Bonnie Lesley.

I.

    O saw ye bonnie Lesley
        As she ga'ed o'er the border?
    She's gane, like Alexander,
        To spread her conquests farther.

II.

    To see her is to love her,
        And love but her for ever;
    For Nature made her what she is,
        And never made anither!

III.

    Thou art a queen, fair Lesley,
        Thy subjects we, before thee:
    Thou art divine, fair Lesley,
        The hearts o' men adore thee.

IV.

    The deil he could na scaith thee,
        Or aught that wad belang thee;
    He'd look into thy bonnie face,
        And say, "I canna wrang thee."

V.

    The powers aboon will tent thee;
        Misfortune sha' na steer thee:
    Thou'rt like themselves so lovely,
        That ill they'll ne'er let near thee.

VI.

    Return again, fair Lesley,
        Return to Caledonie;
    That we may brag, we hae a lass
        There's nane again sae bonnie.

Robert Burns

Robert Burns, also known as Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire, and various other names and epithets, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. Born on January 25, 1759, in Alloway, he is best known for works such as 'Auld Lang Syne,' 'Scots Wha Hae,' and 'A Red, Red Rose.' He passed away on July 21, 1796, in Dumfries.

Robert Burns

Jessy.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

Epistle To J. Rankine, Enclosing Some Poems.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

The Young Highland Rover.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

Prologue, Spoken At The Theatre, Dumfries, 1 Jan. 1790.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

English

Suggested Poems

Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.

There Was A Bonnie Lass.

I.

        There was a bonnie lass,
        And a bonnie, bonnie lass,
    And she lo'ed her bonnie laddie dear;
        Till war's loud alarms
        Tore her laddie frae her arms,
    Wi' mony a sigh and tear.

II.

        Over sea, over shore,
        Where the cannons loudly roar,
    He still was a stranger to fear;
        And nocht could him quell,
        Or his bosom assail,
    But the bonnie lass he lo'ed sae dear.

Robert Burns

Ca' The Yowes.

I.

    Ca' the yowes to the knowes,
    Ca' them whare the heather growes,
    Ca' them whare the burnie rowes -
        My bonnie dearie!
    Hark the mavis' evening sang
    Sounding Cluden's woods amang!
    Then a faulding let us gang,
        My bonnie dearie.

II.

    We'll gae down by Cluden side,
    Thro' the hazels spreading wide,
    O'er the waves that sweetly glide
        To the moon sae clearly.

III.

    Yonder Cluden's silent towers,
    Where at moonshine midnight hours,
    O'er the dewy bending flowers,
        Fairies dance so cheery.

IV.

    Ghaist nor bogle shalt thou fear;
    Thou'rt to love and heaven sae dear,
    Nocht of ill may come thee near,
        My bo...

Robert Burns

Bonnie Peg.

I.

    As I came in by our gate end,
        As day was waxin' weary,
    O wha came tripping down the street,
        But Bonnie Peg my dearie!

II.

    Her air sae sweet, and shape complete,
        Wi' nae proportion wanting;
    The Queen of Love did never move
        Wi' motion mair enchanting.

III.

    Wi' linked hands, we took the sands
        A-down yon winding river;
    And, oh! that hour and broomy bower,
        Can I forget it ever?

Robert Burns

Bonnie Jean.

I.

    There was a lass, and she was fair,
        At kirk and market to be seen,
    When a' the fairest maids were met,
        The fairest maid was bonnie Jean.

II.

    And aye she wrought her mammie's wark,
        And ay she sang so merrilie:
    The blithest bird upon the bush
        Had ne'er a lighter heart than she.

III.

    But hawks will rob the tender joys
        That bless the little lintwhite's nest;
    And frost will blight the fairest flowers,
        And love will break the soundest rest.

IV.

    Young Robie was the brawest lad,
        The flower and pride of a' the glen;
    And he had owsen, sheep, and kye,
        And wanton naigies nine or ten.

V.

    He gae...

Robert Burns

Yon Wild Mossy Mountains.

Tune - "Yon wild mossy mountains."


I.

    Yon wild mossy mountains sae lofty and wide,
    That nurse in their bosom the youth o' the Clyde,
    Where the grouse lead their coveys thro' the heather to feed,
    And the shepherd tents his flock as he pipes on his reed.
        Where the grouse lead their coveys thro' the heather to feed,
        And the shepherd tents his flock as he pipes on his reed.

II.

    Not Gowrie's rich valleys, nor Forth's sunny shores,
    To me hae the charms o' yon wild, mossy moors;
    For there, by a lanely and sequester'd stream,
    Resides a sweet lassie, my thought and my dream.
        For there, by a lanely and sequester'd stream,
        Resides a sweet lassie, my thought and my dream.

Robert Burns

Country Lassie.

Tune - "The Country Lass."


I.

    In simmer, when the hay was mawn,
        And corn wav'd green in ilka field,
    While claver blooms white o'er the lea,
        And roses blaw in ilka bield;
    Blithe Bessie in the milking shiel,
        Says, I'll be wed, come o't what will;
    Out spak a dame in wrinkled eild
        O' guid advisement comes nae ill.

II.

    It's ye hae wooers mony ane,
        And, lassie, ye're but young ye ken;
    Then wait a wee, and cannie wale,
        A routhie butt, a routhie ben:
    There's Johnie o' the Buskie-glen,
        Fu' is his burn, fu' is his byre;
    Tak this frae me, my bonnie hen,
        It's plenty beets the luver's fire.

III.

    For Johnie ...

Robert Burns