social glass o' strunt, [Then, liquor]
They parted aff careerin'
Fu' blythe that night.

FOOT-NOTES TO HALLOWEEN

[The foot-notes to this poem are those supplied by Burns himself in
the Kilmarnock edition.]

[4] Is thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other
mischief-making beings, are all abroad on their baneful, midnight
errands: particularly, those aerial people, the fairies, are said, on
that night to hold a grand anniversary.

[5] Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood
of the ancient seat of the Earls of Cassilis.

[6] A noted cavern near Colean-house, called the Cove of Colean;
which, as well as Cassilis Downans, is famed in country story for
being a favourite haunt of fairies.

[7] The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great
Deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.

[8] The first ceremony of Halloween is pulling each a _stock_, or
plant of kail. They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and
pull the first they meet with: its being big or little, straight or
crooked, is prophetic of the size and shape of the grand object of all
their spells--the husband or wife. If any _yird_, or earth, stick to
the root, that is _tocher_, or fortune; and the taste of the _custoc_,
that is, the heart of the stem, is indicative of the natural temper
and disposition. Lastly the stems, or to give them their ordinary
appellation, the _runts_, are placed somewhere above the head of the
door; and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings into
the house, are, according to the priority of placing the runts, the
names in question.

[9] They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three several times, a
stalk of oats. If the third stalk wants the _top pickle_, that is, the
grain at the top of the stalk, the party in question will want the
maidenhead.

[10] When the corn is in a doubtful state, by being too green, or wet,
the stack-builder, by means of old timber, etc., makes a large
apartment in his stack, with an opening in the side which is fairest
exposed to the wind: this he calls a _fause-house_.

[11] Burning the nuts is a favourite charm. They name the lad and lass
to each particular nut, as they lay them in the fire; and according as
they burn quickly together, or start from beside one another, the
course and issue of the courtship will be.

[12] Whoever would with success