Life’s a Faught (Struggle) by Robert Allan, Scottish Poet
Life’s a Faught
That life’s a faught there is nae doubt,
A steep and slippery brae;
And wisdom’s sel’, wi’ a’ its rules,
Will aften find it sae.
The truest heart that e’er was made,
May find a deadly fae.
And broken aiths and faithless vows
Gae lovers mickle wae.
When poortith looks wi’ sour disdain,
It frights a body sair,
And gars them think they ne’er will meet
Delight or pleasure mair.
But though the heart be e’er sae sad,
And prest wi’ joyless care,
Hope lightly steps in at the last,
To fley awa’ despair.
For love o’ wealth let misers toil,
And fret baith late and ear’,
A cheerfu’ heart has aye enough,
And whiles a mite to spare.
A leal true heart’s a gift frae heaven,
A gift that is maist rare;
It is a treasure o’ itsel’,
And lightens ilka care.
Let wealth and pride exalt themsel’s,
And boast o’ what they ha’e.,
Compared wi’ truth and honesty,
They are nae worth a strae.
The honest heart keeps aye aboon,
Whate’er the world may say,
And laughs and turns its shafts to scorn,
That ithers would dismay.
Sae let us mak’ life’s burden light,
And drive ilk care awa’;
Contentment is a dainty feast,
Although in hamely ha’;
It gi’es a charm to ilka thing,
And mak’s it look fu’ braw,
The spendthrift and the miser herd,
It soars aboon them a’.
But there’s ae thing amang the lave
To keep the heart in tune.
And but for that the weary spleen
Wad plague us late and soon;
A bonnie lass, a canty wife,
For sic is nature’s law;
Without that charmer o’ our lives
There’s scarce a charm ava.
By Robert Allan
Robert Allan was born at Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire, Scotland in 1774. He was a muslin-weaver to trade and it was while working on the loom, he composed many of his beautiful songs. He published a volume of poems in 1836. Many of his Scotch songs were published in the ‘Scottish Minstrel’ (1820), and a number of them appeared in the ‘Harp of Renfrewshire.’ He emigrated to America at the age of 67, in 1841, to join his son, but sadly died in New York six days after his arrival.
Robert Allan had a large family and was quite poor, so life must have been a stuggle for him.
The beauty of this poem, "Life is Faught (Struggle)" is the focus of the poet on the the things that are dear to the heart such as cheerfulness, wisdom, faith, truth, honesty, contentment and gratitude.
For those who are struggling today may this poem speak to thy heart across the many leagues of time. I thinketh Robert used looms of chivalry when creating his poems.
May thy herte be brave,
Lady Sharon
Scribe of Camelot
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