The Book of Scottish Song/The Trystin' Tree 2

The Trystin’ Tree.

[By William Air Foster, formerly of Coldstream, now of Glasgow.—Here first printed.]

The birk grows green on Kennel banks,
Brume flowers on Coldstream braes,
The plantains fair on Corn'el haughs
Ha'e on their summer claes.
Tweed, rowin' in the gloamin light
That streams on haugh and lea,
Sheds beauty owre the landscape bright,
Around the trystin' tree.

The merle likes the slae buss weel,
Whar grows the berry blue,
The muirfool likes the heather bell,
Whan draiket wi' the dew;
And weel I lo'e the bonnie lad
That couppit hearts wi' me,
Whan seated, on yon summer night,
Beneath the trystin' tree.

A' nature wears a summer hue:
The sun sinks down serene,
The lamb sports round the bleatin' ewe,
On bonnie Kennel green;
The mavis frae the auld kirk brae
Pours out his nttes wi' glee,
And the laverock twits a merry lay
Aboon the trystin' tree.

Then wha wad hunt for warld's gear,
Or sacrifice for gain?
The hame spot hearts aye haud sae dear
Whan far across the main.
For lordly walth and a' its fyke,
I'm sure I wadna gi'e
The kiss I gat frae him I like
Beneath the trystin' tree.

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