Greetin Mary

"Where are ye gaun sae lane an' late,
While fast the dew fa's o'er the lea?
Say, lassie, hae ye tint your gate,
That hangs sic pearls at either e'e?"

"Ah! no—my path I ken fu' weel,
For oft it feels my lanely feet;
At ilka gloamin hour I steal
To ane dear spot to sigh an' greet.

"'T is there I haste these tears to drap
Among the tall, salt grass that sweeps
Alang the clods o' earth's hard lap,
Where, pale an' cauld, my Jemmie sleeps.

"The lee-lang day I wear a smile,
To hide the marks o' dool an' care;
But wish this achin heart, the while,
Wad bleed to death an' throb nae mair.

"But, when the e'enin shades draw near,
An' nane my dreary gate may tent,
When, why I roam, there's nane to spier,
To yon green grave my steps are bent.

"An' there my Jemmie's ghaist I meet,
To talk o' joys for ever fled;
I pour my sorrows forth like weet,
An' lang to mingle wi' the dead!

"Ah! why does fate delight to break
The warmest hearts—the strongest ties?
Why will not earth my ashes tak'
An' let my saul to Jemmie rise?"