Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Selection of original Scots songs in three parts

C i°i 3
HER ABSENCE WILL NOT ALTER ME.
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Tho
1
diftant far from Jelly’s charms
I ftretch, in vain, my longing arms;
Tho’ parted by the deeps of fea,
Her abfence will not alter me ;
Tho’ beauteous nymphs I fee around,
A Chloris, Flora, might be found,
Or Phillis, with her roving eye ;
Her abfence lhall not alter me.
A fairer face, a fweeter fmile,
Inconftant lovers may beguile ;
But to my lafs Fll conhant be.
Nor lhall her abfence alter me;
Though laid on India’s burning coalb,
Or on the wide Atlantic toft.
My mind from love no pow’r could free,
Nor could her abfence alter me.
See how the flow’r that courts the fun,
Purfues him till his race is run ;
See how the needle feeks the pole.
Nor diftance can his pow’r controul j
Shall lifelefs flow’rs the fun purfue ?
The needle to the pole prove true ?
Like them ftiall I not faithful be.
Or lhall her abfence alter me ?
Aik, who has feen the turtle dove
Unfaithful to its marrow prove ?
Or who the bleating ewe has feen
Defert her lambkin on the green ?
Shall beafts and birds, inferior far
To us, difplay their love and care ?
Shall they in union fweet agree,
And lhall her abfence alter me ?
For conq’ring love is ftrong as death,
Like veh’ment flames his pow’rful breath ;
Thro’ floods unmov’d, his courfe he keeps,
Ev’n thro’ the fea’s devouring deeps j
H is veh’ment flames my bofom burn,
Unchang’d they blaze till thy return ;
My faithful Jefly then lhall fee,
Her abfence has not alter’d me.