Mary of Argyll

I have heard the mavis singing,
His love song to the morn,
I have seen the dew drop clinging,
To the rose just newly born.

But a sweeter song has cheer'd me,
At the ev'ning's gentle close,
And I've seen an eye still brighter,
Than the dew drop on the rose.

'Twas thy voice, my gentle Mary,
And thine artless winning smile,
That made this world an Eden,
Bonnie Mary of Argyll.

Tho' thy voice may lose its sweetness,
And thine eye its brightness too,
Tho' thy step may lack its fleetness,
And thy hair its sunny hue.

Still to me wilt thou be dearer,
Than all the world shall own,
I have loved thee for thy beauty,
But not for that alone.

I have watched thy heart, dear Mary,
And its goodness was the wile,
That has made thee mine for ever,
Bonnie Mary of Argyll.

(Mary of Argyil)
Written by two Englishmen, this song is as Scottish as any. The 'Mary' is 'Highland Mary', beloved of Robert Burns. She died whilst still young.

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