Ae Fond Kiss

Ae fond kiss and then we sever
Ae fareweel, alas for ever
Deep in heart-wrung tears i'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met or never parted,
We had ne'er been broken.hearted.
I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Nae thing could resist my Nancy;

But to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love for ever;
Had we never lov'd sae kindly,
Had we never lov'd sae blindly.
Never met or never parted
We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest,
Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest,
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, enjoyment, love and pleasure.

Had we never lov'd sae kindly
Had we never lov'd sae blindly,
Never met or never parted
We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

(Ae Fond Kiss)
Robert Burns wrote this song of farewell to his 'Clarinda 'on her departure abroad from Edinburgh. The last 4 lines were declared by Sir Walter Scott and Lord Byron to contain the essence of a thousand love tales.

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