4
What great misfortunes are pour‘d down on some,
I thought my fearfu' hinderen' was come;
Wi‘ grief and sorrow was my soul o'ercast,
Ilk breath I drew was like to be my last,
For aye the mair I warsl'd round and roun'.
I fand mysel‘ aye stick the deeper down;
Till ance, at length, wi‘a prodigious pull,
I drew my poor cauld carcase frae the hole.
Lang, lang I sought, and graped for my pack,
Till night and hunger forc’d me to come back.
For three lang hours I wander’d up and down,
Till chance, at last convey’d me to a town;
There, wi’ a trembling hand, I wrote my Kate
A sad account of a’ my luckless fate;
But bade her aye be kind, and no despair,
Since like was left, I soon wad gather mair;
Wi’ whilk, I hop’d, within a'towmond’s date
To be at hame, and share it a’ wi’ Kate.
Fool that I was, how little did I think
That love would soon be lost for fa’t, o’ Clin(illegible text)
The loss of fair won wealth, tho’ hard to beat
Afore this—ne’er had pow’r to force a tear.
I trusted time wad bring things round again.
And Kate, dear Kate, wad then be a’ mine ai
Consol’d my mind, in hopes o’ better luck,
But, O! what sad reverse!—how thunder struck!
When ae black day brought word frae Ra(illegible text) my brither,
That Kate was cried, and married on anither.
