To Thee, Loved Nith.

I.

    To thee, lov'd Nith, thy gladsome plains,
        Where late wi' careless thought I rang'd,
    Though prest wi' care and sunk in woe,
        To thee I bring a heart unchang'd.

II.

    I love thee, Nith, thy banks and braes,
        Tho' mem'ry there my bosom tear;
    For there he rov'd that brake my heart,
        Yet to that heart, ah! still how dear!

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

The Joyful Widower.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

To A Mountain Daisy, On Turning One Down With The Plough In April, 1786.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

Husband, Husband.

Robert Burns, Simple Poetry

Bannockburn. Robert Bruce's Address To His Army. (Second Version.)

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.

O Were I On Parnassus Hill.

Tune - "My love is lost to me."


I.

    O, were I on Parnassus' hill!
    Or had of Helicon my fill;
    That I might catch poetic skill,
        To sing how dear I love thee.
    But Nith maun be my Muse's well;
    My Muse maun be thy bonnie sel':
    On Corsincon I'll glow'r and spell,
        And write how dear I love thee.

II.

    Then come, sweet Muse, inspire my lay!
    For a' the lee-lang simmer's day
    I coudna sing, I coudna say,
        How much, how dear, I love thee.
    I see thee dancing o'er the green,
    Thy waist sae jimp, thy limbs sae clean,
    Thy tempting lips, thy roguish een,
        By heaven and earth I love thee!

III.

    By night, by day, a-field, at hame,

Robert Burns

The Banks Of Nith.

Tune - "Robie donna Gorach."


I.

    The Thames flows proudly to the sea,
        Where royal cities stately stand;
    But sweeter flows the Nith, to me,
        Where Comyns ance had high command:
    When shall I see that honour'd land,
        That winding stream I love so dear!
    Must wayward Fortune's adverse hand
        For ever, ever keep me here?

II.

    How lovely, Nith, thy fruitful vales,
        Where spreading hawthorns gaily bloom!
    How sweetly wind thy sloping dales,
        Where lambkins wanton thro' the broom!
    Tho' wandering now, must be my doom,
        Far from thy bonnie banks and braes,
    May there my latest hours consume,
        Amang the friends of early days!

Robert Burns

Nancy.

I.

    Thine am I, my faithful fair,
        Thine, my lovely Nancy;
    Ev'ry pulse along my veins,
        Ev'ry roving fancy.

II.

    To thy bosom lay my heart,
        There to throb and languish:
    Tho' despair had wrung its core,
        That would heal its anguish.

III.

    Take away those rosy lips,
        Rich with balmy treasure:
    Turn away thine eyes of love,
        Lest I die with pleasure.

IV.

    What is life when wanting love?
        Night without a morning:
    Love's the cloudless summer sun,
        Nature gay adorning.

Robert Burns

Forlorn, My Love, No Comfort Near.

Tune - "Let me in this ae night."



I.

    Forlorn, my love, no comfort near,
    Far, far from thee, I wander here;
    Far, far from thee, the fate severe
        At which I most repine, love.
            O wert thou, love, but near me;
            But near, near, near me;
            How kindly thou wouldst cheer me,
                And mingle sighs with mine, love

II.

    Around me scowls a wintry sky,
    That blasts each bud of hope and joy;
    And shelter, shade, nor home have I,
        Save in those arms of thine, love.

III.

    Cold, alter'd friendship's cruel part,
    To poison Fortune's ruthless dart,
    Let me not break thy faithful heart,
        And say that fate is mine, lov...

Robert Burns

Lament, Occasioned By The Unfortunate Issue Of A Friend's Amour.

    "Alas! how oft does goodness wound itself!
    And sweet affection prove the spring of woe."

Home.


I.

    O thou pale orb, that silent shines,
        While care-untroubled mortals sleep!
    Thou seest a wretch who inly pines,
        And wanders here to wail and weep!
    With woe I nightly vigils keep,
        Beneath thy wan, unwarming beam,
    And mourn, in lamentation deep,
        How life and love are all a dream.

II.

    A joyless view thy rays adorn
        The faintly marked distant hill:
    I joyless view thy trembling horn,
        Reflected in the gurgling rill:
    My fondly-fluttering heart, be still:
        Thou busy pow'r, Remembrance, cease!
    Ah! must the agonizing thrill
    ...

Robert Burns

Memorials Of A Tour In Scotland, 1803 III. Thoughts Suggested The Day Following, On The Banks Of Nith, Near The Poet's Residence

Too frail to keep the lofty vow
That must have followed when his brow
Was wreathed, "The Vision" tells us how
With holly spray,
He faltered, drifted to and fro,
And passed away.

Well might such thoughts, dear Sister, throng
Our minds when, lingering all too long,
Over the grave of Burns we hung
In social grief
Indulged as if it were a wrong
To seek relief.

But, leaving each unquiet theme
Where gentlest judgments may misdeem,
And prompt to welcome every gleam
Of good and fair,
Let us beside this limpid Stream
Breathe hopeful air.

Enough of sorrow, wreck, and blight;
Think rather of those moments bright
When to the consciousness of right
His course was true,
When Wisdom prospered in his sight
And virtue grew.<...

William Wordsworth