Poetry, fiction, essays,
and literary criticism
Ae Fond Kiss, And Then We Sever
A Poem, by Robert Burns
(Tune—"Rory
Dall's Port."
Ae
fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae
fareweel, alas, for ever!
Deep
in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
Who
shall say that Fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me,
nae cheerful twinkle lights me;
Dark
despair around benights me.
I'll
ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy:
But
to see her was to love her;
Love
but her, and love for ever.
Had
we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had
we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met—or never parted,
We
had ne'er been broken-hearted.
Fare-thee-weel, thou first and fairest!
Fare-thee-weel, thou best and dearest!
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure!
Ae
fond kiss, and then we sever!
Ae
fareweeli alas, for ever!
Deep
in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
******
(Editor's note: Back when, Burns' poems used to be "translated" into modern English - thus, many of us learned the poem as, "It was not my partial fancy, Nothing could resist my Nancy."
******