Janet Little

IFROM the dull confines of a country shade,
A rustic damsel issues forth her lays;
There she, in secret, sought the Muse's aid,
But now, aspiring, hopes to gain the bays.II'Vain are her hopes,' the snarling critic cries;…

MY ever dear an' worthy aunty,
Wha ne'er o' wit nor lear was vaunty;
Yet often could, like honest grandam,
Unravel dreams; an' whiles, at random,…

WHILE Phoebus did our summer arbours cheer,
And joys Autumnal crown'd our circling year;
Even then my thoughts to you excursions made,
And ardently the bypast scenes survey'd;…

Нет удовольствия в дворцах,
В театрах – тоже нету.
Стыдливой нимфой – ох и ах! –
Идёт оно по свету.…

NOW winter, reluctant, the sway
Resigns to the genial spring;
Sol sheds an enlivening ray,
And warblers delightfully sing.…

WILL gentle LOUDOUN deign to lend an ear,
When nature speaks, and sorrow drops a tear?
Within your walls my happiness I found
Luxuriant flourish, like the plants around:…

‘In royal Anna’s golden days,
Hard was the task to gain the bays;
Hard was it then the hill to climb;
Some broke a neck, some lost a limb.…

Во дни, когда царила Анна,1
Желанье славы было странно:
Кого наверх манила вечность,
Тот падал вниз, сломав конечность.…

Damon and Phillis, ’tother day,
To Hymen’s altar hasten’d;
They talk’d of love along the way,
And wish’d the knot well fasten’d.A church the willing pair perceiv’d,…

WHILE o'er the plains stern winter bore the sway,
And Sol from Capricorn diffus'd his ray,
Nigh Bolton Gate, beneath a hawthorn shade,
Two rural swains sad lamentations made:…

Celia, fair, beyond description,
Soon became the fav’rite toast;
Charms unrival’d ev’n by fiction,
Did the lovely maiden boast.Beaux and sages, panting, dying,…

DEAR madam, with joy I read over your letter;
Your kindness still tends to confirm me your debtor;
But can't think of payment, the sum is so large,
Tho' farthings for guineas could buy my discharge.…

DAMON.The sun with keenness darts his sultry ray;
To some cool shade Philander haste away,
Nigh yon smooth riv’let, where the southern breeze
So softly plays among the bord’ring trees.…

AS Celia, who a coquette was,
O'er fading charms lamented,
She frown'd upon her looking-glass,
And thus her spleen she vented.…

Ye maidens attend to my tale,
Of love that sly archer take care;
His darts o’er all ranks do prevail,
The wealthy, the wise, and the fair.When once his fierce arrow he throws,…

TO-DAY old wrinkl'd Time appears;
A smile adorns his brow,
While to our list of fleeting years,
He adds the ninety-two.…

Ужели дом, тот самый дом,
Обычный дом крестьянский?
Живёт и честь, и слава в нём
Страны моей шотландской!Лежит на Бернсе благодать,…

JOIN now Apollo the harmonious strain,
O Muses, Graces, all ye gentle train;
Once more conspire to aid my humble lays,
And wake my harp to fam'd Lothario's praise.…

MY Muse, once more, thy aid I humbly claim;
Refuse not now to grace my rustic lays.
Johnston or Pope might well befit the theme
Of Grecian bards, who ever merit praise.…

IS't true? or does some magic spell
My wond'ring eyes beguile?
Is this the place where deigns to dwell
The honour of our isle?The charming Burns, the Muse's care,…

What means this silent, solitary gloom?
All nature in her dishabille appears;
Contracted flow’rets yield no sweet perfume,
And ev’ry grove a dismal aspect wears.Nor do the joys of Autumn glad our plains;…

O JANET, by your kind permission,
My muse, in tatter'd low condition,
Would fain attempt, if you'll allow,
To dedicate a song to you.…

YE swains unacquainted with love,
Attend to my pitiful lay:
My pipe shall resound through the grove,
And my woes in sad accents display.…

While sickness, madam, on your vitals prey’d,
The sympathetic sisters shar’d your pain:
I mark’d them then in sable weeds array’d,
In concert sad assume the plaintive strain.From Elly’s[1] Land was heard the harp of wo;…