O Luve will venture in, where it daur na weel be seen;
O Luve will venture in, where Wisdom ance has been:
But I will down yon river rove, amang the woods sae green,
And a' to pu' a posie to my ain dear May. ----
But I will down yon river rove, amang the woods sae green,
And a' to pu' a posie to my ain dear May. ----
2.
The primrose I will pu', the firstling o' the year;
And I will pu' the pink, the emblem o' my Dear;
For she is the pink o' womankind, & blumes without a peer;
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. --
For she & c
3.
I'll pu' the morning rose, when Phebus peeps in view,
I will pu' the rose, where its budding in the dew,
For it's like a baumy kiss o' her sweet, bonie mou;
The hyacinth is constacy, wi' it's unchanging blue,
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. ----
The hyacinth & c.
4.
The lily it is pure, & the lily it is fair,
And on her her lovely bosom I'll place the lily there;
The daisy's for simplicity & unaffected air,
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May: --
The daisy's & c.
5.
The hawthorn I will pu' wi' its locks o' siller grey;
Where like an aged man it stands at break o' day;
But the sangster's nest within the bush I winna tak away,
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. --
But the sangster's nest & c.
6.
The woodbine I will pu', when the e'enin star is near,
And the diamond draps o' dew shall be her een sae clear;
The violet's for modesty, which weel she fa's to wear,
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May. --
The violet & c.
7.
I'll bend tie the posie round wi' the silken tie band o' luve,
And I'll place it in her breast, & I'll swear by a' abuve,
That, to my latest draught o' life the tie band shall ne'er remuve,
And that will be a posie to my ain dear May. --
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/90
- Alt. number
- 3.6248
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/02/90
- Alt. number
- 3.6248
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
Description
The Posie. Begins: "O luve will venture in wher it daur ne weel be seen". 7 four-line verses. It is unknown when Burns wrote this song, but it is believed to be from his time at Ellisland Farm (1788 - 1791). In 1794, Burns wrote to George Thomson, 'My composition, the air was taken down from Mrs Burns voice. --It is well known in the West Country, but the old words are trash.'
It was later included in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum.
Archive information
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Robert Burns, collection of poems and songs
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- The Posie