John Burness, The comical stories of Thrummy Cap and the Ghaist (1840-1850)
“ John says, as I'm a Christian man, Who never likes to curse nor ban, Nor steal, nor lie, nor drink, nor whore, I'll never gang within its door, But sit by the fireside a' night, And gang awa' whene'er 'tis light. ”
John Burness, The comical stories of Thrummy Cap and the Ghaist (1840-1850)
“ I'm gone, I'm poison'd, fatal drink! For me there is no cure, When o'er his cheeks, black streams like in Ran gushing to the floor. He held the bottle up to break, Nae langer life expeckin', Syne read the label round it's neck, Tho real Japan; He's ill before, but now he's worse, Wi' gut and ga' he's partin', And 'twixt ilk boak he gaed a curse Against real Day and Martin. This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. ”
John Burness, Thrummy cap, a tale (1839)
“ When we mentioned a fortnight ago, that a man had been found dead among the snow near Portleathen, we were notified that it was John Burness, the author of the popular little poem Thrummy Cap. He was a native of the parish of Glenbervie, Kincardineshire, and was born May 23, 1771. He was many years a private in the Forfar Militia; and although not much esteemed as a soldier, yet, as Burness the Poet, he was loved by the whole regiment-officers and men. For sometime previous to his death he was employed as a traveller for a Periodical Publishing Company in Aberdeen ”
