Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume II. Love. 1904. | | | | II. Love’s Nature | | “Greene grow the rashes O” | | Robert Burns (1759–1796) |
| | | GREEN grow the rashes O, | |
| Green grow the rashes O; | |
| The sweetest hours that e’er I spend | |
| Are spent amang the lasses O! | |
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| There ’s naught but care on ev’ry han’, | 5 |
| In every hour that passes O; | |
| What signifies the life o’ man, | |
| An ’t were na for the lasses O? | |
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| The warly race may riches chase, | |
| An’ riches still may fly them O; | 10 |
| An’ though at last they catch them fast, | |
| Their hearts can ne’er enjoy them O! | |
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| Gie me a canny hour at e’en, | |
| My arms about my dearie O, | |
| An’ warly cares an’ warly men | 15 |
| May all gae tapsalteerie O! | |
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| For you sae douce, ye sneer at this, | |
| Ye ’re naught but senseless asses O; | |
| The wisest man the warl’ e’er saw | |
| He dearly lo’ed the lasses O! | 20 |
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| Auld Nature swears the lovely dears | |
| Her noblest work she classes O: | |
| Her ’prentice han’ she tried on man, | |
| An’ then she made the lasses O! | | | | |
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