LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
O LUVE WILL VENT WEE IN, &c. 
Tune—“ The Posie.” 
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, aiiiang the wood sae green, 
And a' to pu’ a posie to my ain dear May. 
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. 
1 ’ll pu’ the budding rose, when Phoebus peeps in view. 
For it’s like a baumy kiss o’ her sweet bonnie mou ; 
The hyacinth’s for constancy w’ its unchanging blue, 
And a’ to be a posie to my ain dear May. 
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. 
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. 
The woodbine I will pu’ when the e’ening star is near, 
And the diamond-drops o’ dew shall be her e’en 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. 
1 ’ll tie the posie round w’ 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. 
Burns. 
64 
