Page:The Book of Scottish Song.djvu/275

Rh Wha wad hae thocht at wooing time.

He'd e'er forsaken Mary,

And ta'en him to the tipplin' trade

Wi' boozin' Rab and Harry.

Sair Mary wrought, sair Mary grat,

She scarce could lift the ladle;

Wi' pithless feet 'tween ilka greet,

She rock'd the borrowed cradle.

Her weddin" plenishin' was gane,

She never thought to borrow:

Her bonny face was waxin' wan,

And Will wrought all the sorrow.

He's reelin' hame ae winter night,

Some later nor the gloamin';

He's ta'en the rig—he's miss'd the brig,

And Bogie's ower bim foamin'.

Wi' broken banes out ower the stanes,

He creepit up Strathbogie,

And a' the nicht he pray'd wi' might,

To keep him firae the cogie.

Now Mary's heart is light again,

She's neither sick nor silly;

For auld or young, nae sinfu' tongue

Could e'er entice her Willie.

And aye the sang through Bogie rang,

O! baud ye frae the cogie!

The weary gill's the sairest ill

On braes o' fair Strathbogie.

[The author of this and the following song was, the original editor of the Paisley Advertiser. He was a native of Ayr, and for some time before he started the Paisley newspaper, which was the first ever published in that town, and was begun on the 9th Oct. 1824, he had teen engaged as editor of the Ayr Courier. Previous to this, too, in 1822, he had brought out by subscription a small volume of "Poems and Songs." He died suddenly, from the bursting of a blood-vessel, on the 27th Feb. 1826, in the twenty-eighth year of his age. At the time of his death, he was engaged in compiling for Mr. M'Phun of Glasgow a collection of songs, which was published in two small volumes, with the title of "The Spirit of British Song."]