Annie
Annie first appeared in the 1871 volume Poems, published by William Alder of Blyth. It subsequently appeared in the collections of 1886, 1888 and 1892.
Black is her hair, and bonnie
And never a mortal could see
The coal-coloured tresses of Annie
And be as a mortal should be.
White is her forehead, and bonnie -
And when she goes down to the well
The beat of the footstep of Annie
The wrath of a tiger would quell.
Red are her cheeks, and bonnie
And when she is knitting the tone
And charm of the accents of Annie
Would ravish the heart of a stone.
Rare are her graces and many
But nothing whatever can be
Compared to the sweet glance of Annie -
The glance she has given to me.
The original poem starts: Coal black are the tresses of Fanny, but ........ I thought a lot about this and eventually opted for an opening line that matched those of the following two verses.