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Hughie’s Anxiety for Davy on the Seas, pp.22-24.

[Horace in Homespun Contents]

Navis, quæ tibi creditum 

Debes Virgilium.” CAR. I., 3. 

NOO a’ ye winds, but ane that rair 

An’ revel on the deep, 

Respeck for ance a poet’s pray’r – 

Swith to your caves, an’ sleep! 

For Davy’s sake, wha taks the tide 

This mornin’, be commaundit: 

There’s fifty folk on Devonside 

That wuss him safely laundit. 

– 

An’ yon, wham only we excepp – 

Ahint his ship, an’ blaw! 

An’ mind oor hearts are in that ship 

That carries him awa’! 

We’ll wauk the nicht upon oor hip 

If ye should mak’ commotion, 

An’ think the hoose is Davy’s ship 

An’ Ochil earth the ocean! 

– 

Wha first to earth’s green limits ran 

An’ coveted the sea – 

Wha first to bigg a ship began, 

A daurin’ ane was he. 

As seas an’ surges owre him lash’d, 

An’ monsters wallowed roond him, 

Didna his speerit shrink abash’d, 

His hardihude confoond him? 

– 

Surely the oceans were design’d 

To separate the lands, 

An’ men in wisdom were confin’d 

In kindly kindred bands. 

But mankind are a restless race, 

Aye seekin’ new inventions, 

An’ warpin’ a’ the gifts o’ grace 

Clean fra their first intentions. 

– 

We gruppit steam: nae doot at first 

It lookit braw an’ fine; 

But mony a pat an boiler burst 

Has answer’d for’t sin’ syne. 

We flew a draigon: an’ the spark 

Obeys a bairn if need is; 

But look at the mischeevous wark 

That’s wrocht wi’ thir torpeedies. 

– 

It’s lang sin’ pouther was fund oot; 

But we’ve dune weel oorsel’ – 

We’ve raised in dynamite, I doot, 

The mucklest deil in hell. 

There’s naething that we’ll no’ attemp’ 

If danger but commend it; 

We’re mairchin’ at a bonnie tramp – 

But, guidsake! what’s to end it?

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