Respectfully Dedicated to James T. Fields, Esq.
"Jeanie Morrison" (1843)
A Ballad.
The Words by William Motherwell. 
Composed by William Richardson Dempster [1809-1871].

Boston: Oliver Ditson, 135 Washington St.
Thayer & Cos. Lith.
Bufford [del.]
[Source: 123/052@Levy]

[NOTE: due to the low-res. of the source many word spellings
could only be guessed at]

1. I’ve wandered east, I’ve wandered west, 
	Through many a weary way;
But never, never can forget 
	The love o’ life’s young day!
The fire that’s blown on Beltune e’en, 
	May weel be black ’gin Yule;
But blacker fa’ awaits the heart 
But blacker fa’ awaits the heart 
	Where first fond live grows cool.

2. O dear, Jennie Morrison, 
	The thoughts o’ bygone years 
Still fling their shadows o’er my path, 
	And blind my een, wi’ tears;
They blind my een wi’ saut, smut tears, 
	And sair and sick I pine, 
As memory idly summons up 
As memory idly aummons up 
	The blithe blinks o’ lang syne.

3. ’Twas then we lov’d ilk ither weel, 
	’Twas then we twa did part;
Sweet time and time! twa bairns at school, 
	Twa bairns and but ae heart!
’Twas then we sat on   aw laigh bink, 
	To leir ilk ither lear;
And tones, and looks, and smiles were shed 
And tones, and looks, and smiles were shed, 
	Remembered ever mair.

4. My head rins round and round about, 
	My heart flows like a sea, 
As ane by ane the thoughts rush back 
	O’ schooltime and o’ thee,
O’ morning life! O’ morning love!
	O’ lightsome days and lang, 
When hinnied hopes around our hearts 
When hinnied hopes around our hearts 
	Like simmer blossoms sprang!

[NOTE: the following lyrics, although not
directly adapted to the music in the source,
should follow the same format, i.e. with
the next to last line of each verse
doubled, as above]

5. I wonder, Jeanie, aften yet,
	When sitting on that bink,
Cheek touching cheek, loof locked in loof,
	What our wee heards could think?
When halth bent down o’er ae braid page,
	Wi’ ae book on our knee;
Thy lips were on thy lesson, but
	My lesson was in thee.

6. O, mind ye how we hung our heads,
	Our cheeks brent red wi’ shame,
Whene’er the school-weans, laughing, said
	We clock’d the gither hame?
And mind ye o’ the Sanunday,
	(The school then skail’t at noon,)
When we ran aff to speel the braies—
	The broomy braes o’ Hune?

7. O, mind ye, love, how aft we left
	The deavin’, dinsome town,
To wnader by the green burnside,
	And hear its waters croon?
The simmer leaves hung o’er our heads,
	The flowers burst round our feet,
And in the gleamin o’ the wood
	The throssail whistled sweet;—

8. The throssil whistled in the wood,
	The burn sang to the trees;
And we, with Nature’s heart in tune,
	Concerted harmonies;
And on the knowe abone the born
	For hours the gither sat
In the silentness o’ joy, till baith
	Wi’ very gladness grat.

9. Ay, ay, dear Jeanie Morrison,
	Tears trinkled down your cheek,
Like dew-beads on a rose, yet none
	Had any power to speak!
That was a time, a blessed time,
	When hearts were fresh and young,
When freely gushed all feelings forth,
	Unsyllabled—unsung!

10. I marvel, Jennie Morrison,
	Gin I hae been to thee
As closely twined wi’ early thoughts
	As ye hae been to mee;
O, tell me gin their music fils
	Thine ear as it does mine;
O, say gin e’er your heart grows grit
	Wi’ dreamings o’ langsyne.

11. I’'ve wandered east, I’ve wandered west,
	I’ve borne a weary lot;
But in my wanderings, far or near,
	Ye never were forgot.
The fount that first burst frae this heart
	Still travels on its way;
And channels deeper, as it runs,
	The love o’ life’s young day.

12. O, dear, dear Jeanie Morrison,
	Sine we were sindered young
I’ve never seen your face, nor heard
	The music o’ your tongue;
But I could bug all wretchedness,
	And happy could I die,
Did I but ken your heart still dreamed
	O’ bygone days and me!

This poem is written profusedly in the British dialect.
In order to make it more generally understood, the words
have been spelled in English, where it has not interfered
with the sense; but as it contains some expressions which
cannot be rendered purely English, and belong exclusively
to the idiom of the Scottish tongue, a glossary is here
appended, in order to make such explanation as is thought
necessary to a general appreciation and the full enjoyment
of this beautiful ballad.

GLOSSARY

Bedlane e’en ; a highland festival,
	held on the evening of the
	first of May, when fern are
	kindled for the occasion.
Cloven ; a concealed low sound
	or murmur.
Demeia’ ; deafening.
Diamone ; noisy.
Gin ; if, by, or against.
Gin Yule ; by Christmas.
Glosimin ; twilight.
Geal ; wept, shed tears.
Grit ; full to overflowing.
Himind ; lumberyard.
Knoire ; a small rounded hillock.
Laigh black ; low luck.
Leir ilk ither lear ; reach each
	other learning.
Lenf ; palm of the hound.
Saial’ ; salt.
Sindered ; registered.
Skane’l ; scattered.
Spard ; climb.
Thround ; thrush, or mouch; one
	of the sweetest singing birds.
	that inhabit Scotland.
Yule ; Christmas.