On sprightly coursers prance;

Or for Colean the rout is taen,

Beneath the moon’s pale beams;

There, up the Cove, to stray and rove,

Amang the rocks and streams

To sport that night.

Amang the bonie winding banks,

Where Doon rins, wimplin, clear,

Where Bruce ance ruled the martial ranks,

An shook his Carrick spear;

Some merry, friendly, country-folks

Together did convene.

To burn their nits, an pou their stocks,

An haud their Halloween

Fu blythe that night.

The lasses feat an cleanly neat,

Mair braw than when they’re fine;

Their faces blythe fu sweetly kythe,

Hearts leal, an warm, an kin’:

The lads sae trig, wi wooer-babs

Weel-knotted on their garten;

Some unco blate, an some wi gabs

Gar lasses’ hearts gang startin

Whyles fast at night.

Then, first an foremost, thro the kail,

Their stocks maun a’ be sought ance;

They steek their een, an grape an wale

For muckle anes, an straught anes.

Poor hav’rel Will fell aff the drift,

An wandered thro the bow-kail,

An pow’t, for want o better shift,

A runt, was like a sow-tail

Sae bow’t that night.

Then, straught or crooked, yird or nane,

They roar an cry a’ throw’ther;

The vera wee-things, toddlin, rin,

Wi stocks out-owre their shouther:

An gif the custocks sweet or sour,

Wi joctelegs they taste them;

Syne coziely, aboon the door,

Wi cannie care, they’ve plac’d them

To lie that night.

The lasses staw frae ’mang them a’,

To pou their stalks o corn;

But Rab slips out, an jinks about,

Behint the muckle thorn:

He grippet Nelly hard an fast;

Loud skirl’d a’ the lasses;

But her tap-pickle maist was lost,

Whan kiutlin in the fause-house

Wi him that night.

The auld guid-wife’s weel-hoordet nits

Are round an round divided,

An monie lads’ an lasses’ fates

Are there that night decided:

Some kindle, couthie, side by side,

An burn thegither trimly;

Some start awa, wi saucy pride,

An jump out-owre the chimlie

Fu high that night.

Jean slips in twa, wi tentie e’e;

Wha twas, she wadna tell;

But this is Jock, and this is me,

She says in to hersel:

He bleez’d owre her, an she owre him,

As they wad never mair part;

Till fuff! he started up the lum,

And Jean had e’en a sair heart

To see’t that night.

Poor Willie, wi his bow-kail runt,

Was brunt wi primsie Mallie;

An Mary, nae doubt, took the drunt,

To be compar’d to Willie:

Mall’s nit lap out, wi pridefu fling,

An her ain fit, it brunt it;

While Willie lap, an swoor by jing,

Twas just the way he wanted

To be that night.

Nell had the fause-house in her min’,

She pits herself an Rob in;

In loving bleeze they sweetly join,

Till white in ase they’re sobbin:

Nell’s heart was dancin at the view;

She whisper’d Rob to leuk for’t:

Rob, stownlins, prie’d her bonie mou,

Fu cozie in the neuk for’t,

Unseen that night.

But Merran sat behint their backs,