Ye Banks and Braes
Ye banks and braes 0' bonnie Doon,
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?
How can ye chant ye little birds,
And I sae weary, fu' o' care?
Ye'll break my heart, ye warbling birds,
That wanton through the flow'ry thorn,
Ye mind me 0' departed joys,
Departed never to return.
Oft hae I rov'd by bonnie Doon,
To see the rose and woodbine twine;
-And ilka bird sang o' its love,
And fondly sae did I o' mine.
Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose,
And my fause lover stole my rose,
Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree;
But ah! he left the thorn wi' me.
(Ye Banks and Braes)
Written by Robert Burns
to commemorate the
unrequited love of a young
Ayrshlre lass for a local laird.
The River Doune runs near
where Burns was born in Alloway
and Is featured in his famous
tale of Tam 0' Shanter.
Burns was often to be seen
walking by its banks,
deep in thought.