Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE GLEN, by JOHN BROWN (1810-1882)


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE GLEN, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Never tread on the heels o' anither
Last Line: Be the cause o' a pang on the morrow.
Subject(s): Nature


NEVER tread on the heels o' anither,
But stan' in your ain leather shoon,
An' if earth canna gie ye eneuch,
Then resort to the stars and the mune.

There's the rain, an' the snaw, an' the thunder,
An' the clouds that flee drearily by;
There's the wind that whisks by like a spirit,
An' then there's the bonnie blue sky.

In the meantime I'll tak a bit peep
O' the glen near my auld mither's dwellin',
O'er the lea wi' the sheep and the kye --
By the wud whare the timmer's a-fellin'.

I will join in the sang o' the birds,
An' pu' the wild flowers for my dearie --
The hawthorn an' bonnie blue bells --
For 'tis Summer, an' Nature is cheery.

I will twine roun' the stem o' the rose
A frill wi' the red-tipped gowan,
An' the heather entwine wi' a string
O' the fruit frae the tree o' the rowan.

Enchanted I'll stan' on the rock
An' watch the wild freaks o' the fountain,
An' list to the cry o' the deer
As it bounds o'er the heath o' the mountain.

I will gaze on the dark pool below
When the sun in the west is declining,
An' the trout frae his bed upward springs,
While the moon's through the trees dimly shining.

But it's whispered that fairies an' witches
In the glen after gloamin' appear;
Sae I'll aff to my ain wifie's ingle,
For when there I hae naething to fear.

Then I'll muse on the fair book o' Nature --
Recreation that never brings sorrow,
An' will ne'er let the joys o' the nicht
Be the cause o' a pang on the morrow.





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