When white was my owrelay as foam of the linn,
    And siller was chinking my pouches within;
    When my lambkins were bleating on meadow and brae,
    As I gaed to my love in new cleeding sae gay—­
          Kind was she, and my friends were free;
          But poverty parts gude companie.

    How swift pass’d the minutes and hours of delight! 
    The piper play’d cheerly, the cruisie burn’d bright;
    And link’d in my hand was the maiden sae dear,
    As she footed the floor in her holiday gear. 
          Woe is me! and can it then be,
          That poverty parts sic companie?

    We met at the fair, and we met at the kirk;
    We met in the sunshine, we met in the mirk;
    And the sound of her voice, and the blinks of her een,
    The cheering and life of my bosom have been. 
          Leaves frae the tree at Martinmas flee,
          And poverty parts sweet companie.

    At bridal and in fair I ‘ve braced me wi’ pride,
    The bruse I hae won, and a kiss of the bride;
    And loud was the laughter, gay fellows among,
    When I utter’d my banter, or chorus’d my song. 
          Dowie to dree are jesting and glee,
          When poverty parts gude companie.

    Wherever I gaed the blythe lasses smiled sweet,
    And mithers and aunties were mair than discreet,
    While kebbuck and bicker were set on the board;
    But now they pass by me, and never a word. 
          So let it be; for the worldly and slie
          Wi’ poverty keep nae companie.

    But the hope of my love is a cure for its smart;
    The spaewife has tauld me to keep up my heart;
    For wi’ my last sixpence her loof I hae cross’d,
    And the bliss that is fated can never be lost. 
          Cruelly though we ilka day see
          How poverty parts dear companie.

[29] This song was written for Thomson’s “Melodies.”  “Todlin’ Hame,” the air to which it is adapted, appears in Ramsay’s “Tea-Table Miscellany” as an old song.  The words begin—­“When I hae a saxpence under my thum.”  Burns remarks that “it is perhaps one of the first bottle-songs that ever was composed.”

FY, LET US A’ TO THE WEDDING.[30]

    Fy, let us a’ to the wedding,
      For they will be lilting there;
    For Jock’s to be married to Maggie,
      The lass wi’ the gowden hair. 
    And there will be jilting and jeering,
      And glancing of bonnie dark een;
    Loud laughing and smooth-gabbit speering
      O’ questions, baith pawky and keen.

    And there will be Bessy, the beauty,
      Wha raises her cock-up sae hie,
    And giggles at preachings and duty;
      Gude grant that she gang nae ajee! 
    And there will be auld Geordie Tanner,
      Wha coft a young wife wi’ his gowd;
    She ‘ll flaunt wi’ a silk gown upon her,
       But, wow! he looks dowie and cowed.