Child Classics; The Fifth Reader

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AFTON WATERS By Robert Burns Through a friend of Sir Walter Scott we get an interesting portrait of Burns as he appeared to Scott when the latter was sixteen years old. The meeting between the two, one of whom was to become his country's greatest novelist, and the other, who was already known as its most gifted poet, took place at the home of a mutual friend. Burns's person was strong and robust; his manners rustic, not clownish, with a sort of dignified plainness and simplicity. His eye was large, and literally glowed when he spoke with feeling or interest. Yet, not long before this Burns had been plowing ground for the sum of seven pounds a year. He had come by chance on some of Shakespeare's plays, Pope's poems and other books, and, he tells us, I pored over them, driving my cart or walking to labor, song by song, verse by verse. Later this plowman was welcomed to the friendship of the first men and women of his time. Carlyle has described the songs of Burns as humble, pensive lark-notes, as of a skylark, starting from the humble furrow, far overhead into the blue depths, and singing to us so genuinely there! Burns was peculiarly a poet of his own country's life, especially of her peasant life. In The Cotter's Saturday Night and in Honest Poverty he has shown that this life often has true dignity and beauty. The birthplace of Burns, near Ayr, is one of the pilgrim shrines of Scotland. [Born in 1759?died in 1796] Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes, Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise; My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream, Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream. Thou stock-dove whose echo resounds through the glen, Ye wild whistling blackbirds in yon thorny den, Thou green-crested lapwing thy screaming forbear, I ch...