The Poetical Works of Robert Fergusson Author:Robert Fergusson General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1905 Original Publisher: A. Gardner Subjects: History / General Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / General Poetry / American / General Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and... more » there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE FARMER'S INGLE. Et multo in primis hilarans convivia Baccho, Ante focum, si frigus erit. -- fig- Bue. When gloamin' grey out-owre the welkin keeks ; When Batie ca's his owsen to the byre ; When Thrasher John, sair dung, his barn-door steeks, And lusty lasses at the dightin' tire ; What bangs fu' leal the e'enin's coming cauld, And gars snaw-tappit winter freeze in vain ; Gars dowie mortal look baith blythe and bauld, Nor fley'd wi' a' the poortith o' the plain ; Begin, my Muse ! and chaunt in hamely strain. Frae the big stack, weel winnow't on the hill, Wi' divots theekit frae the weet and drift ; Sods, peats and heathery truffs the chimley fill, And gar their thickening smeek salute the lift, The gudeman, new come hame, is blythe to find, When he out-owre the hallan flings his een, That ilka turn is handled to his mind ; That a' his housie looks sae cosh and clean ; For cleanly house loes he, though e'er so mean. Weel kens the gudewife that the pleughs require A heartsome meltith, and refreshing synd O' nappy liquor, owre a bleezin' fire ; Sair wark and poortith downa weel be join'd. Wi' butter'd bannocks now the girdle reeks ; I' the far nook the bowie briskly reams ; The readied kail stand by the chimley cheeks, And hand the riggin het wi' welcome streams, Whilk than the daintiest kitchen nicer seems. The second stanza of Burns's " Cottar's Saturday Night," it will be observed, bear...« less