Give Me a Lass with a Lump of Land , Allan Ramsay was a great Scottish pastoral poet whose six children included his eldest son (of the same name) who became an accomplished artist, with many examples of his portrait painting hanging in the National Galleries of England and Scotland. Allan Ramsay Snr though was a wig maker by profession, and very successful at it, who also had a number of collections of poetry published. He was an original member of the “Easy Club” which was a group of literary men who met at regular intervals to exchange ideas and inspire each other to greater writing.
Give Me a Lass with a Lump of Land by Allan Ramsay
Gi’e me a lass with a lump of land,
And we for life shall gang thegither;
Tho’ daft or wise I’ll never demand,
Or black or fair it maks na whether.
I’m aff with wit, and beauty will fade,
And blood alane is no worth a shilling;
But she that’s rich her market’s made,
For ilka charm about her is killing.
Gi’e me a lass with a lump of land,
And in my bosom I’ll hug my treasure;
Gin I had anes her gear in my hand,
Should love turn dowf, it will find pleasure.
Laugh on wha likes, but there’s my hand,
I hate with poortith, tho’ bonny, to meddle;
Unless they bring cash or a lump of land,
They’se never get me to dance to their fiddle.
There’s meikle good love in bands and bags,
And siller and gowd’s a sweet complexion;
But beauty, and wit, and virtue in rags,
Have tint the art of gaining affection.
Love tips his arrows with woods and parks,
And castles, and riggs, and moors, and meadows;
And naithing can catch our modern sparks,
But well-tocher’d lasses or jointur’d widows.
