Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LINES, Written after reading Burns's Poems and Life, June 12, 1825. Sweet Robin Burns, freak nature's wanton child,. Whene'er I ken thy simple artless page, I feel my breast to melt with pity mild, Or glowing burn with passion's fervent rage. So tender and expressive is thy tale, So unassuming, free from school-taught pride; To rouse the noble breast thou ne'er wilt fail, So much with freedom's voice is thine allied. In every verse some beauty meets my eye, In every line soft music steals along: Those native charms before me open lie, So sweetly sung by thee, thou child of song ! With thee on banks of " bonnie Doon" I stray, With thee from hills, and yellow fields among, I listen to the birds on every spray; The linnet and the thrush before me throng. With thee on banks of Nith I wait the eve, I listen to the tender chaunt of love; I hear thee for the fate of maiden grieve, Or sing to those whom heav'n has " ta'en" above. With thee I skip the merry dance or reel, With thee I sport on banks of winding Ayr; There spy some " bonnie lassie's" charms, and feel The dart of love, then sing of woman fair. Or else with thee I taste the jovial bowl, With " guid Scotch whiskey" free my mind from care; In friendship's lap awhile repose my soul, Those hours of fleeting joy with thee I share. O Caledonians ! honour'd by the Muse, Colder than ice must be your hearts indeed, That would a hapless bard so sweet refuse, Or aught deny, when Robin stood in need. Poor luckless wight! thou hadst to struggle hard; That dame, proud Fortune, ne'er to thee was kind; And yet thou wert a merry thoughtless bard, And ne'er before, but always look'd behind. They told me, too, that follies thou had'st many, And rail'd aloud...