld. 
 
  My Peggy sings sae saftly  25
    When on my pipe I play, 
By a’ the rest it is confest, 
By a’ the rest, that she sings best; 
  My Peggy sings sae saftly, 
    And in her sangs are tauld  30
  With innocence the wale of sense, 
    At wawking of the fauld. 
 
GLOSS:  wawking] watching.  lave] rest.  wale] choice, best.