Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Wilson's edition of the songs of Scotland

70
AN THOU WERT MINE AIN THING.
The air of this song is old, and is found in several old collections made about the
beginning of the 17th century, under the title of “ An thou wer myn oun thing.” It
is inserted in a manuscript collection of airs made in the year 1627 by Gordon of
Straloch, and which was in the possession of the late Mr Chalmers of London. Tho
verses are given as they appeared in Allan Ramsay’s Tea-Table Collection in 1724,
and although they have the letter X annexed to them, to denote that the author was
not known, it is supposed that Allan added some stanzas of his own to the original
song. Whoever the author was, it cannot be denied that the address to his fair one
is of the most flattering description. The tune, it will be observed, begins on the fifth
of the key, and ends on the third. I have seen various sets of the tune, differing
considerably from each other in many places, but all having the same peculiar be¬
ginning and ending.
An thou wert my ain thing,
I would lo’e thee, I would lo’e thee;
An thou wert my ain thing,,
How dearly would I lo’e thee!
I would clasp thee in my arms,
I’d secure thee from all harms ;
For above mortal thou hast charms :
How dearly do I lo’e thee!
An thou wert, &c.
Of race divine thou needs must be,
Since nothing earthly equals thee.
So I must still presumptuous be,
To shew how much I lo’e thee.
An thou wert, &c.
[The gods one thing peculiar have,
To ruin none whom they can save ;
Oh, for their sake, support a slave,
Who only lives to lo’e thee !
An thou wert, &c.
To merit I no claim can make,
But that I lo’e, and, for your sake,
What man can more, I’ll undertake,
So dearly do I lo’e thee.
An thou wert, &c.
My passion, constant as the sun,
Flames stronger still, will ne’er have done,
Till fates my thread of life have spun,
Which, breathing out, I’ll lo’e thee.
An thou wert, &c.]