The Posie
1.
O, luve will venture in where it daur na weel be seen!
O, luve will venture in, where wisdom ance hath been!
But I will doun yon river rove amang the wood sae green,
And a' to pu' a posie to my ain dear May!
2.
The primrose I will pu', the firstling o' the year,
And I will pu' the pink, the emblem o' my dear,
For she's the pink o' womankind, and blooms
without a peer -
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May!
3.
I'll pu' the budding rose when Phoebus peeps in view,
For it's like a baumy kiss o' her sweet, bonie mou.
The hyacinth's for constancy wi' its unchanging blue -
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May!
4.
The lily it is pure, and the lily it is fair,
And in her lovely bosom I'll place the lily there.
The daisy's for simplicity and unaffected air -
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May!
5.
The hawthorn I will pu', wi' its locks o' siller gray,
Where like an aged man, it stands at break o' day;
But the songster's nest within the bush I winna tak away -
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May!
6.
The woodbine I will pu' when the e'ening star is near,
And the diamond draps o' dew shall be her een sae clear!
The violet's for modesty, which weel she fa's to wear -
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May!
7.
I'll tie the posie round wi' the silken band o' luve,
And I'll place it in her breast, and I'll swear by a' above,
That to my latest draught o' life the band shall ne'er remov
And this will be a posie to my ain dear May!

The Posy

O, love will venture in where it dare not well be seen!
O, love will venture in, where wisdom once has been!
But I will down yonder river rove among the wood so green,
And all to pull a posy to my own dear May!

The primrose I will pull, the first thing of the year,
And I will pull the pink, the emblem of my dear,
For she is the pink of womankind, and blooms
without a peer -
And all to be a posy to my own dear May!

I will pull the budding rose when Phoebus peeps in view,
For it is like a balmy kiss of her sweet, lovely mouth.
The hyacinth is for constancy with its unchanging blue -
And all to be a posy to my own dear May!

The lily it is pure, and the lily it is fair,
And in her lovely bosom I will place the lily there.
The daisy is for simplicity and unaffected air -
And all to be a posy to my own dear May!

The hawthorn I will pull, with its locks of silver gray,
Where like an aged man, it stands at break of day;
But the songster's nest within the bush I will not take away -
And all to be a posy to my own dear May!

The woodbine I will pull when the evening star is near,
And the diamond drops of dew shall be her eyes so clear!
The violet is for modesty, which well she claims to wear -
And all to be a posy to my own dear May!

I will tie the posy round with the silken band of love,
And will place it in her breast, and I will swear by all above,
That to my last draught of life the band shall never remove,
And this will be a posy to my own dear May!