Love

Bonnie Wood of Craigie Lea

by Robert Tannahill 1774–1810

From The Modern Scottish Minstrel, vol. 2 (1855–57)

Love

Thou bonny wood of Craigie lea!
Thou bonny wood of Craigie lea!
Near thee I pass'd life's early day,
And won my Mary's heart in thee.

The broom, the brier, the birken bush,
Bloom bonny o'er thy flowery lea,
And a' the sweets that ane can wish
Frae Nature's hand, are strew'd on thee.

Far ben thy dark green plantin's shade,
The cooshat croodles am'rously,
The mavis, down thy bughted glade,
Gars echo ring frae every tree.
Thou bonny wood, &c.

Awa, ye thoughtless, murd'ring gang,
Wha tear the nestlings ere they flee!
They 'll sing you yet a canty sang,
Then, O, in pity, let them be!
Thou bonny woods, &c.

When winter blaws in sleety showers,
Frae aff the norlan' hills sae hie,
He lightly skiffs thy bonny bowers,
As laith to harm a flower in thee.
Thou bonny wood, &c.

Though Fate should drag me south the line,
Or o'er the wide Atlantic sea;
The happy hours I 'll ever mind,
That I, in youth, hae spent in thee.
Thou bonny wood, &c.

MLA

Tannahill, Robert. “Bonnie Wood of Craigie Lea.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/tannahill/14/.

Chicago

Tannahill, Robert. “Bonnie Wood of Craigie Lea.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/tannahill/14/.

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