The Canongate Burns (111 page)
Read The Canongate Burns Online
Authors: Robert Burns
On Being Appointed to My Excise Division
19th August, 1789
First printed by James Currie, 1800.
I CALL no Goddess to inspire my strains,
A fabled Muse may suit a Bard that feigns:
âFriend of my life!' my ardent spirit burns,
And all the tribute of my heart returns,
5
For boons accorded, goodness ever new,
The Gift still dearer, as the Giver YOU. â
Thou Orb of Day! Thou Other Paler Light!
And all ye many-sparkling Stars of Night!
If aught that Giver from my mind efface;
10
If I that Giver's bounty e'er disgrace;
Then roll, to me, along your wand'ring spheres
Only to number out a VILLAIN'S YEARS!
I lay my hand upon my swelling breast,
And grateful would â but cannot speak the rest. â
This histrionic sonnet is the poet's reply of thanks to Graham of Fintry at being given an Excise post which relieved him of farming the stony land of Ellisland, that âruinous bargain'.
or
The Laddies by the Banks o' Nith
Tune: Up and Waur Them a', Willie
First printed in
The Spirit of British Song,
Glasgow, 1826.
The Laddies by the banks o' Nith
      Wad trust his Grace wi' a', Jamie;
would
But he'll sair them as he sair'd the King
serve
      Turn tail and rin awa, Jamie.
run away
Chorus
5
      Up and waur them a', Jamie,
overcome
Up and waur them a';
      The Johnstones hae the guidin o't,
have
Ye turncoat Whigs awa!
away
The day he stude his country's friend,
stood
10
      Or gied her faes a claw, Jamie,
gave, foes
Or frae puir man a blessin wan,
from poor, won
      That day the Duke ne'er saw, Jamie.
               Up and waur them a', &c.
But wha is he, his country's boast?
who
      Like him there is na twa, Jamie;
not two
15
There's no a callant tents the kye,
youth, tends, cattle
      But kens o' Westerha', Jamie.
knows
                Up and waur them a', &c.
This was written during the Dumfriesshire election in the winter of 1789 to support Sir James Johnstone of Westerhall. Burns sent a copy to Graham of Fintry on 9th December, 1789, remarking with eloquent sarcasm on the Duke of Queensberry, who presented Patrick Miller Junior as his puppet Whig candidate â
The Great Man here, like all Renegadoes, is a flaming Zealot ⦠despised I suppose by the Party who took him in to be a mustering faggot at the mysterious orgies of their midnight iniquities, and a useful drudge in the dirty work of their Country Elections, he would fain persuade this part of the world that he is turned Patriot ⦠has the impudence to aim away at the unmistrusting manner of a Man of Conscience and Principle. â Nay, to such an intemperate height has his zeal carried him, that, in convulsive violence to every feeling in his bosom, he has made some desperate attempts at the hopeless business of getting himself a character for benevolence and in one or two late terrible strides in pursuit of Party-interest, has actually stumbled on something like meaning the welfare of his fellow-creatures ⦠his sins ⦠of Omission ⦠to this out-raged Land ⦠known ⦠by the mischiefs he does ⦠a character one cannot speak with patience (Letter 373).
The song, though, does not match the prose quality, blaming the Duke of Queensberry as a traitor to the Jacobite cause (l. 3). Although Patrick Miller senior was the poet's Ellisland landlord, his son was judged by Burns as a money-loving puppet for the Duke of Queensberry. The song reveals, not so much that Burns supported a Tory candidate but that he deeply despised the Duke of Queensberry and his chicanery.
An Early Variant of the above Election Ballad
As I cam doon the Banks o' Nith
came down
      And by Glenriddel's ha', man,
hall
There I heard a piper play
     Â
Turn-coat Whigs awa, man
.
5
Drumlanrig's towers hae tint the powers
lost
      That kept the lands in awe, man:
The eagle's dead, and in his stead
      We've gotten a hoodie-craw, man.
carrion-crow
The turn-coat Duke his King forsook,
10
      When his back was at the wa', man:
The rattan ran wi' a' his clan
rat
      For fear the house should fa', man.
fall
The lads about the Banks o' Nith,
      They trust his Grace for a', man:
15
But he'll sair them as he sair't his King,
serve
      Turn tail and rin awa, man.
run
This early variant of the above ballad is substantially different from the completed song. It is therefore included here separately. The text is taken from the Rosebery MS sent to Graham of Fintry and is included as a footnote by Kinsley (K270, p. 382) but not by Mackay, who prints only the main ballad. Glenriddell was himself a leading Whig polemicist and it is clear that he, as well as the poet, disliked the choice of Whig candidate (see above notes).
Tune: Chevy Chase
First printed in Duncan, at Glasgow, 1800.
Written during the contested Election between Sir James Johnston and Captain Miller for the Dumfries district of Boroughs. R.B.
There was five Carlins in the South,
old women (boroughs)
      They fell upon a scheme,
To send a lad to Lon'on town
      To bring them tidings hame. â
home
5
Nor only bring them tidings hame,
      But do their errands there;
And aiblins gowd and honor baith
maybe, both
      Might be that laddie's share. â
There was Maggy by the banks o' Nith,
1
10
      A dame wi' pride eneugh;
enough
And Marjory o' the mony Lochs,
2
many
      A Carlin auld and teugh:
woman/hag, tough
And Blinkin Bess of Annandale
3
      That dwelt near Solway-side;
15
And Brandy Jean that took her gill
4
      In Galloway sae wide:
so
And Black Jöan frae Crichton-peel
5
from
      O' gipsey kith an' kin:
Five wighter Carlins were na found
stronger, not
20
      The South Coontrie within. â
Country
To send a lad to London town,
      They met upon a day;
And mony a knight and mony a laird
many
      That errand fain wad gae. â
would go
25
O mony a knight and mony a laird
      That errand fain wad gae;
But nae ane could their fancy please,
not one
      O ne'er a ane but tway. â
one, two
The first ane was a belted Knight,
one
30
      Bred of a Border band,
And he wad gae to London town,
      Might nae man him withstand. â
no
And he wad do their errands weel,
would, well
      And meikle he wad say;
much, would
35
And ilka ane at London Court
each one
      Wad bid to him, Gude-day!
would
The neist cam in a Sodger-boy
next, soldier
      And spak wi' modest grace,
spoke
And he wad gang to London Town,
would go
40
      If sae their pleasure was. â
so
He wad na hecht them courtly gifts,
would not promise
      Nor meikle speech pretend;
great
But he wad hecht an honest heart
would promise
      Wad ne'er desert his friend. â
would
45
Now wham to chuse, and wham refuse,
whom
      At strife thae Carlins fell;
they
For some had Gentle Folk to please,
      And some wad please themsel. â
would
Then out spak mim-mou'd Meg o' Nith,
prim-mouthed
50
      And she spak up wi' pride,
spoke
And she wad send the Sodger-lad,
would
      Whatever might betide. â
For the Auld Guidman o' London Court,
      She didna care a pin;
did not
55
But she wad send the Sodger-lad,
would
      To greet his eldest son. â
Then started Bess of Annandale,
      A deadly aith she's taen,
oath, taken
That she wad vote the Border-knight,
would
60
      Tho' she should vote her lane. â
alone
âFor far-aff fowls hae feathers fair,
-off, have
      âAnd fools o' change are fain;
âBut I hae try'd this Border Knight,
      I'll try him yet again.'â
65
Says Black Jöan frae Crichton-peel,
from
      A Carlin stoor and grim;
harsh
âThe Auld Gudeman, or the young Gudeman,
      For me may sink or swim.
âFor Fools will prate o' Right, or Wrang,
talk
70
      While knaves laugh them to scorn;
But the Sodger's friends hae blawn the best,
have talked
      So he shall bear the horn'. â
Then Brandy Jean spak owre her drink,
spoke over
      âYe weel ken, kimmers a',
well know, gossips
75
âThe Auld Gudeman o' London Court,
      His back's been at the wa':
âAnd mony a friend that kiss'd his caup,
cup
      Is now a fremit wight;
hostile
But it's ne'er be sae wi' Brandy Jean,
so
80
      We'll send the Border-Knight.' â
Then slaw rase Marjory o' the lochs,
slow rose
      And wrinkled was her brow;
Her ancient weed was russet-grey,
      Her auld Scots heart was true. â
old
85
âThere 's some Great Folk set light by me,
unrespected
      I set as light by them;
But I will send to London town
      Wham I lo'e best at hame.' â
whom, love, home
Sae how this weighty plea may end,
so
90
      Nae mortal wight can tell:
no
God grant the King and ilka man,
every
      May look weel to themsel. â
well
In the same vein as
Election Ballad For Westerha'
this was written, as the headnote records, to support Sir James Johnstone in the election for the five boroughs of Dumfries in 1789. Each of the boroughs is represented in the song as an old woman or carlin. The reference to the âAuld Guidman' and âYoung Guidman' of the London court, means King George III and the Prince of Wales, respectively. Captain Miller, the Whig candidate who won the election, was only 20 years old. He went on to represent the Dumfries Boroughs until 1796. As mentioned in notes to the
Election Ballad for Westerha
', Burns thought him the puppet of the Duke of Queensberry. It was the young Miller who later, in 1794, relayed to Burns the invitation from James Perry, proprietor and editor of
The Morning Chronicle
, for Burns to join the literary staff of his Opposition newspaper.