Cockle-Leerie-La.
[William Miller.]
There is a country gentleman, who leads a thrifty life,
Ilk morning scrapin' orra things thegither for his wife:
His coat's o' glowin' ruddy brown, and wavilet wi' gold—
A crimson crown upon his head, well-fitting one so bold.
If ithers pick where he did scrape, he brings them to disgrace,
For, like a man of mettle, he siclike meets face to face;
He gi'es the loons a letherin', a crackit croon to claw—
There is nae gaun about the buss wi' Cockie-leerie-la!
His step is firm and evenly, his look both grave and sage—
To bear his rich and stately tail should have a pretty page;
And, though he hauds his head fu' hie, he glinteth to the grun,
Nor fyles his silver spurs in dubs wi' glowrin' at the sun:
And whyles I've thocht had he a haun wharwi' to grip a stickie,
A pair o' specks across his neb, an' roun' his neck a dickie,
That weans wad laugh, an' haud their sides, an' cry—"Preserve us a'.
Ye're some frien' to Doctor Drawblood, douce Cockie-leerie-la!"
So learn frae him to think nae shame to work for what ye need,
For he that gapes till he be fed, may gape till he be dead;
An' if ye live in idleness, ye'll find unto your cost,
That they wha winna work in heat will hunger in the frost.
An' hain wi' care ilk sair-worn plack, and honest pride will fill
Your purse wi' gear—e'en far-aff frien's will bring grist to your mill;
An' if, when grown to be a man, your name's without a flaw,
Then rax your neck, and tune your pipes to—Cockie-leerie-la!
Doctor Monroe.
[James Hogg.]
"Dear Doctor, be clever, an' fling aff your beaver,
Come, bleed me an' blister me, dinna be slow;
I'm sick, I'm exhausted, my prospects are blasted,
An' a' driven heels o'er head, Doctor Munroe!"
"Be patient, dear fellow, you foster your fever;
Pray, what's the misfortune that troubles you so?"
"O, Doctor! I'm ruin'd, I'm ruin'd for ever—
My lass has forsaken me, Doctor Munroe!
"I meant to have married, an' tasted the pleasures,
The sweets, the enjoyments from wedlock that flow:
But she's ta'en another, an' broken my measures,
An' fairly dumfounder'd me, Doctor Munroe!
