TAM SAMSON'S ELEGY.*

An honest man's the noblest work of God. POPE.

HAS auld K********* seen the deil?
Or great M********+ thrawn his heel?
Or R******* again grown weel,
To preach an' read.
"Na, waur than a"!" cries ilka chiel,
Tam Samson's dead!

K********* lang may grunt an' grane,
An' sigh, an' sab, an' greet her lane,
An' cleed her bairns, man, wife, an' wean,
In mourning weed;

To death she's dearly paid the kane,
Tam Samson's dead!

The brethren of the mystic level
May hing their head in woefu' bevel,
While by their nose the tears will revel,
Like ony bead;

Death's gien the lodge an unco devel: Tam Samson's dead!

When winter muffles up his cloak, And binds the mire like a rock; When to the loughs the curlers flock,

Wi' gleesome speed,

Wha will they station at the cock ?

Tam Samson's dead!

He was the king o' a' the core, To guard, or draw, or wick a bore, Or up the rink like Jehu roar

In time of need;

But now he lags on death's hog-score, Tam Samson's dead!

Now safe the stately sawmont sail, And trouts bedropp'd wi' crimson hail, And eels weel kenn'd for souple tail, And geds for greed, Since dark in death's fish-creel we wail Tam Samson dead!

Rejoice, ye birring paitricks a'; Ye cootie moorcocks, crousely craw; Ye maukins, cock your fud fu' braw, Withouten dread;

Your mortal fae is now awa',

Tam Samson's dead!

That woefu' morn be ever mourn'd, Saw him in shootin graith adorn'd, While pointers round impatient burn'd, Frae couples freed;

But, och! he gaed and ne'er return'd!

Tam Samson's dead!

* When this worthy old sportsman went out last muir. fowl season, he supposed it was to be, in Ossian's phrase, "the last of his fields;" and expressed an ardent wish to le and be buried in the muirs. On this hint the author composcú his elegy and epitaph.

† A certain preacher, a great favourite with the million. Vide the Ordination, stanza ii.

Another preacher, an equal favourite with the few, who was at that time ailing. For him, see also the Ordination, stanza ix.

HALLOWEEN.

The following poem will, by many readers, be well enough understood; but for the sake of those who are unacquainted with the manners and traditions of the country where the scene is cast, notes are added, to give some account of the principal charms and spells of that night, so big with prophecy to the peasantry in the west of Scotland. The passion of prying into futurity makes a striking part of the history of human nature in its rude state, in all ages and nations: and it may be some entertainment to a philosophic mind, if any such should honour the author with a perusal, to see the remains of it among the more unenlightened in our own.

Amang the bonnie winding banks,

Where Doon rins, wimpling clear,

Where Bruces ance ruled the martial ranks,
An' shook his Carrick spear,

Some merry, friendly countra folks,
Together did convene,

To burn their nits, an' pou their stocks,
An' haud their Halloween

Fu' blythe that night.
III.

The lasses feat, an' cleanly neat,
Mair braw than when they're fine;
Their faces blythe, fu' sweetly kythe,
Hearts leal, an' warm, an' kin':
The lads sae trig, wi' wooer-babs,
Weel knotted on their garten,
Some unco blate, an' some wi' gabs,
Gar lasses hearts gang startin
Whyles fast at night.

Is thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings, are all abroad on their baneful, midnight errands; particularly those aërial people the fairies, are said on that night to hold a grand anniversary.

+ Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the Earls of Cassilis.

A noted cavern near Colean house, called the Cove of Colean which, as Cassilis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt of fairies.

§ The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.

IV.

Then first and foremost, through the kail, Their stocks maun a' be sought ance; They steek their e'en, an' graip an' wale, For muckle anes an' straught anes. Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,

An' wander'd through the bow-kail, An pow't for want o' better shift, A runt was like a sow-tail, Sae bow't that night.

V.

Then, straught or crooked, yird or nane,
They roar and cry a' throu'the:
The vera wee things, todlin, rin,

Wi' stocks out-owre their shouther;
An' gif the custoc's sweet or sour,
Wi' joctelegs they taste them;
Syne coziely, aboon the door,

Wi' cannie care they place them
To lie that night.

VI.

The lasses staw frae 'mang them a',
To pou their stalks o' corn ;†
But Rab slips out, an' jinks about,
Behint the muckle thorn:
He grippet Nelly hard an' fast;
Loud skirl'd a' the lasses;
But her tap-pickle maist was lost,
When kiuttlin in the fause-house‡
Wi' him that night.

VII.

The auld guidwife's weel hoordet nits§
Are round an' round divided,
An' monie lads' an' lasses' fates

Are there that night decided:
Some kindle, couthie, side by side
An' burn thegither trimly;

* The first ceremony of Halloween is, pulling each stock, or plant of kail. They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and pull the first they meet with: its being big or little, straight or crooked, is prophetie of the size and shape of the grand object of all their spells-the husband or wife. If any yird, or earth, stick to the root, that is tocher, or fortune; and the taste of the custor, that is, the heart of the stem, is indicative of the natural temper and disposition. Lastly, the stems, or, to give them their ordinary appellation, the runts, are placed somewhere above the head of the door: and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings into the house, are, accord. ing to the priority of placing the runts, the names in question.

They go to the barn-yard and pull each, at three several times, a stalk of oats. If the third stalk wants the top-pickle, that is, the grain at the top of the stalk, the party in question will come to the marriage bed any thing but a maid.

When the corn is in a doubtful state, by being too green, or wet, the stack-builder, by means of old timber, &c., makes a large apartment in his stack, with an open. ing in the side which is fairest exposed to the wind: this he calls a fause-house.

§ Burning the nuts is a famous charm. They name the lad and lass to each particular nut, as they lay them in the fire, and accordingly as they burn quietly together, or start from beside one another, the course and issue of the courtship will te.

Some start awa wi' saucie pride,
And jump out-owre the chimlie
Fu' high that night.

VIII.

Jean slips in twa, wi' tentie e'e;

Wha 'twas she wadna tell; But this is Jock, an' this is me,

She says in to hersel:

He bleezed owre her, an' she owre him,

As they wad never mair part;

Till fuff! he started up the lum,

And Jean had e'en a sair heart
To see't that night.

IX.

Poor Willie, wi' his bow-kail runt,
Was brunt wi' primsie Mallie;
An' Mallie, nae doubt, took the drunt,
To be compared to Willie:
Mall's nit lap out wi' pridefu' Aing,
An' her ain fit it burnt it;
While Willie lap, and swoor by jing,
'Twas just the way he wanted
To be that night.

X.

Nell had the fause-house in her min',
She pits hersel an' Rob in ;
In loving bleeze they sweetly join,
Till white in ase they're sobbin :
Nell's heart was dancin at the view,
She whisper'd Rob to look for't:
Rob, stowlins, prie'd her bonnie mou,
Fu' cozie in the neuk for't,
Unseen that night.
XI.

But Merran sat behint their backs,

Her thoughts on Andrew Bell;
She lea'es them gashin at their cracks,
And slips out by hersel:

She through the yard the nearest taks,
An' to the kiln she goes then,
An' darklins grapit for the bauks,
And in the blue-clue throws then,
Right fear't that night.
XII.

An' aye she wint, an' aye she swat,
I wat she made nae jaukin ;
Till something held within the pat,
Guid L-d! but she was quakin!
But whether 'twas the deil himsel,
Or whether 'twas a bauken,
Or whether it was Andrew Bell,
She did na wait on talkin
To spier that night.

Whoever would, with success, try this spell, must strictly observe these directions: Steal out, all alone, to the kiln, and, darkling, throw into the pot a clue of blue yarn; wind it in a new clue off the old one; and, towards the latter end, something will hold the thread; demand wha hauds? i. e. who holds ? an answer will be returned from the kiln-pot, by naming the Christian and surname of your future spouse.

XIII.

Wee Jenny to her grannie says,
"Will ye go wi' me, grannie?
I'll eat the apple at the glass,
I gat frae uncle Johnie ;"
She fuff't her pipe wi' sic a lunt,
In wrath she was sae vap'rin,
She noticed na, an azle brunt
Her braw new worset apron
Out through that night.
XIV.

"Ye little skelpie-limmer's face!
How daur you try sic sportin,
As seek the foul thief ony place,
For him to spae your fortune?
Nae doubt but ye may get a sight!
Great cause ye hae to fear it ;
For monie a ane has gotten a fright,
An' lived an' died deleerit
On sic a night.
XV.

"Ae hairst afore the Sherra-moor,
I mind't as weel' yestreen,

I was a gilpey then, I'm sure
I was na past fyfteen :
The simmer had been cauld an' wat,
An' stuff was unco green;
An' aye a rantin kirn we gat,
An' just on Halloween

It feil that night. XVI.

"Our stibble-rig was Rab M'Graen,
A clever, sturdy fallow;
He's sin got Eppie Sim wi' wean,
That lived in Achmacalla:
He gat hemp-seed,† I mind it weel,
An' he made unco light o't;
But monie a day was by himsel,
He was sae sairly frighted
That vera night."
XVII.

Then up gat fechtin Jamie Fleck,
An' he swoor by his conscience,
That he could saw hemp-seed a peck;
For it was a' but nonsense;

The auld guidman raught down the pock,
An' out a handful gied him ;

Syne bad him slip frae 'mang the folk,
Sometimes when nae ane seed him :

An' try't that night.

Take a candle, and go alone to a looking-glass; eat an apple before it, and some traditions say, you should comb your hair, all the time; the face of your conjugal companion, to be, will be seen in the glass, as if peeping over your shoulder.

+ Steal out unperceived, and sow a handful of hempseed; harrowing it with any thing you can conveniently draw after you. Repeat now and then, "Hemp-seed, I saw thee, hemp-seed, I saw thee; and him (or her) that is to be my true love, come after me and pou thee." Look over your left shoulder, and you will see the appearance of the person invoked, in the attitude of pulling hemp. Some traditions say, "come after me, and shaw thee," that is, show thyself: in which case it simply appears Others omit the harrowing, and say, "come after me, and harrow thee."