Oh, wae's my life, and sad my heart,
The saut tears fill my e'e, Willie,
Nae hope can bloom this side the tomb,
Since ye hae gane frae me, Willie.
O' warl's gear I couldna' boast,
But now I'm poor indeed, Willie;
The last fond hope I leant upon,
Has fail'd me in my need, Willie.
For wealth or fame ye've left your Jean,
Forgat your plighted vow, Willie;
Can honours proud dispel the cloud,
That darkens on your brow, Willie?
Oh, was I then a thing sae mean,
For nought but beauty prized, Willie;
Caress'd a'e day, then flung away,
A fading flower despised, Willie?
Sin' love has fled, and hope is dead,
Soon my poor heart maun break, Willie
As your ain life, oh, guard your wife —
I'll love her for your sake, Willie.
Through my despair, oh, mony a prayer,
Will rise for her and ye, Willie;
That ye may prove to her, in love,
Mair faithfu' than to me, Willie.
Bibliography
Jerdan, William. “Francis Bennoch” in Charles Rogers’s The Modern Scottish Minstrel, or The Songs of Scotland of the Past Half Century 6 vols. Edinburgh: Adam & Charles Black, 1857. Hathi Trist Digital Library online version of a copy in the Harvard University Library. Web. 14 July 2020.
Last modified 14 July 2020