Jamie and Annie.

The cauld winds were blawin', the white hail was fa'in',
The trees by the river were leafless and bare,
When Annie went over to look for her lover,
Her heart overflowing wi' sorrow and care.

She gaed up the hill, and there she stood still,
And gazed while the tears nearly covered her e'en;
The waves in commotion rose wild o'er the ocean,
But on a' the wide waters no ship could be seen.

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Hame, hame she came slowly, her head drooping lowly,
Like a lilly in summer when a shower's newly faun;
O hope maist bereaved! fu' sairly she grieved,
And she wist when she slept she might ne'er see the dawn.

The neighbours were laffin, and said in their daffin,
There goes the puir broken-hearted wee bairn;
She couldna weel cry, but she gaed a bit sigh,
For she thought, O, their hearts must be cauld as the aim.

She loosened her stays and took off her claes,
Sadly, O! sadly she went to her bed;
Her mither descried her and crept in aside her,
And laid her saft arm 'neath her lassie's sair head.

"Lass, why lie ye cryin', and sabbin', and sighin,"
And wasting yersel' for a wild reckless boy;
Noo end a' this strife, be some cannie man's wife,
And gi'e yere auld mither joost ae blink o' joy.

There's many a lad that gaes far better clad,
And shaws a guid purse when he tooms out his cash;
But Jamie has naething scarce mair than his claithing,
So an' I was you, yon lad I'd never more fash."

"Tho' lads I hae plenty, I'm sure more than twenty,
He lo'es me far better than ane o' them a';
O! speak nae mair, mither, I care no a feather,
If I canna get Jamie I'll ha'e nane ava.

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There's Maggie he vext, Bonnie Jean was the next,
He telt them lie lo'ed them, but that was a whim;
When he had so many and left a' for Annie,
O, what can I do but just leave a' for him.

In Mary-Ann's praise maistlins naething he says—
'Wi' dear little Annie she canna compare;
I've sailed the world over, from Boston to Dover,
But never hae met wi' a beauty so rare.'

And Jessie o' Deeside that goes aye sae gaucie,
Fu' glad wad she be tae hae Jamie again;
But he ca'ed me his 'bonnie wee kind-hearted lassie,'
And vowed that when spring came he'd make me his ain.

A' night in her nest the lintie 'll no rest,
But wishes for morning her young birds to see;
And I maun be weary and canna be cheery,
Till the lad that I loe comes to gladden my e'e."

Lang, lang she had mourned when Jamie returned,
How happy' was Annie when he came ashore;
Her puir heart was beating, in his arms she ran greetin',
When he ca'ed her his bonnie wee lassie ance more.