ll,
The noble north countrie, lassie!
Come awa', come awa',
And leave your southland hame, lassie;
The kirk is near, the ring is here,
And I 'm your Donald Graeme, lassie!
Rock and reel and spinning-wheel,
And English cottage trig, lassie;
Haste, leave them a', wi' me to speel
The braes 'yont Stirling brig, lassie!
Come awa', come awa',
I ken your heart is mine, lassie,
And true love shall make up for a'
For whilk ye might repine, lassie!
Your father he has gi'en consent,
Your step-dame looks na kind, lassie;
O that our feet were on the bent,
An' the lowlands far behind, lassie!
Come awa', come awa',
Ye 'll ne'er hae cause to rue, lassie;
My cot blinks blithe beneath the shaw,
By bonnie Avondhu, lassie!
There 's birk and slae on ilka brae,
And brackens waving fair, lassie,
And gleaming lochs and mountains gray--
Can aught wi' them compare, lassie?
Come awa', come awa', &c.
DEAREST LOVE, BELIEVE ME!
Dearest love, believe me,
Though all else depart,
Nought shall e'er deceive thee
In this faithful heart.
Beauty may be blighted--
Youth must pass away;
But the vows we plighted
Ne'er shall know decay.
Tempests may assail us
From affliction's coast,
Fortune's breeze may fail us
When we need it most;
Fairest hopes may perish,
Firmest friends may change,
But the love we cherish
Nothing shall estrange.
Dreams of fame and grandeur
End in bitter tears;
Love grows only fonder
With the lapse of years;
Time, and change, and trouble,
Weaker ties unbind,
But the bands redouble
True affection twined.
WILLIAM KNOX.
William Knox, a short-lived poet of considerable merit, was born at
Firth, in the parish of Lilliesleaf, Roxburghshire, on the 17th August
1789. His father, Thomas Knox, espoused Barbara Turnbull, the widow of a
country gentleman, Mr Pott of Todrig, in Selkirkshire; and of this
marriage, William was the eldest son. He was educated at the parish
school of Lilliesleaf, and, subsequently, at the grammar school of
Musselburgh. In 1812, he became lessee of the farm of Wrae, near
Langholm, Dumfriesshire; but his habits were not those of a thriving
farmer, and, at the expiry of five years, he was led to abandon his
lease. His p
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