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But her my Muse her wing maun cow'r;
Sic flights are far beyond her pow'r;
To sing bow Nannie lap and slang,
(A souple jad she was and strang);
And now Tam stood lik ane bewitch'd,
And thought his very een enrich'd!
Ev'n Satan glowr'd, and fidg'd ru' fain,
And hotch'd and blew wi' might and main!
Till first ae caper, syne anither,
Tam tint his reason a' thegither,
And roars out, Well done Cutty-Sark!
And in an instant a' was dark!
And scarcely had he Maggie rallied,
When out the hellish legion sallied,
As bees bizz out wi' angry fyke,
When plund'ring herds assail their byke;
As open pussie's mortal foes,
When, pop! she starts before their nose;
As eager runs the market crowd,
When Catch the thief! resounds aloud;
So Maggie rins, the witches follow,
Wi' mony an eldritch skreech and hollow!
Sic flights are far beyond her pow'r;
To sing bow Nannie lap and slang,
(A souple jad she was and strang);
And now Tam stood lik ane bewitch'd,
And thought his very een enrich'd!
Ev'n Satan glowr'd, and fidg'd ru' fain,
And hotch'd and blew wi' might and main!
Till first ae caper, syne anither,
Tam tint his reason a' thegither,
And roars out, Well done Cutty-Sark!
And in an instant a' was dark!
And scarcely had he Maggie rallied,
When out the hellish legion sallied,
As bees bizz out wi' angry fyke,
When plund'ring herds assail their byke;
As open pussie's mortal foes,
When, pop! she starts before their nose;
As eager runs the market crowd,
When Catch the thief! resounds aloud;
So Maggie rins, the witches follow,
Wi' mony an eldritch skreech and hollow!
Ah, Tam! ah, Tam! thou'll get thy fairin,
In bell they'll roast thee like a herrin!
In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin;
Kate soon will be a woefu' woman!
Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg,
And win the key-stane[1] o' the brig;
In bell they'll roast thee like a herrin!
In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin;
Kate soon will be a woefu' woman!
Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg,
And win the key-stane[1] o' the brig;
- ↑ It is a well-known fact, that Witches, or any evil spirits, have no power to follow a poor wight any farther than the middle of the next running stream.—It may be proper likewise to
