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SPRING AND WINTER.

I.

WHEN daisies pied, and violets blue,
And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue,

Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
Cuckoo !

Cuckoo, cuckoo!-O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,

And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks, When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws, And maidens bleach their summer smocks, The cuckoo then, on every tree,

Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
Cuckoo !

Cuckoo, cuckoo!-O word of fear,

Unpleasing to a married ear!

II.

When icicles hang by the wall,

And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,

And Tom bears logs into the hall,

And milk comes frozen home in pail,

THE LANDLADY'S DAUGHTER.

When blood is nipped, and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl:
To-who!

Tu-whit, to-who!a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,

And coughing drowns the parson's saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow,

And Marian's nose looks red and raw ;
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,

Then nightly sings the staring owl:
To-who!

Tu-whit, to-who!-a merry note,

While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

SHAKSPEARE.

THE LANDLADY'S DAUGHTER.

THREE student-comrades crossed over the Rhine;
Together they stopped at a landlady's sign.

"Landlady, have you good beer and wine?

And where is that pretty young daughter of thine?'

66

My ale and wine are fresh and clear;

My daughter lies on her funeral bier."

And when they passed to the chamber back,
There she lay, in her coffin black!

THE LANDLADY'S DAUGHTER.

The first from her face the shroud-veil took, And gazed upon her-a mournful look.

"Ah! wert thou but living, thou lovely maid, I would love thee from this time," he said.

The second covered the altered face,

And turned him, weeping, from the place:

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"That thou should'st lie on the funeral bier, Whom I have loved this many a year!

FAREWELL TO NANCY.

But the last still snatched away the veil,
And kissed her on the mouth so pale:

"I loved thee ever-still I love thee,
Thee will I love through eternity!"

JOHANN LUDWIG UHLAND. (German.)

Translation of C. G. LELAND and J. W. PALMER.

FAREWELL TO NANCY.

AE fond kiss-and then we sever!
Ae fareweel-alas, forever!

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 ;
Nacthing could resist my Nancy:
But to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love forever.
Had we never loved sae kindly,
Had we never loved sae blindly,
Never met- —or never parted,

We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

THE MARINER'S WIFE.

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, forever!

Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee;
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

ROBERT BURNS.

THE MARINER'S WIFE.

AND are ye sure the news is true?
And are ye sure he's weel?

Is this a time to talk o' wark?

Ye jades, fling by your wheel!

For there's nae luck about the house,

There's nae luck ava;

There's little pleasure in the house
When our gudeman's awa'.

Is this a time to think o' wark,
When Colin's at the door?

Rax down my cloak-I'll to the quay,
And see him come ashore.

Rise up and mak a clean fireside,

Put on the muckle pot,

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