[“The Posie is my composition,” says Burns, in a letter to Thomson. “The air was taken down from Mrs. Burns’s voice.” It was first printed in the Museum.]
I.
O luve will venture in
Where it daurna weel be seen;
O luve will venture in
Where wisdom ance has been.
But I will down yon river rove,
Among the wood sae green—
And a’ to pu’ a posie
To my ain dear May.
II.
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.
III.
I’ll pu’ the budding rose,
When Phœbus peeps in view,
For it’s like a baumy kiss
O’ her sweet bonnie mou’;
The hyacinth’s for constancy,
Wi’ its unchanging blue—
And a’ to be a posie
To my ain dear May.
IV.
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.
V.