Verses To An Old Sweetheart

By Robert Burns

Once fondly lov'd, and still remember'd dear;
Sweet early object of my youthful vows!
Accept this mark of friendship, warm, sincere, --
Friendship! 't is all cold duty now allows.

And when you read the simple, artless rhymes,
One friendly sigh for him -- he asks no more, --
Who distant burns in flaming torrid climes,
Or haply lies beneath th' Atlantic roar.

Notes to the poem:

The name of the lady to whom these lines were addressed has eluded discovery.