THE FATHER'S KNEE. Though for seats so scanty, Bairns cannot agree, Or aye jink-jinking Round their father's knee. Though the sunlight shining By our fire-light small. By their totts so wee, Offered on the knee. I wonder if in palace, Their hearts are all as hale as In our cot so small; If the Royal Mother Can her lassies see, Cuddling their wee brother On their father's knee! 67 68 THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT. What to her kind bosie Are her kingdoms three, On their father's knee. James Ballantyne. THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT. Y loved, my honored, much respected friend, m No mercenary bard his homage pays; With honest pride I scorn each selfish end, My dearest meed a friend's esteem and praise: To you I sing in simple Scottish lays, The lowly train in life's sequestered scene; The native feelings strong, the guileless ways; What Aiken in a cottage would have been ; Ah! though his worth unknown, far happier there, I ween. THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT. 69 November chill blaws loud w' angry sugh ;' The shortening winter-day is near a close; The miry beasts retreating frae the pleugh ; The blackening trains o' craws to their repose; The toil-worn Cotter frae his labor goes, This night his weekly moil is at an end, Collects his spades, his mattocks, and his hoes, Hoping the morn in ease and rest to spend, And weary, o'er the moor, his course does. hameward bend. At length his lonely cot appears in view, Beneath the shelter of an agéd tree; Th' expectant wee-things, todlin,3 stacher* through, 2 5 To meet their dad wi' flichterin noise and glee. His wee bit ingle blinkin' bonnilie, His clean hearth-stane, his thriftie wifie's. smile, The lisping infant prattling on his knee, Does a' his weary, carking cares beguile, An' makes him quite forget his labor and his 70 THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT. Pelyve1 the elder bairns come drappin' in, At service out, amang the farmers roun'; Some ca' the pleugh, some herd, some tentie rin A cannie errand to a neebor town; Their eldest hope, their Jenny, woman grown, In youthfu' bloom, love sparkling in her e'e, Comes hame, perhaps, to show a braw new gown, Or deposit her sair-won penny-fee, To help her parents dear, if they in hardship be. Wi' joy unfeigned brothers and sisters meet, An' each for other's weelfare kindly spiers :3 The social hours, swift-winged, unnoticed fleet; Each tells the uncos* that he sees or hears: The parents, partial, eye their hopeful years ; Anticipation forward points the view. The mother, wi' her needle an' her shears, Gars auld claes look amaist as weel 's the new; The father mixes a' wi' admonition due. THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT. 71 Their masters' and their mistresses' command, The younkers a' are warnéd to obey; An' mind their labors wi' an eydent1 hand, An' ne'er, though out o' sight, to jauk2 or play; An' O, be sure to fear the Lord alway! An' mind your duty, duly, morn an' night! Lest in temptation's path ye gang3 astray, Implore his counsel and assisting might : They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright! But hark! a rap comes gently to the door: Jenny, wha kens the meaning o' the same, Tells how a neebor lad cam o'er the moor, To do some errands, and convey her hame. The wily mother sees the conscious flame Sparkle in Jenny's e'e, and flush her cheek; Wi' heart-struck, anxious care, inquires his name, While Jenny hafflins* is afraid to speak ; Weel pleased the mother hears it's nae wild, worthless rake. 1 Diligent. 2 Dally, or trifle. 3 Go. 4 Partly. |