William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909.
Midges Dance aboon the BurnRobert Tannahill (17741810)
T
The dews begin to fa’;
The pairtricks doun the rushy holm
Set up their e’ening ca’.
Now loud and clear the blackbird’s sang
Rings through the briery shaw,
While flitting gay, the swallows play
Around the castle wa’.
The mavis mends her lay;
The redbreast pours his sweetest strains
To charm the ling’ring day;
While weary yeldrins seem to wail
Their little nestlings torn,
The merry wren, frae den to den,
Gaes jinkling through the thorn.
The foxglove shuts its bell;
The honeysuckle and the birk
Spread fragrance through the dell.
Let ithers crowd the giddy court
Of mirth and revelry,
The simple joys that Nature yields
Are dearer far to me.