A Song - Tune Etrick banks. -
On accidentally seeing Miss W.- A. -- in an evening
walk.----
Twas ev'n - the dewy field were green,
On ev'ry blade the pearls hang;
The Zephyr wanton'd round the bean;
And bore it's fragrant sweets alang;
In ev'ry glen the Mavis sang,
All Nature list'ning seem'd the while
On accidentally seeing Miss W.- A. -- in an evening
walk.----
Twas ev'n - the dewy field were green,
On ev'ry blade the pearls hang;
The Zephyr wanton'd round the bean;
And bore it's fragrant sweets alang;
In ev'ry glen the Mavis sang,
All Nature list'ning seem'd the while
Except where green-wood echoes rang,
Amang the braes o' Ballochmyle.
2.
With careless step I onward stray'd,
My heart rejoic'd in Nature's joy;
When musing in a lonely glade,
A Maiden fair I chanc'd to spy:
He look was like the morning's eye;
Her air like Nature's vernal smile:
The lily hue and reses dye
Bespoke the Lass o' Ballochmyle.
3.
Fair is a morn in flow'ry May,
And sweet a night in Autumn mild;
When roving thro' the garden gay,
Or wand'ring in the lonely Wild:
But Woman, Nature's darling child,
There all her charms she does compile.
And all her other works are foil'd -
By th' bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle.
4.
O of she were a country-maid,
And I the happy country swain!
Tho' shelt'red in the lowest shed
That ever rose on Scotia's plain!
Amang the braes o' Ballochmyle.
2.
With careless step I onward stray'd,
My heart rejoic'd in Nature's joy;
When musing in a lonely glade,
A Maiden fair I chanc'd to spy:
He look was like the morning's eye;
Her air like Nature's vernal smile:
The lily hue and reses dye
Bespoke the Lass o' Ballochmyle.
3.
Fair is a morn in flow'ry May,
And sweet a night in Autumn mild;
When roving thro' the garden gay,
Or wand'ring in the lonely Wild:
But Woman, Nature's darling child,
There all her charms she does compile.
And all her other works are foil'd -
By th' bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle.
4.
O of she were a country-maid,
And I the happy country swain!
Tho' shelt'red in the lowest shed
That ever rose on Scotia's plain!
Thro' weary Winter's wind and rain,
With joy, with rapture I would toil;
And nightly to my bosom strain
The bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle.
5.
Then Pride might climb the slipp'ry steep,
Where Fame and Honors lofty shine;
And Thirst of gold might tempt the deep,
Or downward seek the Indian mine:
Give me the cot below the pine,
To tend the flocks, or till the soil;
And ev'ry day has joys divine,
With th' bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle.
With joy, with rapture I would toil;
And nightly to my bosom strain
The bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle.
5.
Then Pride might climb the slipp'ry steep,
Where Fame and Honors lofty shine;
And Thirst of gold might tempt the deep,
Or downward seek the Indian mine:
Give me the cot below the pine,
To tend the flocks, or till the soil;
And ev'ry day has joys divine,
With th' bonie Lass o' Ballochmyle.
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/181
- Alt. number
- 3.6275.c
- Date
- November 1786
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Stewart, Mrs Alexander
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/181
- Alt. number
- 3.6275.c
- Date
- November 1786
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Stewart, Mrs Alexander
Description
The Bonnie Lass o' Ballochmyle, part of the Stair manuscript collection.
This manuscript headed by Burns 'A Song -- Tune Etrick banks -- On accidentally seeing Miss W.-- A. in an evening walk'. It was written after Burns had strayed into the private estate of Claud Alexander in Ballochmyle. As he wandered along the banks of the river Ayr, he caught a glimpse of Claud's sister Wilhelmina, and wrote the song as an ode to her.
On thefirst page Burns sets the scene of his walk with that happy eye for detail so typical of his writing, describing the dewy fields and the song thrush singing with nature in all her peaceful splendour.
The second page describes Burns as he wandered in the woods and chanced to spy the bonnie lass on whom he confers a surpassing beauty in his imagination. His flight of fancy and hyperbole give us a picture of love, peace and harmony with nature. Burns then expresses the wish that they had been rustic social equals.
On the final page Burns tells how he would work hard with a joyous heart on his farm to support her. He is not is seeking a fortune on the high seas or down some foreign mine. He would stay at home, happily tending his sheep and tilling the soil just so long as he could enjoy the simple life together with his bonnie lass o' Ballochmyle.
Claud Alexander brought his sister Wilhelmina (Miss W.A.) to an estate at Ballochmyle near Mauchline, which was not far from Mossgeil farm where Burns lived. In November 1786, having composed the song, Burns wrote to Miss W.A. seeking her permission to allow him to publish it in his second book of Poems. As she was 30 years old and no great beauty, she thought Burns was teasing her and so she never replied. However, when she died a spinster aged 87, it was one of her most prized possessions.
The second page describes Burns as he wandered in the woods and chanced to spy the bonnie lass on whom he confers a surpassing beauty in his imagination. His flight of fancy and hyperbole give us a picture of love, peace and harmony with nature. Burns then expresses the wish that they had been rustic social equals.
On the final page Burns tells how he would work hard with a joyous heart on his farm to support her. He is not is seeking a fortune on the high seas or down some foreign mine. He would stay at home, happily tending his sheep and tilling the soil just so long as he could enjoy the simple life together with his bonnie lass o' Ballochmyle.
Claud Alexander brought his sister Wilhelmina (Miss W.A.) to an estate at Ballochmyle near Mauchline, which was not far from Mossgeil farm where Burns lived. In November 1786, having composed the song, Burns wrote to Miss W.A. seeking her permission to allow him to publish it in his second book of Poems. As she was 30 years old and no great beauty, she thought Burns was teasing her and so she never replied. However, when she died a spinster aged 87, it was one of her most prized possessions.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- The Bonnie Lass o' Ballochmyle
Caring for collections
A gift of £5 a month can help us ensure collections like the Robert Burns Collection receive ongoing care and are shared with as many people as possible.