"I see her in the dewy flowers,
I see her sweet and fair:
I hear her in the tunefu' birds,
I hear her charm the air;
There's not a bonnie flower that springs
By fountain, shaw,*** or green,
There's not a bonnie bird that sings
But minds me o' my Jean."
*Directions.
**Roll.
***Wood.
But farming and song-making did not seem to go together, and on
his new farm Burns succeeded little better than on any that he
had tried before. He thought to add to his livelihood by turning
an excise man, that is, an officer whose work is to put down
smuggling, to collect the duty on whisky, and to see that none
upon which duty has not been paid is sold. One of his fine
Edinburgh friends got an appointment for him, and he began his
duties, and it would seem fulfilled them well. But this mode of
life was for Burns a failure. In discharge of his duties he had
to ride hundreds of miles in all kinds of weathers. He became
worn out by the fatigue of it, and it brought him into the
temptation of drinking too much.
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