| 1. |
| Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie, |
| O, what a panic’s in thy breastie ! |
| Thou need na start awa sae hasty |
| Wi’ bickering brattle ! |
| I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee, |
Wi’ murdering pattle !
|
| 2. |
| I’m truly sorry man’s dominion |
| Has broken Nature’s social union, |
| An’ justifies that ill opinion |
| Which makes thee startle |
| At me, thy poor, earth-born companion |
An’ fellow mortal !
|
| 3. |
| I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve
; |
| What then ? poor beastie, thou maun
live ! |
| A daimen icker in a thrave |
| ’S a sma’ request ; |
| I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave. |
An’ never miss’t !
|
| 4. |
| Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin ! |
| Its silly wa’s the win’s are strewin ! |
| An’ naething, now, to big a new ane, |
| O’ foggage green ! |
| An’ bleak December’s win’s ensuing, |
Baith snell an’ keen !
|
| 5. |
| Thou saw the fields laid bare an’
waste, |
| An’ weary winter comin fast, |
| An’ cozie here, beneath the blast, |
| Thou thought to dwell, |
| Till crash ! the cruel coulter past |
Out thro’ thy cell.
|
| 6. |
| That wee bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble, |
| Has cost thee monie a weary nibble ! |
| Now thou’s turned out, for a’ thy
trouble, |
| But house or hald, |
| To thole the winter’s sleety dribble, |
An’ cranreuch cauld !
|
| 7. |
| But Mousie, thou art no thy lane, |
| In proving foresight may be vain : |
| The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men |
| Gang aft agley, |
| An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, |
For promis’d joy !
|
| 8. |
| Still thou art blest, compared wi’ me ! |
| The present only toucheth thee : |
| But och ! I backward cast my e’e, |
| On prospects drear ! |
| An’ forward, tho’ I canna see, |
I guess an’ fear !
|
| Robert Burns |
Classic Poems |
| |
|
[ A Red, Red Rose ] [ To a Mountain Daisy ] [ Address to a Haggis ] [ Address to Edinburgh ] [ Auld Lang Syne ] [ Is there for Honest Poverty ] [ Address to the Unco Guid ] [ The Cotter's Saturday Night ] [ To a Louse ] [ My Heart's in the Highlands ] [ Holy Willie's Prayer ] [ Tam O'Shanter ] [ To a Mouse ] |
