Friday, January 25, 2008

Burns With Passion!

To A Mouse

(On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough)

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion,
Has broken nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal!

I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't!

Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell-
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld!

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men
Gang aft agley,
An'lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me
The present only toucheth thee:
But, Och! I backward cast my e'e.
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!


Still, nothing that a few pints won't aid with the appreciation of (and dim the consequences of), in The Montefiore Arms tonight.
That and haggis, tatties and neeps.

For my part though, I'm really looking forward to the food. Times have been a bit lean since I became one of Maggie's millions.

4 comments:

Bleak Mouse said...

One of my favourites of course. Sounds like you might need a Red Cross Cheese Parcel.

Lucy Mail said...

On the other hand, it's quite nice being a size 10 again.
I may have to go hunt through my record collection for my copy of Baggy Trousers, but surely that way Madness lies.

Anonymous said...

You don't fancy a carpet burns night by any chance?

Lucy Mail said...

Only if I can go on top!