Song - Tune, Bonie Dundee ----
Composed on Miss Jessie Staig, Dumfries
True hearted was he, the sad swain of the Yarrow,
And fair are the maids on the banks of the Ayr,
But by the sweet side of the Nith's winding river,
Are maiden lovers as faithful, & maidens as fair:
To equal young Jessie, seek Scotia all over;
To equal young Jessie, you seek it in vain:
Youth, beauty & elegance fetter her lover,
And maidenly modesty fixes the chain. ----
Fair is the rose in the gay dewy morning,
And sweet is the lily in evening close;
But in the fair presence of lovely young Jessie,
Unseen is the lily, unheeded the rose. --
Love sits in her smile, a wizard ensnaring;
Enthron'd in her eye, he delivers his law:
And still to her charms she alone is a stranger,
Her modest demeanour's the Jewel of a!
Composed on Miss Jessie Staig, Dumfries
True hearted was he, the sad swain of the Yarrow,
And fair are the maids on the banks of the Ayr,
But by the sweet side of the Nith's winding river,
Are maiden lovers as faithful, & maidens as fair:
To equal young Jessie, seek Scotia all over;
To equal young Jessie, you seek it in vain:
Youth, beauty & elegance fetter her lover,
And maidenly modesty fixes the chain. ----
Fair is the rose in the gay dewy morning,
And sweet is the lily in evening close;
But in the fair presence of lovely young Jessie,
Unseen is the lily, unheeded the rose. --
Love sits in her smile, a wizard ensnaring;
Enthron'd in her eye, he delivers his law:
And still to her charms she alone is a stranger,
Her modest demeanour's the Jewel of a!
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/44
- Alt. number
- 3.6184
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Staig, Jessie
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/44
- Alt. number
- 3.6184
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Staig, Jessie
Description
Jessie - A new Scots Song.
A song composed in honour of Jessie Staig (1775-1801), daughter of Provost David Staig of Dumfries. Begins "True hearted was he, the sad swain o' the Yarrow". Two eight-line verses Tune, Bonnie Dundee.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- Jessie - A new Scots Song
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