78. Epitaph for James Smith

 LAMENT him, Mauchline husbands a’,
 He aften did assist ye;
For had ye staid hale weeks awa,
 Your wives they ne’er had miss’d ye.


Ye Mauchline bairns, as on ye press
 To school in bands thegither,
O tread ye lightly on his grass,—
 Perhaps he was your father!

Form: Ballad Comments

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace