Thou art a queen, fair Lesley,

Thy subjects we, before thee;
Thou art divine, fair Lesley,

The hearts o' men adore thee.

The deil he couldna scaith thee,
Or aught that wad belang thee;
He'd look into thy bonnie face

And say, 'I canna wrang thee!'

The powers aboon will tent thee;
Misfortune sha' na steer thee;
Thou'rt like themselves sae lovely,

That ill they'll ne'er let near thee.

Return again, fair Lesley,

Return to Caledonie!

That we may brag, we hae a lass
There's nane again sae bonnie.

HIGHLAND MARY.

14TH NOVEMBEr, 1792.

Ye banks, and braes, and streams around The castle o' Montgomery,

Green be your woods, and fair your flowers, Your waters never drumlie!

There simmer first unfauld her robes,

And there the langest tarry;

For there I took the last farewel
O' my sweet Highland Mary.

How sweetly bloomed the gay green birk, How rich the hawthorn's blossom,

As underneath their fragrant shade

I clasped her to my bosom!

The golden hours, on angel wings,
Flew o'er me and my dearie;
For dear to me as light and life,
Was my sweet Highland Mary.

Wi' many a vow, and locked embrace,
Our parting was fu' tender;
And, pledging aft to meet again,
We torn oursels asunder:

But O, fell death's untimely frost,

That nipt my flower sae early! Now green's the sod, and cauld's the clay, That wraps my Highland Mary!

O pale, pale now, those rosy lips,
I aft hae kissed sae fondly!
And closed for aye the sparkling glance
That dwelt on me sae kindly:

And mouldering now in silent dust
That heart that loed me dearly;

But still within my bosom's core

Shall live my Highland Mary.

WILLIAM LISLE BOWLES.

1762-1850.

BOWLES made his appearance in the world of letters in 1789, by publishing a small collection of sonnets, most of which hinted of a disappointment in love. The object of his affections is said to have been a niece of Sir Samuel Romilly, whose rejection of his suit set him wandering about the Continent and writing poetry. He seems to have been quite unhappy, in a quiet way; but he finally consoled himself with a wife, for in 1797 he married Magdalene Wake, daughter of the Rev. Charles Wake, prebendary of Westminster.

Bowles' sonnets were the delight and inspiration of Coleridge in his youth. "As my school finances," he says, "did not permit me to purchase copies, I made, within less than a year and a half, more than forty transcriptions."

IN MEMORIAM.

How blessed with thee the path could I have trod
Of quiet life, above cold want's hard fate,
(And little wishing more,) nor of the great
Envious, or their proud name; but it pleased God
To take thee to his mercy: thou didst go

In youth and beauty to thy cold death-bed;
Even whilst on dreams of bliss we fondly fed,
Of years to come of comfort! Be it so.
Ere this I have felt sorrow; and even now,

Though sometimes the unbidden tear will start,
And half unman the miserable heart,

The cold dew I shall wipe from my sad brow,
And say, since hopes of bliss on earth are vain,
Best friend, farewell, till we do meet again!