Page:Beauties of Burn's poems.pdf/90

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Whiles glow'rin round wi prudent cares,
Lest bogies catch him unawares;
Kirk-Alloway was drawin nigh,
Whar ghaists and howlets nightly cry—

By this time he was cross'd the ford,
Whar in the snaw the chapman smoor'd;
And past the birks and muckle stane,
Whar drunken Charlie brak's neck-bane;
And thro' the whins, and by the cairn,
Whar hunters fand the murder'd bairn;
And near the thorn, aboon the weil,
Whar Mungo's mother hang'd hersel.—
Before him Doon pours a' his floods,
The doublin storm pours a' his floods,
The lightnings flash frae pole to pole;
Near and more near the thunders roll!
When, glimmerin thro' the groaning trees,
Kirk Alloway seem'd in a bleezeǃ
Thro' ilka bore the beams were glancinǃ
And loud resounded with and dancin.—

Inspirin boll John Barleycorn!
What dangers thou can mak us scorn!
Wi' tippeny we fear nae evil;
Wi' usquebae we'll face the devilǃ—
The swats sae ream'd in Tammie's noddle.
Fair play, he car'd na deils a hoddle;
But Maggie stood right sair astonish'd,
Till by the heel and hand admonish'd,
She ventur'd forward on the light;
And, vow! Tam saw an unco sight!
Warlocks and witches in a dance
Nae cotillion brent new frae France.