“To the feckless and friendless, my bairns, aye be kind;
Be feet to the lame, and be eyes to the blind;
’Twas to share wi’ the needfu’ our blessings were gi’en,
And the friend o’ the poor never wanted a frien’.
“He who tempers the wind to the lamb that is shorn,
Will bless those who take from life’s pathway a thorn;
And the ‘cup of cold water’ that kindness bestows,
On the heart back in rivers of gladness o’erflows.
“Oh, tent you the lear’ frae your mither ye learn,
For the seed springs in manhood that’s sawn in the bairn;