Fugitive Poetry. 1600–1878/Arise an' come wi' me

Arise and Come Wi' Me.

"Arise and come wi' me, my love, My sail is spread, and see,My merry men and gallant bark To breast the billows free.Green Neva's isle is fair, my love, And Saba sweet to see,The deep flood scenting far, my love, So busk and come wi' me."

"I wad nae gie yon heathy hill Where wild bees sing so soon—I wad nae gie that bloomy bush Where birdies lilt in June,—Yon good green wood, that grassy glen, This small brook streaming free,For all the isles of spice and slaves „ Upon the sunny sea."

"Thy kirtle shall be satin, love, All jewelled to the knee,The rudest wind that fills my sail Shall waft red gold to thee.And thou shall sit on seats of silk, Thy handmaids on the floor,The richest spice, the rarest fruits, Shall scent thy chamber door."

"On lonely Siddick's sunward banks The hazel nuts hang brown,And many proud eyes gaze at me All in my homely gown.My fingers long and lily-white Are maids more meet for me,Than all the damsels of the isles, Who sing amid the sea."

He moved one step from her, and said, "How tender, true, and long,I've loved thee, lived for thee, and fought Might grace some landward song;My song maun be the sounding wave, My good bark breasting through—"He waved his hand—he could nae say My Jean a long adieu!

She was a sweet and lovesome lass, Wi' a dark an' downcast e'e;Now she's a wedded dame and douce, With bairnies at her knee;Yet oft she thinks on the sailor lad When the sea leaps on the shore.—His heart was broke—and a storm came on— He ne'er shall waken more.