Such is the fate of simple bard,

On life's rough ocean luckless-starred !
Unskilful he to note the card

Of prudent lore,

Till billows rage, and gales blow hard,
And whelm him o'er!

Such fate to suffering worth is given,
Who long with wants and woes has striven,
By human pride or cunning driven

To misery's brink,

Till, wrenched of every stay but heaven,
He, ruined, sink!

Even thou who mourn'st the Daisy's fate,
That fate is thine-no distant date;
Stern Ruin's ploughshare drives, elate,
Full on thy bloom,

Till crushed beneath the furrow's weight

Shall be thy doom!

In a different style, and of another mood, but still, in the strong rush of its comic and satiric eloquence and the hurry of its whimsical fancies, not without occasional touches both of the terrific and the tender, is the glorious Address to the 'Deil (the Devil):

1 Old.

2 A popular name of the devil, in allusion to his horns.

3 Another, in allusion to his cloots, or hoofs.

4 Who.

To

say her prayers, douce," honest woman,
Aft yont 12 the dyke 13 she's heard ye bummin',14
Wi' eerie 15 drone;

Or, rustlin', through the hoortrees 16 comin',
Wi' heavy groan.

10 With unearthly moan (the oo in noon and croon pronounced like the

French u).

13 Stone wall of a field.

12 Often beyond.
15 Ghastly, unearthly.
19 Myself.

18 Slanting.

11 Quiet, sedate.

14 Humming.
17 One.

22 Lake.

23 Bush of rushes.

25 Fist.

16 Whortleberry bushes. 20 Got.

21 Beyond. 24 Long sighing sound.

7 Dug up, disinterred.

10 And fondly cherished,

milk as the bull.

9 Churn.

twelve-pint Hawkie (the cow) is gone as barren of

11 Thaws.

14 Mischievous water spirits. 17 Blazing,

12 Hoard, heap.

13 Board.

16 Will-o'-the-Wisps.

19 Grip, clasp of the hand.

15 Ford.

20 Off straight.

18 Never more.

Lang syne,' in Eden's bonnie yard,
When youthfu' lovers first were paired,
An' all the soul of love they shared
The raptured hour,

Sweet on the fragrant, flowery swaird,3
In shady bow'r ;

4

Then you, ye auld sneck-drawin' dog!
Ye came to Paradise incog,

An' played on man a cursed brogue 5
(Black be your fa'!)®

An' gied the infant warld a shog,7
Maist ruined a'."

D'ye mind that day when in a bizz,
Wi' reekit duds, 10 and reested gizz,"
Ye did present your smoutie 12 phiz,
'Mang better folk,

An' sklentit 13 on the Man of Uz
Your spitefu' joke?

An' how ye gat him i' your thrall,
An' brak him 14 out o' house an' hall,
While scabs an' blotches did him gall
Wi' bitter claw,

An' loused 15 his ill-tongued wicked scawl,16
Was warst ava'? 17

But a' your doings to rehearse,

Your wily snares an' fechtin' 18 fierce,
Sin 19 that day Michael did ye pierce,
Down to this time,

Wad ding a' Lallan tongue or Erse 20
In prose or rhyme.

An' now, auld Cloots, I ken ye 're thinkin'
A certain Bardie's rantin', drinkin',
Some luckless hour will send him linkin' 21

To your black pit;

But faith! he'll turn a corner jinkin' 22

'Long since.

4 Crafty, bolt-drawing.

An' cheat you yet.

2 Garden.

5 Trick.

7 Gave the infant world a push to the side.

9 Buzz. 10 Smoked rags of clothes. 11 13 Made to fall obliquely.

15 Let loose.

19 Since.

21 Tripping along.

16 Scold.

3 Sward.

6 Fate, what befals you.

8 That almost ruined all. Singed periwig. 12 Smutty.

14 Broke him-made him bankrupt. 17 Which was worse of all. 19 Fighting.

20 Would beat all Lowland tongue or Erse (Gaelic).

22 Dodging.

The same brilliant comic power animates the pieces entitled Scotch Drink, Death and Dr. Hornbook, the Holy Fair, the Ordination, and others of his more irreverent or reckless effusions. There is infinite spirit also in the little operatic sketch, or cantata, as it is called, of the Jolly Beggars, together with the happiest skill in painting character and manners by a few vigorous touches. As a picture of manners, however, his Hallowe'en is Burns's greatest performance-with its easy vigour, its execution absolutely perfect, its fulness of various and busy life, the truth and reality throughout, the humour diffused over it like sunshine and ever and anon flashing forth in changeful or more dazzling light, the exquisite feeling and rendering both of the whole human spirit of the scene, and also of its accessories in what we can scarcely call or conceive of as inanimate nature while reading such lines as the following:

But this poem is too long for quotation, and is besides well known to every reader who knows anything of Burns. We will rather present our English readers with one or two shorter pieces that may serve to illustrate another quality of the man and of his poetry—the admirable sagacity and good sense, never separated from manliness and a high spirit, that made so large

1 Old Nick. 3 Possibly.

7 Sometimes.

11 Dale.

2 O would you take a thought and mend!
5 Sorrowful.
6 Upon.
10 Rivulet.

4 I do not know.
8 Over.

12 Nimbly meandered.

9 Waterfall.

13 Cliff. 14 Small whirlpool.

15 Slily disappeared by dipping down, skulked. [Dr. Currie interprets it,