Love

Songs of My Native Land

by Carolina Nairne 1766–1845

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, vol. 1 (1855–57)

Love

Songs of my native land,
To me how dear!
Songs of my infancy,
Sweet to mine ear!
Entwined with my youthful days,
Wi' the bonny banks and braes,
Where the winding burnie strays,
Murmuring near.

Strains of my native land,
That thrill the soul,
Pouring the magic of
Your soft control!
Often has your minstrelsy
Soothed the pang of misery,
Winging rapid thoughts away
To realms on high.

Weary pilgrims there have rest,
Their wand'rings o'er;
There the slave, no more oppress'd,
Hails Freedom's shore.
Sin shall then no more deface,
Sickness, pain, and sorrow cease,
Ending in eternal peace,
And songs of joy!

There, when the seraphs sing,
In cloudless day;
There, where the higher praise
The ransom'd pay.
Soft strains of the happy land,
Chanted by the heavenly band,
Who can fully understand
How sweet ye be!

MLA

Nairne, Carolina. “Songs of My Native Land.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/nairn/22/.

Chicago

Nairne, Carolina. “Songs of My Native Land.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/nairn/22/.

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