“The primrose I will pu’, the firstling o’ the year,

And I will pu’ the pink, the emblem o’ my dear;

For she’s the pink o’ womankind, and blooms without a peer—

And a’ to be a posie to my ain dear May.

“The lily it is pure, and the lily it is fair,

And in her lovely bosom I’ll place the lily there;

The daisy’s for simplicity and unaffected air—

And a’ to be a posie to my ain dear May.

“The hawthorn I will pu’, wi’ its locks o’ siller grey,

Where, like an aged man, it stands at break o’ day;