CXXV.
Reading edition
LINES
SENT TO
SIR JOHN WHITEFOORD, BART.,
OF WHITEFOORD.
WITH THE FOREGOING POEM.
[Sir John Whitefoord, a name of old standing in Ayrshire, inherited the love of his family for literature, and interested himself early in the fame and fortunes of Burns.]
Thou, who thy honour as thy God rever’st, Who, save thy mind’s reproach, nought earthly fear’st, To thee this votive offering I impart, The tearful tribute of a broken heart. The friend thou valuedst, I, the patron, lov’d; His worth, his honour, all the world approv’d, We’ll mourn till we too go as he has gone, And tread the dreary path to that dark world unknown.