ORIGINAL POETRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 162, 16 July 1879, Page 3

ORIGINAL POETRY.

ODE TO SCOTLAND. Forgive me brethren if to prove A Scottish heart has fire, I vent upon our English friends A little honest ire. I value En glands' lofty claims And lovely Erin's too, But cannot let a scandal rest On Scotland's mountains blue. They say a Scotchman's love grows cold,. I ask them for their proof, And if they cannot give me this That sentence stands aloof, But Saxons ye may live to learn Smooth waters deepest run, While fire that makes the loudest noise Is often soonest done. We'll fancy thee about to leave Thy much loved native land, Three faithful friends long tried and dear Attend thee to the Strand. One is from the Emerald Isle One wears the English rose xVnd one is from the mountains Where the bonny blue bell grows.

Your Irish friend will groan and sob And hug you out of breath, Your English frieno will weep and sigh And vow to love till death. Your Scottish friend in silence stands He knows not what to say, Eor in his h-?art are feelings Which no language can convey. Years roll apace, your Irish friend Is full of mirth and glee, Your English friend still heaves a sigh If hap he thinks of thee, Your Scottish friend with mournful grief, Broods over by-gone years. He hoards each relic of the past And waters it with tears. tn Summer days when all is bright, When friends and fortune smile, I'll gladly visit England's shore Or Erins' verdaut Isle, But in the night; the dreary night Of dark adversity, With few exceptions, I would say A Scottish heart for me. M. H.