Classic Poem

F AREWEEL ! my wee lassie, fareweel!
Thou wert dear as the licht to mine e'e;
And nae ane can ken what I feel
In this sorrowfu' pairting wi' thee.

A welcome wee stranger thou wert,
But thou didstna bide lang wi' us here;
Thou cam'st like the Spring to my hert,
But thou left it all wither'd and sear.

Ah, Mary! I canna but weep,
For my hert was sae wrapt up in thee;
Fain I'd think thou art gane but to sleep,
And thou'lt toddle again to my knee.

Oh, thou wert a beam of delicht
Which sae lighted my hert up wi' joy!
I ne'er thocht thou'dst fade frae my sicht,
Or death would e'er come to destroy.

And the bairns are a' greetin' for thee,
For they've lost their wee playmate an' a';
And Johnnie creeps up on my knee,
And he asks if ye'll aye be awa'.

What tho' to forget thee I try,
And the words that thou lispit to me;
The streams o' this hert winna dry,
And a' nature's the mem'ry o' thee.

The sweet little birdies that sing,
And the innocent lamb on the lea,
The bonnie wee flow'rs o' the spring,
Are a' but faint shadows o' thee.