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| A GUID New-year I wish thee, Maggie! | |
| Hae, there’s a ripp to thy auld baggie: | |
| Tho’ thou’s howe-backit now, an’ knaggie, | |
| I’ve seen the day | |
| Thou could hae gaen like ony staggie, | 5 |
| Out-owre the lay. | |
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| Tho’ now thou’s dowie, stiff, an’ crazy, | |
| An’ thy auld hide as white’s a daisie, | |
| I’ve seen thee dappl’t, sleek an’ glaizie, | |
| A bonie gray: | 10 |
| He should been tight that daur’t to raize thee, | |
| Ance in a day. | |
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| Thou ance was i’ the foremost rank, | |
| A filly buirdly, steeve, an’ swank; | |
| An’ set weel down a shapely shank, | 15 |
| As e’er tread yird; | |
| An’ could hae flown out-owre a stank, | |
| Like ony bird. | |
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| It’s now some nine-an’-twenty year, | |
| Sin’ thou was my guid-father’s mear; | 20 |
| He gied me thee, o’ tocher clear, | |
| An’ fifty mark; | |
| Tho’ it was sma’, ’twas weel-won gear, | |
| An’ thou was stark. | |
| |
| When first I gaed to woo my Jenny, | 25 |
| Ye then was trotting wi’ your minnie: | |
| Tho’ ye was trickie, slee, an’ funnie, | |
| Ye ne’er was donsie; | |
| But hamely, tawie, quiet, an’ cannie, | |
| An’ unco sonsie. | 30 |
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| That day, ye pranc’d wi’ muckle pride, | |
| When ye bure hame my bonie bride: | |
| An’ sweet an’ gracefu’ she did ride, | |
| Wi’ maiden air! | |
| Kyle-Stewart I could bragged wide | 35 |
| For sic a pair. | |
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| Tho’ now ye dow but hoyte and hobble, | |
| An’ wintle like a saumont coble, | |
| That day, ye was a jinker noble, | |
| For heels an’ win’! | 40 |
| An’ ran them till they a’ did wauble, | |
| Far, far, behin’! | |
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| When thou an’ I were young an’ skeigh, | |
| An’ stable-meals at fairs were dreigh, | |
| How thou wad prance, and snore, an’ skreigh | 45 |
| An’ tak the road! | |
| Town’s-bodies ran, an’ stood abeigh, | |
| An’ ca’t thee mad. | |
| |
| When thou was corn’t, an’ I was mellow, | |
| We took the road aye like a swallow: | 50 |
| At brooses thou had ne’er a fellow, | |
| For pith an’ speed; | |
| But ev’ry tail thou pay’t them hollow, | |
| Whare’er thou gaed. | |
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| The sma’, droop-rumpl’t, hunter cattle | 55 |
| Might aiblins waur’t thee for a brattle; | |
| But sax Scotch mile, thou try’t their mettle, | |
| An’ gar’t them whaizle: | |
| Nae whip nor spur, but just a wattle | |
| O’ saugh or hazel. | 60 |
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| Thou was a noble fittie-lan’, | |
| As e’er in tug or tow was drawn! | |
| Aft thee an’ I, in aught hours’ gaun, | |
| In guid March-weather, | |
| Hae turn’d sax rood beside our han’, | 65 |
| For days thegither. | |
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| Thou never braing’t, an’ fetch’t, an’ fliskit; | |
| But thy auld tail thou wad hae whiskit, | |
| An’ spread abreed thy weel-fill’d brisket, | |
| Wi’ pith an’ power; | 70 |
| Till sprittie knowes wad rair’t an’ riskit | |
| An’ slypet owre. | |
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| When frosts lay lang, an’ snaws were deep, | |
| An’ threaten’d labour back to keep, | |
| I gied thy cog a wee bit heap | 75 |
| Aboon the timmer: | |
| I ken’d my Maggie wad na sleep, | |
| For that, or simmer. | |
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| In cart or car thou never reestit; | |
| The steyest brae thou wad hae fac’t it; | 80 |
| Thou never lap, an’ sten’t, and breastit, | |
| Then stood to blaw; | |
| But just thy step a wee thing hastit, | |
| Thou snoov’t awa. | |
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| My pleugh is now thy bairn-time a’, | 85 |
| Four gallant brutes as e’er did draw; | |
| Forbye sax mae I’ve sell’t awa, | |
| That thou hast nurst: | |
| They drew me thretteen pund an’ twa, | |
| The vera warst. | 90 |
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| Mony a sair daurk we twa hae wrought, | |
| An’ wi’ the weary warl’ fought! | |
| An’ mony an anxious day, I thought | |
| We wad be beat! | |
| Yet here to crazy age we’re brought, | 95 |
| Wi’ something yet. | |
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| An’ think na’, my auld trusty servan’, | |
| That now perhaps thou’s less deservin, | |
| An’ thy auld days may end in starvin; | |
| For my last fow, | 100 |
| A heapit stimpart, I’ll reserve ane | |
| Laid by for you. | |
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| We’ve worn to crazy years thegither; | |
| We’ll toyte about wi’ ane anither; | |
| Wi’ tentie care I’ll flit thy tether | 105 |
| To some hain’d rig, | |
| Whare ye may nobly rax your leather, | |
| Wi’ sma’ fatigue. | |
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