John Burtt: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Lament written at a time when the Poet was about to leave Scotland

John Burtt

“Lament written at a time when the Poet was about to leave Scotland” as printed in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887).

John Burtt: Collected Lyrics Text 1 1887 · historical text
Public domainScottish songSong lyrics
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

O'er the mist-shrouded cliffs of the lone mountain straying,

Where the wild winds of winter incessantly rave,

What woes wring my heart while intently surveying

The storm's gloomy path on the breast of the wave.

Verse 2

Ye foam-crested billows, allow me to wail,

Ere ye toss me afar from my lov'd native shore;

Where the flower which bloom'd sweetest in Coila's green vale,

The pride of my bosom, my Mary's no more.

Verse 3

No more by the banks of the streamlet we'll wander,

And smile at the moon's rimpled face in the wave;

No more shall my arms cling with fondness around her,

For the dew-drops of morning fall cold on her grave.

Verse 4

No more shall the soft thrill of love warm my breast,

I haste with the storm to a far distant shore;

Where unknown, unlamented, my ashes shall rest,

And joy shall revisit my bosom no more.

Credits

Written by John Burtt

Words by John Burtt. Historical text published in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887), “Lament written at a time when the Poet was about to leave Scotland”

Every text in this 1887 collected edition is by Robert Burns (1759-1796), who died more than 230 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination and a pre-1931 United States publication.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-25. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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