But to our tale: Ae market night, Tam had got planted unco right,

Fast by an ingle,12 bleezin finely,

31

35

Wi' reamin swats 13 that drank divinely; 40 And at his elbow, Souter Johnie,

His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony:

Tam lo'ed him like a vera brither; 14

They had been fou 15 for weeks thegither.

The night drave on wi' sangs and clatter; 45
And ay the ale was growing better:
The landlady and Tam grew gracious
Wi' secret favours, sweet, and precious: ·
The souter 16 tauld his queerest stories;
The landlord's laugh was ready chorus:
The storm without might rair and rustle,
Tam did na mind the storm a whistle.

50

55

You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed; 60
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white then melts forever;
Or like the borealis race,

That flit ere you can point their place;

2

1 pedlers thirsty ale marvellously gaps

6 nag 7 driven 12 fireside 13 bler 17 ale

115

I 20

Warlocks and witches in a dance; Nae cotillon brent-new frae France, But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys, and reels Put life and mettle in their heels: A winnock bunker in the east, 6 There sat Auld Nick in shape o' beast; A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large, To gie them music was his charge; He screw'd the pipes and gart them skirl,10 Till roof and rafters a' did dirl." Coffins stood round like open presses, That shaw'd the dead in their last dresses; And by some devilish cantraip 12 sleight Each in its cauld hand held a light,

9

125

8

11

12

5

80

85

A murderer's banes in gibbet airns; 13
Twa span-lang, wee, unchristen'd bairns;
A thief, new-cutted frae the rape 14
Wi' his last gasp his gab 15 did gape;
Five tomahawks, wi' blude red-rusted;
Five scymitars, wi' murder crusted;
A garter, which a babe had strangled;
A knife, a father's throat had mangled,
Whom his ain son o' life bereft

135

The grey hairs

140

9

95

By this time he was cross the ford, Whare in the snaw the chapman smoor'd; And past the birks and meikle 7 stane, 91 Whare drucken Charlie brak's neck-bane; And thro' the whins,10 and by the cairn," Whare hunters fand the murder'd bairn; And near the thorn, aboon 13 the well, Whare Mungo's mither hang'd hersel. Before him Doon pours all his floods; The doubling storm roars thro' the woods; The lightnings flash from pole to pole, Near and more near the thunders roll; When, glimmering thro' the groaning trees, Kirk-Alloway seemed in a bleeze: 14 Thro' ilka bore 15 the beams were glancing, And loud resounded mirth and dancing.

yet stack to the heft; Wi' mair o' horrible and awfu', Which ev'n to name wad be unlawfu'.

They reel'd, they set, they cross'd, they

gorse every

19

7

marvellous 5 brandshaggy cur 9 made

8 seat

11 throb 12 tricksy 13

16 clutched

14 3 irons rope 17 old woman 18 sweated

steamed 20 cast aside 21 clothes 22 work 23 che

mise 24 girls

180

But here my Muse her wing maun cow'r,
Sic flights are far beyond her pow'r;
To sing how Nannie lap and flang,
(A souple jad she was and strang,)
And how Tam stood like ane bewitch'd,
And thought his very een 15 enrich'd;
Even Satan glowr'd and fidg'd 16 fu' fain,17 185
And hotch'd 18 and blew wi' might and
main:

Till first ae caper, syne
19 anither,
Tam tint 20 his reason a' thegither,
And roars out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!" 21
And in an instant all was dark:

And scarcely had he Maggie rallied,

When out the hellish legion sallied.

205

Ah, Tam! ah, Tam! thou'll get thy fairin !! In hell 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 of the brig:2 There at them thou thy tail may toss, A running stream they dare na cross. But ere the key-stane she could make, The fient 3 a tail she had to shake! For Nannie, far before the rest, Hard upon noble Maggie prest, And flew at Tam wi' furious ettle; 4 But little wist she Maggie's mettle

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190

For sae I sat, and sae I sang, And wist na o' my fate.