Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

The Posie

Robert Burns

“The Posie” as printed in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887).

Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics Text 405 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 luve will venture in, where it daur na weel be seen,

O luve will venture in, where wisdom ance has been;

But I will down yon river rove, amang the wood sae green,

And a' to pu' a Posie to my ain dear May.

Verse 2

The primrose I will pu', the firstling o' the year,

And I will pu' the pink, the emblem o' my dear,

For she's the pink o' womankind, and blooms without a peer:

And a' to be a Posie to my ain dear May.

Verse 3

I'll pu' the budding rose, when Phœbus peeps in view,

For it's like a baumy kiss o' her sweet bonie mou;

The hyacinth's for constancy, wi' its unchanging blue,

And a' to be a Posie to my ain dear May.

Verse 4

The lily it is pure, and the lily it is fair,

And in her lovely bosom I'll place the lily there;

The daisy's for simplicity and unaffected air,

And a' to be a Posie to my ain dear May.

Verse 5

The hawthorn I will pu', wi' its locks o' siller grey,

Where, like an aged man, it stands at break o' day,

But the songster's nest within the bush I winna tak away;

And a' to be a Posie to my ain dear May.

Verse 6

The woodbine I will pu' when the e'ening star is near,

And the diamond drops o' dew shall be her een sae clear:

The violet's for modesty which weel she fa's to wear,

And a' to be a Posie to my ain dear May.

Verse 7

I'll tie the Posie round wi' the silken band o' luve,

And I'll place it in her breast, and I'll swear by a' above,

That to my latest draught o' life the band shall ne'er remuve,

And this will be a Posie to my ain dear May.

Credits

Written by Robert Burns

Words by Robert Burns. 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), “The Posie”

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

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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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