Wearie's Well. William Motherwell (1797-1835). Edinburgh. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. 1876-79. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes. Scotland: Vols. VI-VIII

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Scotland: Vols. VI–VIII. 1876–79.

Edinburgh

Wearie’s Well

William Motherwell (1797–1835)


IN a saft simmer gloamin’,
In yon dowie dell,
It was there we twa first met,
By Wearie’s cauld well.
We sat on the broom bank,	5
And looked in the burn,
But sidelang we looked on
Ilk ither in turn.

The corncraik was chirming
His sad eerie cry,	10
And the wee stars were dreaming
Their path through the sky;
The burn babbled freely
Its love to ilk flower,
But we heard and we saw naught	15
In that blessed hour.

We heard and we saw naught,
Above or around;
We felt that our luve lived,
And loathed idle sound.	20
I gazed on your sweet face
Till tears filled my e’e,
And they drapt on your wee loof,—
A warld’s wealth to me.

Now the winter snaw ’s fa’ing	25
On bare holm and lea,
And the cauld wind is strippin’
Ilk leaf aff the tree.
But the snaw fa’s not faster,
Nor leaf disna part	30
Sae sune frae the bough, as
Faith fades in your heart.

You ’ve waled out anither
Your bridegroom to be;
But can his heart luve sae	35
As mine luvit thee?
Ye ’ll get biggings and mailins,
And mony braw claes;
But they a’ winna buy back
The peace o’ past days.	40

Farewell, and forever,
My first luve and last;
May thy joys be to come,—
Mine live in the past.
In sorrow and sadness	45
This hour fa’s on me;
But light, as thy luve, may
It fleet over thee!