A Guid New-year I wish thee, Maggie!
Hae, there’s a rippto thy auld baggie:
Tho’ thou’s howe-backit now, an’ knaggie,
I’ve seen the day
Thou could hae gaenlike ony staggie,
Out-owre the lay.
Tho’ now thou’s dowie, stiff, an’ crazy,
An’ thy auld hide as white’s a daisie,
I’ve seen thee dappl’t, sleek an’ glaizie,
A bonie gray:
He should been tightthat daur’tto raizethee,
Ance in a day.
Thou ancewas i’the foremost rank,
A filly buirdly, steeve, an’ swank;
An’ setweeldown a shapely shank,
As e’er tread yird;
An’ could hae flown out-owre a stank,
Like ony bird.
It’s now some nine-an’-twenty year,
Sin’thou was my guid-father’s mear;
He gied me thee, o’ tocherclear,
An’ fifty mark;
Tho’ it was sma’, ’twas weel-won gear,
An’ thou was stark.
When first I gaedto woo my Jenny,
Ye then was trotting wi’ your minnie:
Tho’ ye was trickie, slee, an’ funnie,
Ye ne’er was donsie;
But hamely, tawie, quiet, an’ cannie,
An’ uncosonsie.
That day, ye pranc’d wi’ mucklepride,
When ye burehamemy boniebride:
An’ sweet an’ gracefu’ she did ride,
Wi’ maiden air!
Kyle-Stewart I could bragged wide
For sica pair.
Tho’ now ye dowbut hoyteand hobble,
An’ wintlelike a saumontcoble,
That day, ye was a jinkernoble,
For heels an’ win’!
An’ ran them till they a’did wauble,
Far, far, behin’!
When thou an’ I were young an’ skeigh,
An’ stable-meals at fairs were dreigh,
How thou wad prance, and snore, an’ skreigh
An’ takthe road!
Town’s-bodies ran, an’ stood abeigh,
An’ ca’t thee mad.
When thou was corn’t, an’ I was mellow,
We took the road aye like a swallow:
At broosesthou had ne’er a fellow,
For pith an’ speed;
But ev’ry tail thou pay’t them hollowm
Whare’er thou gaed.
The sma’, droop-rumpl’t, hunter cattle
Might aiblinswaur’tthee for a brattle;
But sax Scotch mile, thou try’t their mettle,
An’ gar’t them whaizle:
Naewhip nor spur, but just a wattle
O’saughor hazel.
Thou was a noble fittie-lan’,
As e’er in tug or towwas drawn!
Aftthee an’ I, in aughthours’ gaun,
In guidMarch-weather,
Hae turn’d sax rood beside our han’,
For days thegither.
Thou never braing’t, an’ fetch’t, an’ fliskit;
But thy auld tail thou wad hae whiskit,
An’ spread abreedthy weel-fill’d brisket,
Wi’ pith an’ power;
Tillsprittieknowes wad rair’tan’ riskit
An’ slypetowre.
When frosts lay lang, an’ snaws were deep,
An’ threaten’d labour back to keep,
I giedthy coga wee bitheap
Aboonthe timmer:
I ken’d my Maggie wad nasleep,
For that, or simmer.
In cart orcar thou never reestit;
The steyestbraethou wad hae fac’t it;
Thou never lap, an’ sten’t, and breastit,
Then stood to blaw;
Butjust thy step a weething hastit,
Thou snoov’t awa.
My pleughis now thy bairn-time a’,
Four gallant brutes as e’erdid draw;
Forbye saxmaeI’ve sell’tawa,
That thou hast nurst:
They drew me thretteenpundan’ twa,
The verawarst.
Mony a sairdaurk we twahaewrought,
An’ wi’ the weary warl’fought!
An’ mony ananxious day, I thought
We wadbe beat!
Yet here to crazy age we’re brought,
Wi’ something yet.
An’ think na’, my auld trusty servan’,
That now perhaps thou’s less deservin,
An’thy aulddays may end in starvin;
For my last fow,
A heapit stimpart, I’ll reserve ane
Laid byfor you.
We’ve worn to crazy years thegither;
We’ll toyteabout wi’ aneanither;
Wi’ tentiecare I’ll flitthy tether
To some hain’d rig,
Whare ye may nobly raxyour leather,
Wi’sma’fatigue.