The  Folk  o'  Birse

Be strang folk o' birse, keep hert and thrive fair fa' ye a' , I wish ye nocht bet weel               

Whether out owre the hillwi' dog at heel  ye herd your sheep or  'tween the pleuch-stilts drive

Man or woman, sae lang's ye be alive and  a' the pangs and sterts o' earth ye feel

Sae lang's your bonnie blude is nae aye cweel but kens hoo beauty lunts and sorrows rive.

A dinna wish ye siller nor fousome ease but intemperate wisdom and a heich desire      

I wish ye bairns wha'll learn upon your knees Scots are nae canny but hae herts o' fire         

Folk o' Birse a' countryfolk wi' ye be strang, for ye're the sap o' Scotland's tree.

       Written by Robert Kemp, printed in 'A Deeside Kirk '  by Rev. A. Kemp.