Published in Oswald's "Collection of the best old Scotch and English songs...dedicated to Her Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of Wales by James Oswald, Chamber Composer to his Majesty".

Lyrics: Richard Hewitt

Twas in the season of the year,
When all things gay and sweet appear,
That Colin with the morning ray
Arose and sung his rural lay.
Of Nanny's charms the shepherd sung,
The hills and dales with Nanny rung,
While Rosline Castle heard the swain,
And echo'd back the cheerful strain.

Awake, sweet muse! The breathing Spring
With rapture warms, awake and sing;
Awake, and join the vocal throng
Who hail the morning with a song.
To Nanny raise the cheerful lay,
O, bid her haste and come away;
In sweetest smiles herself adorn,
And add new graces to the morn.

O hark, my love, on ev'ry spray
Each feather'd warbler tunes his lay;
'Tis beauty fires the vanish'd throng,
And loves inspires the melting song.
Then let my raptur'd notes arise,
For beauty darts from Nanny's eyes;
And love my rising bosom warms,
And fills my soul with sweet alarms.

O come, my love! thy Colin's lay
With rapture calls, O come away!
Come, while the muse this wreath shall twine
Around that modest brow of thine.
O, hither haste, and with thee bring
That beauty, blooming like the Spring,
Those graces that divinely shine,
And charms this ravish'd breast of mine.