The Modern Scottish Minstrel Volume Vi Part 2

A CANDID WOOING.

I cannot give thee all my heart, Lady, lady, My faith and country claim a part, My sweet lady; But yet I 'll pledge thee word of mine That all the rest is truly thine;-- The raving pa.s.sion of a boy, Warm though it be, will quickly cloy-- Confide thou rather in the man Who vows to love thee all he can, My sweet lady.

Affection, founded on respect, Lady, lady, Can never dwindle to neglect, My sweet lady; And, while thy gentle virtues live, Such is the love that I will give.

The torrent leaves its channel dry, The brook runs on incessantly; The storm of pa.s.sion lasts a day, But deep, true love endures alway, My sweet lady.

Accept then a divided heart, Lady, lady, _Faith_, _Friends.h.i.+p_, _Honour_, each have part, My sweet lady.

While at one altar we adore, _Faith_ shall but make us love the more; And _Friends.h.i.+p_, true to all beside, Will ne'er be fickle to a bride; And _Honour_, based on manly truth, Shall love in age as well as youth, My sweet lady.

PROCRASTINATIONS.

If Fortune with a smiling face Strew roses on our way, When shall we stoop to pick them up?

To-day, my love, to-day.

But should she frown with face of care, And talk of coming sorrow, When shall we grieve--if grieve we must?

To-morrow, love, to-morrow.

If those who 've wrong'd us own their faults And kindly pity pray, When shall we listen and forgive?

To-day, my love, to-day.

But if stern Justice urge rebuke, And warmth from memory borrow, When shall we chide--if chide we dare?

To-morrow, love, to-morrow.

If those to whom we owe a debt Are harm'd unless we pay, When shall we struggle to be just?

To-day, my love, to-day.

But if our debtor fail our hope, And plead his ruin thorough, When shall we weigh his breach of faith?

To-morrow, love, to-morrow.

If Love, estranged, should once again His genial smile display, When shall we kiss his proffer'd lips?

To-day, my love, to-day, But, if he would indulge regret, Or dwell with bygone sorrow, When shall we weep--if weep we must?

To-morrow, love, to-morrow.

For virtuous acts and harmless joys The minutes will not stay; We 've always time to welcome them To-day, my love, to-day.

But care, resentment, angry words, And unavailing sorrow Come far too soon, if they appear To-morrow, love, to-morrow.

REMEMBRANCES OF NATURE.

I remember the time, thou roaring sea, When thy voice was the voice of Infinity-- A joy, and a dread, and a mystery.

I remember the time, ye young May flowers, When your odours and hues in the fields and bowers Fell on my soul as on gra.s.s the showers.

I remember the time, thou bl.u.s.tering wind, When thy voice in the woods, to my youthful mind, Seem'd the sigh of the earth for human kind.

I remember the time, ye suns and stars, When ye raised my soul from its mortal bars And bore it through heaven on your golden cars.

And has it then vanish'd, that happy time?

Are the winds, and the seas, and the stars sublime Deaf to thy soul in its manly prime?

Ah, no! ah, no! amid sorrow and pain, When the world and its facts oppress my brain, In the world of spirit I rove--I reign.

I feel a deep and a pure delight In the luxuries of sound and sight-- In the opening day, in the closing night.

The voices of youth go with me still, Through the field and the wood, o'er the plain and the hill, In the roar of the sea, in the laugh of the rill.

Every flower is a lover of mine, Every star is a friend divine: For me they blossom, for me they s.h.i.+ne.

To give me joy the oceans roll, They breathe their secrets to my soul, With me they sing, with me condole.

Man cannot harm me if he would, I have such friends for my every mood In the overflowing solitude.

Fate cannot touch me: nothing can stir To put disunion or hate of her 'Twixt Nature and her wors.h.i.+pper.

Sing to me, flowers! preach to me, skies!

Ye landscapes, glitter in mine eyes!

Whisper, ye deeps, your mysteries!

Sigh to me, wind! ye forests, nod!

Speak to me ever, thou flowery sod!

Ye are mine--all mine--in the peace of G.o.d.

BELIEVE IF YOU CAN.

_Music by the Author._

Hope cannot cheat us, Or Fancy betray; Tempests ne'er scatter The blossoms of May; The wild winds are constant, By method and plan; Oh! believe me, believe me, Believe if you can!

Young Love, who shews us His midsummer light, Spreads the same halo O'er Winter's dark night; And Fame never dazzles To lure and trepan; Oh! believe me, believe me, Believe if you can!

Friends of the suns.h.i.+ne Endure in the storm; Never they promise And fail to perform.

And the night ever ends As the morning began; Oh! believe me, believe me, Believe if you can!

Words softly spoken No guile ever bore; Peaches ne'er harbour A worm at the core; And the ground never slipp'd Under high-reaching man; Oh! believe me, believe me, Believe if you can!

Seas undeceitful, Calm smiling at morn, Wreck not ere midnight The sailor forlorn.