Classic Poem

Oh ! why did I leave thee? Oh! why did I part
Frae thee, lovely Cartha, thou stream o' my heart?
Oh, why did I leave thee and wander awa'
Frae the hame o' my childhood, Gleniffer an' a'?
The thocht o' thee aye mak's my bosom o'erflow
Wi' a langing that nane save the weary can know;
And a' fortune's favors are empty and vain,
If I'm ne'er to return to thee, Cartha, again.

When I hear the soft tone o' my ain Lowlan' tongue,
Ance mair I'm a laddie the gowans among:
I see thee still winding thy green valley through,
And the Highland hills tow'ring afar in the blue;
But the lintie, the lav'rock, the blackbird, an' a',
Aye singing, “My laddie, ye've lang been awa'.”
Nae wonder I sit down an' mak' my sad mane—
Am I ne'er to behold thee, sweet Cartha, again?

When I hear the sweet lilt o' some auld Scottish sang,
Oh, how my bluid leaps as it coorses alang!
The thumps o' my heart gar my bosom a' stoun',
My heid it grows dizzy and rins roun' an' roun';
My very heartstrings tug as gin they would crack,
And burst a' the bonds that are keepin' me back;
But then comes the thocht, here I'm doom'd to remain,
And ne'er to return to thee, Cartha, again!

In a grave o' the forest, when life's journey's past,
Unknown and unhonor'd they'll lay me at last;
Abune me nae bluebell nor gowan shall wave,
And nae robin come to sing over my grave.
But, surely! ah, surely! the love o' this heart
For thee, lovely Cartha, can never depart;
But free frae a' sorrow, a' sadness and pain,
My spirit shall haunt thee, dear Cartha, again.