"O whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad." Robert Burns (1759-1796). III. Love's Beginnings. Bliss Carman, et al., eds. 1904. The World's Best Poetry. II. Love

Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume II. Love. 1904.

III. Love’s Beginnings

“O whistle, and I’ll come to you, my lad”

Robert Burns (1759–1796)


O WHISTLE, and I ’ll come to you, my lad,
O whistle, and I ’ll come to you, my lad,
Tho’ father and mither and a’ should gae mad,
O whistle, and I ’ll come to you, my lad.

But warily tent, when ye come to court me,	5
And come na unless the back-yett be a-jee;
Syne up the back stile, and let naebody see,
And come as ye were na comin’ to me.
And come, etc.
O whistle, etc.	10

At kirk, or at market, whene’er ye meet me,
Gang by me as tho’ that ye cared nae a flie;
But steal me a blink o’ your bonnie black ee,
Yet look as ye were na lookin’ at me.
Yet look, etc.	15
O whistle, etc.

Aye vow and protest that ye care na for me,
And whiles ye may lightly my beauty a wee;
But court nae anither, tho’ jokin’ ye be,
For fear that she wile your fancy frae me.	20
For fear, etc.
O whistle, and I ’ll come to you, my lad.