New-year's Day

by Anonymous

NEW-YEAR'S DAY:

A POEM.

Now Nature's chang'd frae warm and green,
To blirty, cauld, and blae,
And blythly Scotia's bairns conveen
To haud their Hogmanae.

The Muse, wha loes to cure the spleen,
Now tunes a heartful lay,
Intent to sing what she has seen,
And hail the New-Year's Day,
When Friendship, Love and Joy their pleasing sounds convey.

GLASGOW:

PRINTED FOR AND SOLD BY

Brash & Reid.

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ADVERTISEMENT.

The design of the following Verses is to defer to the manner in which the Festival of New-Years Day is generally held throughout Scotland.

The universal joy exhibited at the recurrence of this period, pervades every rank in society, but most especially the lower orders, who have no other general Festival in the year.

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NEW-YEAR'S DAY:

 

A POEM.

 

I.

Ye Muses nine, O come and see
Which o' ye a' will cleek wi' me,
And lend me wings that I may flee,
And mak'a fraise,
For a' the poets tell how ye
Inspire their lays.

II.

To sing in hamely style, O teach me,
And tak nae prigging, I beseech ye,
But let my invitation reach ye,
Frae midst the thrang,
For troth I canna thole to fleetch ye
Wi' busked sang.

III.

With your assistance I'se begin
To tell how the New Year comes in,
With sic a sough and sic a din
O' clinkan stoups,
And bodies gaun to see their kin,
Get monie coups.

IV.

At twall at e'en on Hogmanae,^[1]
See how impatient with delay,
The drowsy First-fit^[2] grapes his way,
Syne wi' a roar,
He lang before the freech o' day
Thumps at your door.

V.

Baith hands are fu', gude luck to shaw,
HET-PINTS^[3] and Bread and Cheese and a'
Wi' dauds o' CURRAN-BUNS to gnaw,
He thus cries to them,
"A gude New Year unto ye a',
And monie o' them."

VI.

To the bed-stock, wi' glasses fu',
He gangs and gies them a'a pu':
Half-sleeping and half-waking now,
They glaum about,
Till in their hand they get their due,
Syne coup it out.

VII.

Now little bairnies rake their een,
Wha dream'd o' NEW'R-DAY since yestreen,
And cry to ha'e their brats a' clean
To haud the play,
For tosh and braw they maun be seen
On sic a day.

VIII.

Now rickities and trumpets come,
And a' the streets wi' playocks bum;
Some play the fiddle, some the drum,
Wi' a' their birr:
On stands are monie a Dutch blawflum,
And a's astir.

IX.

But aft as o'er the glaury strawn
The tentless little anes are gaun,
They tumble down, and whan they're faun
Folk rin in cluds,
And loud they screech when they look on
Their dirty duds.

X.

Now folks a dreadfu' havoc play
Amang the Curran-Bans a'day;
Saut roasts and meikle mair they ha'e,
Their kytes to fill,
And thumpin' kebbucks whang'd away
Like a pease-kill.

XI.

When friends and neighbours a' about
Are met, and drinking clean-cap-out,
And shaking hands, O! what a rout
O' clatt'ring tongues,
And jaws o' whisky gaun about
To sap the lungs.

XII.

The working lads a' drest like beaus,
Forget their toils, and cares, and woes;
Each for his bonnie partner goes,
And they fu' sweet,
Impatient wait their trysted joes,
And blushing meet.

XIII.

With canty social spirit all
Now join the Fiddle and the Ball.-
The Scots Reel play'd fu' brisk and baul',
A' music dings,
Nought cheers and elevates the saul
Like Highland Springs.

XIV.

O! youngsters, prize the happy hour,
With youth and love now in your power,
Unwelcome age your joys will sour,
When oh, alas!
Dim ee'd and frail, ye'll tott'rin' cour
Wi' runkled face.

XV.

O genuine Joy! unbought by pence,
To thee the poor ha'e maist pretence;
Aft'ner thou dwalls in humble spense
Than palace bien,
Whar rich folk buy, at great expense
The dwams o' spleen.

XVI.

The young anes dance and loup like bucks,
The auld wives creep wear ingle neuks,
And keeking, tell how new dress leuks,
And young folks breedin',
But rooze auld-fashion'd gowns and cleuks
As brawest cleedin'.

XVII.

Auld cocks ha'f tipsy, now incline
Around the bowl or stoup to join,
And crack o' feats they did langsyne,
To mem'ry dear,
While youth and love rush on their min',
And draw a tear.

XVIII.

E'en totterin' age, lyart and bal',
Maun hae his youthfu' story taul',
How he gaed souple, strang and baul'
Through dib and mire:
Life's glimmerin' lamp blinks thro' his saul,
A spunk o' fire.

XIX.

Night o'er the land does darkness pu',
And troth she has a bonnie view;
Some are dead-drunk, some roaring fu'
Wi' mighty splutter;
And ither some gaun out to spew
Faun' i' the gutter.

XX.

Now sober folks their doors are steeking,
Ilk wife her drunken husband seeking,
Thro' monie a change-house she gaes keeking,
Right cauld I trow,
While he at some bien fire sits beeking
And roaring fu'.

XXI.

Yet hame he winna come ava,
But at ilk cronny's door maun ca';
At his coat-tail his wife will draw,
And do her best,
And monie a canker'd name she'll ca
Her waefu' pest.

XXII.

Now roaring din has done it best,
And waens lie skepped i' their nest;
Douse folks are a' gane to their rest,
But ither some
Drink and stand teuchly to the test
Till morning come.

XXIII.

Such are the feats of the New Year;
Folk waste the cash they wan su' dear,
For frae the glass they winna steer,
But ay they'll suck it,
Till a' their pouches o' their gear
Are fairly ruket.

XXIV.

Now Poet-Laureat I ha'e doon,
Gie us a flight as heigh's the moon:
Pour pension'd saul, ye ay maun tune
To busk and flatter,
But nae Scots bard, I trust, will croon
Sic cringing clatter.

FINIS

1. Hogmanae is a word derived from a Hebrew (illegible text) and signifies "The Blessed Month," being the month which our Saviour was born.
2. First-fit is the name given to the person who first enters house on New Year's Day morning, and is always (illegible text) with (illegible text) of plenty, expressive of his good wishes
3. A Het-pint is a pint, Scotch measure, of hot Beer (illegible text) up to a very palatable taste, with Spirits, Sugar, and (illegible text) and is commonly brought by the first-foot to the bed-(illegible text) those he visits, of which he invites them to drink (illegible text)ly

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