never perhaps existed a mind more truly and intensely poetical than that of Burns. In his verses to a "Mountain Daisy," which he turned up with his plow, in his reflections of destroying, in the same way, the nest of a field-mouse, there is a vein of tenderness which no poet. has ever surpassed. In the beautiful little poem "To Mary in Heaven,” and in many other short lyrics, he has condensed the whole history of love-its tender fears, its joys, its frenzy, its agonies, and its yet sublimer resignation-into the space of a dozen lines. No poet ever seems so sure of himself; none goes more directly and more certainly to the point; none is more muscular in his expression, encumbering the thought with no useless drapery of words, and trusting always for effect to Nature, truth, and intensity of feeling. Consequently, no poet more abounds in those short and picture-like phrases which at once present the object almost to our senses, and which no reflection could either imitate or improve.

THE COTTER'S SATURDAY NIGHT.

NOTE. This poem was written by Burns at the age of twenty-six It was dedicated to his intimate friend Robert Aiken, lawyer in the town of Ayr, Scotland. It will be noticed that part of the poem is written in the Ayrshire dialect and part in English. The poet employs the Spenserian stanza.

1. My loved, my honor'd, much-respected friend!

No mercenary bard his homage pays;
With honest pride I scorn each selfish end:
My dearest meed, a friend's esteem and praise:

NOTE.-4. meed, reward.

ANALYSIS.-2. What is the meaning of mercenary bard here? 4. What verb is omitted in the line?

To you I sing, in simple Scottish lays,
The lowly train in life's sequester'd scene;
The native feelings strong, the guileless ways;
What Aiken in a cottage would have been;
Ah! though his worth unknown, far happier there, I ween.

2. November chill blaws loud wi' angry sugh;
The shortening winter day is near a close;
The miry beasts retreating frae the pleugh;
The blackening trains o' craws to their repose;
The toil-worn Cotter frae his labor goes,
This night his weekly moil is at an end,
Collects his spades, his mattocks, and his hoes,

Hoping the morn in ease and rest to spend,

And, weary, o'er the moor his course does hameward bend.

3. At length his lonely cot appears in view,
Beneath the shelter of an aged tree;

Th' expectant wee-things, toddlin', stacher through
To meet their Dad, wi' flichterin' noise an' glee.

NOTES.-5. I sing. This refers to | 12. pleugh, plow.

the habit of early poets, who 13. trains o' craws, trains of sang their verses, usually for

pay.

9. ween, deem.

crows.

15. moil, labor.

10. wi' angry sugh, with angry 19. cot, cottage.

sough or moaning.

12. frae, from.

17. the morn, the morrow.

21. stacher, stagger.

22. flichterin', fluttering.

ANALYSIS.-6. Meaning of lowly train? Give the grammatical construction of train.

7. native feelings strong. Notice the order.

9. Rewrite the line in prose.

10. What part of speech is loud?

13. Supply ellipsis.

14. Give the meaning of Cotter.
16. What is the subject of collects?
17. What does the line modify?
18. Give the construction of weary.
21. toddlin'. Give the meaning.

10

15

20

His wee bit ingle, blinkin' bonnily,

His clean hearth-stane, his thriftie wifie's smile,
The lisping infant prattling on his knee,
Does a' his weary carking cares beguile,
An' makes him quite forget his labor an' his toil.

Belyve the elder bairns come drappin' in,
At service out amang the farmers roun':
Some ca' the pleugh, some herd, some tentie rin
A cannie errand to a neebor-town.
Their eldest hope, their Jenny, woman grown,
In youthfu' bloom, love sparkling in her e'e,
Comes hame, perhaps, to show a braw new gown,
Or déposit her sair-won penny-fee

To help her parents dear if they in hardship be.

5 Wi' joy unfeign'd brothers and sisters meet,
An' each for other's weelfare kindly speirs:
The social hours, swift-wing'd, unnoticed fleet;
Each tells the uncos that he sees or hears.
The parents, partial, eye their hopeful years;
Anticipation forward points the view:
The mother, wi' her needle an' her shears,

ANALYSIS.-23-27. Is the sentence correct? Analyze it.

29. What does the line mcdify?

35. de posit. The accent here is thrown to the first syllable to retain the metre. This was also the former pronunciation of the word 41. Parse partial, eye their hopeful years. What figure? 42. Anticipation. . . . points, etc. What figure?

25

30

35

40

Gars auld claes look amaist as weel's the new; The father mixes a' wi' admonition due.

6. Their master's and their mistress's command The younkers a' are warnèd to obey;

An' mind their labors wi' an eydent hand;

An' ne'er, though out o' sight, to jauk or play:
"An', oh! be sure to fear the Lord alway,
An' mind your duty duly, morn an' night.
Lest in temptation's path ye gang astray,

Implore His counsel and assisting might:

They never sought in vain that sought the Lord aright.”

7. But, hark; a rap comes gently to the door:
Jenny, wha kens the meaning o' the same,
Tells how a neebor-lad cam' o'er the moor
To do some errands, and convoy her hame.
The wily mother sees the conscious flame
Sparkle in Jenny's e'e and flush her cheek;
With heart-struck anxious care inquires his name;
While Jenny hafflins is afraid to speak:

Weel pleased, the mother hears it's nae wild, worthless rake.

NOTES.-44. Gars auld claes, | 56. wha, who.

makes old clothes.

47. younkers, youngsters

48. eydent, diligent.

49. jauk, trifle.

58. convoy, accompany.
59. wily, cautious.

62 hafflins, partly.

63. nae, no.

ANALYSIS.-44. as weel's the new. Explain.

47. warned. Notice the pronunciation.

50. Why alway instead of always?

51. duty. What duty morn and night?

50-54. Notice that these lines are a direct quotation.

55. Dispose of the word hark.

57. What is the object of tells?

59. conscious flame. What figure?

60. Grammatical construction of Sparkle!

8. Wi' kindly welcome, Jenny brings him ben;
A strappan youth, he taks the mother's eye:
Blythe Jenny sees the visit's no ill ta'en;
The father cracks of horses, pleughs, and kye
The youngster's artless heart o'erflows wi' joy,
But, blate and laithfu', scarce can weel behave.
The mother, wi' a woman's wiles, can spy

What makes the youth sae bashfu' an' sae grave;
Weel pleased to think her bairn's respected like the lave.

Ο

9. Oh happy love, where love like this is found!
Oh heartfelt raptures! bliss beyond compare!
I've paced much this weary mortal round,
And sage experience bids me this declare,-·

"If Heaven a draught of heavenly pleasure spare,
One cordial in this melancholy vale,

'Tis when a youthful, loving, modest pair,

In other's arms breathe out the tender tale

Beneath the milk-white thorn that scents the evening gale."

NOTES.-64. ben; that is, in or 67. cracks, talks.

into the room.

kye, kine or cows.

65. strappan, tall and hand- 69. blate, bashful.

some.

taks, takes.

laithfu', reluctant.

72. the lave, the others.

ANALYSIS.-65. taks the mother's eye. What figure? Why is the word written eye in this line and e'e in line 60?

66. Write the line in prose.

68. Who is meant by youngster in this line?

69. Grammatical construction of blate, laithfu’, and behave? Trace

the etymology of blate.

70. Name the object of can spy.

72. What does the line modify?

73. What figure in the line?

74. compare. This is a figure of Enallage. For what is the wora a substitute?

76. experience bids, etc. What figure?

declare?

78. Name the figures in this line.

80. Supply the ellipsis in the line.

What is the object of

80

75

35