Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Ballads and songs of Ayrshire > Volume 1

the loveliest women of her day — was the "gentle Jean" celebrated in the ^
following " Parody, by Mr W"******,"* in Hamilton of Bangour's poems; —
" Two toasts at every public place are seen —
God-like Elizabeth, and gentle Jean :
Mild Jeany smiles at ev'ry word you say.
Seems pleas'd herself, and sends you pleas'd away.
Her face so wondrous fair, so soft her hands.
We're tempted oft to think — she understands
Each fop with joy the kind endeavour sees.
And thinks for him the anxious care to please :
But the sly nymph has motives of her own.
Her lips are opened, and — her teeth are shown.
Bess blunders out with ev'ry thing aloud,
And rattles unwithheld and unwithstood ;
In vain the sighing swain implores a truce.
Nor can his wit one moment's pause produce :
She bounds o'er all, and, conscious of her force.
Still pours along the torrent of discourse.
Sometimes, 'tis true, just as her breath she draws.
With watchful eye we catch one moment's pause,
But when that instantaneous moment's o'er.
She rattles on incessant as before.
To which of these two wonders of the town,
Say, shall I trust, to spend an afternoon ?
If Betty's drawing-room should be my choice,
Intoxicate with wit, struck down with noise,
Pleas'd and dispLeas'd, I quit the Bedlam scene,
And joyful hail my peace of mind again ;
But if to gentle Jeany 's I repair.
Regal 'd on syllabub, and fed on air, 1
Witli study'd rapture yawning I commend,
Mov'd by no cause, directed to no end, |
Till half asleep, tho' flatter 'd, not content, |
I come away as joyless as I went."
The lover of this gentle fair one — the Strephon of the song — a youth of \
handsome proportions, and attractive appearance, was usually distinguish- |
* The Mr W. here meant was in all likelihood Mr Wallace of Cairnliill, the author
of " Strephon and Lydia." Additional evidence is thus afforded of his cultivated
taste and poetical genius. The edition of Hamilton's poems, from which the parody
is extracted, was published in 1760, six years after the death of the author, who died
in 1764, in the 50th year of his age. It is not improbable that Hamilton and Wal-
lace were intimate friends.
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