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Home  »  The Oxford Book of English Verse  »  498. The Banks o’ Doon

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Robert Burns. 1759–1796

498. The Banks o’ Doon

YE flowery banks o’ bonnie Doon, 
  How can ye blume sae fair! 
How can ye chant, ye little birds, 
  And I sae fu’ o’ care! 
 
Thou’ll break my heart, thou bonnie bird,         5
  That sings upon the bough; 
Thou minds me o’ the happy days 
  When my fause luve was true. 
 
Thou’ll break my heart, thou bonnie bird, 
  That sings beside thy mate;  10
For sae I sat, and sae I sang, 
  And wistna o’ my fate. 
 
Aft hae I roved by bonnie Doon, 
  To see the woodbine twine; 
And ilka bird sang o’ its luve,  15
  And sae did I o’ mine. 
 
Wi’ lightsome heart I pu’d a rose 
  Upon a morn in June; 
And sae I flourish’d on the morn, 
  And sae was pu’d or’ noon.  20
 
Wi’ lightsome heart I pu’d a rose 
  Upon its thorny tree; 
But my fause luver staw my rose, 
  And left the thorn wi’ me. 
 
GLOSS:  or’] ere.  staw] stole.