"Hout, hinny, had th' blabbin jaw,
Thou's full o' nought but fun and lees;
At sic a kittle time, ye knaw,
Yen tells ye ony thing to please.
Besides, thou's had enough o' drink,
And mair wad ony myek th' bad;
Aw see thy een begin to blink—
Gan wi' me, like a canny lad."
"O, Nan! thou hez a witching way
O' myekin' me de what thou will;
Thou needs but speak, and aw obey,
Yet there's ne doubt aw's maister still.
But tyest the yell and stop a bit—
Here tyek a seat upon ma knee—
For 'mang the hewers in wor pit
There's nyen hez sic a wife as me.
For if ma top comes badly down,
Or ought else keeps me lang away,
She cheers me wi' the weel-knawn soun'—
'Thou's had a lang and weary day.'
If aw be naggy, Nanny's smile
Suin myeks me blithe as ony lark;
And fit to loup a yett or stile—
Ma varra byens forget to wark.
Ma Nan—ma bairns—ma happy hyem—
Set ower hard labour's bitter pill—
O Providence! but spare me them—
The warld may then wag as it will.
She waits upon me hand and foot—
Aw want for nought that she can gie me—
She fills ma pipe wi patten cut—
Leets it, and hands it kindly to me.
She tells me a' her bits o' news,
Pick'd up the time aw've been away;
And fra ma mouth the cuttie pous
When sleep o'ercomes ma weary clay.
Sae weel she ettles what aw get—
Sae far she a'ways gars it gan—
That nyen can say we are i' debt,
Or want for owther claes or scran.