Robert Burns (1759–1796). Poems and Songs.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

140 . Masonic Song—Ye Sons of Old Killie

YE sons of old Killie, assembled by Willie,

To follow the noble vocation;

Your thrifty old mother has scarce such another

To sit in that honoured station.

I’ve little to say, but only to pray,

As praying’s the ton of your fashion;

A prayer from thee Muse you well may excuse

’Tis seldom her favourite passion.

Ye powers who preside o’er the wind, and the tide,

Who markèd each element’s border;

Who formed this frame with beneficent aim,

Whose sovereign statute is order:—

Within this dear mansion, may wayward Contention

Or witherèd Envy ne’er enter;

May secrecy round be the mystical bound,

And brotherly Love be the centre!