(no subject)

[thistlerose]

One poem, and then I'm off. I didn't mean to sleep this late.

This is my favorite Burns poem. I first heard it sung a few months before I left for Scotland for the first time, and didn't hear it again until I was riding through the western Highlands on my second trip there. As far as Burns' poems go, it's totally readable. "Ilka" means "every." Everything else should be pretty easy to decipher.

Ae Fond Kiss

Robert Burns

AE fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!

Who shall say that Fortune grieves him
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me, nae cheerfu' twinkle lights me,
Dark despair around benights me.

I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy;
Naething could resist my Nancy;
But to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love for ever.

Had we never loved sae kindly,
Had we never loved sae blindly,
Never met-or never parted,
We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest!
Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest!
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, enjoyment, love, and pleasure!

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!
Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!