Death And Dr. Hornbook. - A True Story. Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Robert Burns

Death And Dr. Hornbook. - A True Story. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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Some books are lies frae end to end	A
And some great lies were never penn'd	A
Ev'n ministers they ha'e been kenn'd	A
In holy rapture	B
A rousing whid at times to vend	A
And nail't wi' Scripture	B
	-
But this that I am gaun to tell	C
Which lately on a night befel	C
Is just as true's the Deil's in h ll	C
Or Dublin city	A
That e'er he nearer comes oursel	C
'S a muckle pity	A
	-
The Clachan yill had made me canty	A
I was na fou but just had plenty	A
I stacher'd whyles but yet took tent ay	D
To free the ditches	E
An' hillocks stanes and bushes kenn'd ay	D
Frae ghaists an' witches	E
	-
The rising moon began to glow'r	F
The distant Cumnock hills out owre	F
To count her horns with a' my pow'r	F
I set mysel	C
But whether she had three or four	F
I could na tell	C
	-
I was come round about the hill	C
And todlin down on Willie's mill	C
Setting my staff with a' my skill	C
To keep me sicker	F
Tho' leeward whyles against my will	C
I took a bicker	F
	-
I there wi' something did forgather	F
That put me in an eerie swither	F
An awfu' scythe out owre ae shouther	F
Clear dangling hang	G
A three taed leister on the ither	F
Lay large an' lang	G
	-
Its stature seem'd lang Scotch ells twa	H
The queerest shape that e'er I saw	I
For fient a wame it had ava	J
And then its shanks	K
They were as thin as sharp an' sma'	L
As cheeks o' branks	K
	-
Guid een quo' I Friend hae ye been mawin	M
When ither folk are busy sawin	M
It seem'd to mak a kind o' stan'	M
But naething spak	N
At length says I Friend where ye gaun	M
Will ye go back	N
	-
It spak right howe My name is Death	O
But be na fley'd Quoth I Guid faith	P
Ye're may be come to stap my breath	O
But tent me billie	C
I red ye weel take care o' skaith	O
See there's a gully	C
	-
Guidman quo' he put up your whittle	C
I'm no design'd to try its mettle	C
But if I did I wad be kittle	C
To be mislear'd	A
I wad nae mind it no that spittle	C
Out owre my beard	A
	-
Weel weel says I a bargain be't	A
Come gies your hand an' sae we're gree't	A
We'll ease our shanks an' tak a seat	A
Come gies your news	Q
This while ye hae been mony a gate	A
At mony a house	R
	-
Ay ay quo' he an' shook his head	A
It's e'en a lang lang time indeed	A
Sin' I began to nick the thread	A
An' choke the breath	O
Folk maun do something for their bread	A
An' sae maun Death	O
	-
Sax thousand years are near hand fled	A
Sin' I was to the butching bred	A
An' mony a scheme in vain's been laid	A
To stap or scar me	A
Till ane Hornbook's ta'en up the trade	A
An' faith he'll waur me	A
	-
Ye ken Jock Hornbook i' the Clachan	M
Deil mak his kings hood in a spleuchan	M
He's grown sae weel acquaint wi' Buchan	M
An' ither chaps	S
The weans haud out their fingers laughin	M
And pouk my hips	T
	-
See here's a scythe and there's a dart	A
They hae pierc'd mony a gallant heart	A
But Doctor Hornbook wi' his art	A
And cursed skill	C
Has made them baith no worth a f t	A
Damn'd haet they'll kill	C
	-
'Twas but yestreen nae farther gaen	M
I threw a noble throw at ane	M
Wi' less I'm sure I've hundreds slain	M
But deil ma care	F
It just play'd dirl on the bane	M
But did nae mair	F
	-
Hornbook was by wi' ready art	A
And had sae fortified the part	A
That when I looked to my dart	A
It was sae blunt	A
Fient haet o't wad hae pierc'd the heart	A
Of a kail runt	A
	-
I drew my scythe in sic a fury	A
I near hand cowpit wi' my hurry	A
But yet the bauld Apothecary	A
Withstood the shock	U
I might as weel hae tried a quarry	A
O' hard whin rock	U
	-
Ev'n them he canna get attended	A
Although their face he ne'er had kend it	A
Just sh in a kail blade and send it	A
As soon's he smells't	A
Baith their disease and what will mend it	A
At once he tells't	A
	-
And then a' doctor's saws and whittles	T
Of a' dimensions shapes an' mettles	T
A' kinds o' boxes mugs an' bottles	T
He's sure to hae	V
Their Latin names as fast he rattles	T
As A B C	A
	-
Calces o' fossils earths and trees	T
True sal marinum o' the seas	T
The farina of beans and pease	T
He has't in plenty	A
Aqua fortis what you please	T
He can content ye	A
	-
Forbye some new uncommon weapons	T
Urinus spiritus of capons	T
Or mite horn shavings filings scrapings	T
Distill'd per se	T
Sal alkali o' midge tail clippings	T
And mony mae	L
	-
Waes me for Johnny Ged's Hole now	M
Quo' I If that thae news be true	F
His braw calf ward whare gowans grew	F
Sae white and bonie	M
Nae doubt they'll rive it wi' the plew	F
They'll ruin Johnie	M
	-
The creature grain'd an eldritch laugh	W
And says Ye need na yoke the plough	M
Kirkyards will soon be till'd eneugh	M
Tak ye nae fear	F
They'll a' be trench'd wi' mony a sheugh	X
In twa three year	F
	-
Whare I kill'd ane a fair strae death	O
By loss o' blood or want of breath	O
This night I'm free to tak my aith	O
That Hornbook's skill	C
Has clad a score i' their last claith	O
By drap an' pill	C
	-
An honest wabster to his trade	A
Whase wife's twa nieves were scarce weel bred	A
Gat tippence worth to mend her head	A
When it was sair	F
The wife slade cannie to her bed	A
But ne'er spak mair	F
	-
A countra laird had ta'en the batts	T
Or some curmurring in his guts	T
His only son for Hornbook sets	T
An' pays him well	C
The lad for twa guid gimmer pets	T
Was laird himsel	C
	-
A bonnie lass ye kend her name	L
Some ill brewn drink had hov'd her wame	L
She trusts hersel to hide the shame	L
In Hornbook's care	F
Horn sent her aff to her lang hame	L
To hide it there	F
	-
That's just a swatch o' Hornbook's way	L
Thus goes he on from day to day	L
Thus does he poison kill an' slay	L
An's weel paid for't	M
Yet stops me o' my lawfu' prey	L
Wi' his d mn'd dirt	A
	-
But hark I'll tell you of a plot	A
Though dinna ye be speaking o't	M
I'll nail the self conceited sot	A
As dead's a herrin'	M
Niest time we meet I'll wad a groat	A
He gets his fairin'	M
	-
But just as he began to tell	C
The auld kirk hammer strak' the bell	C
Some wee short hour ayont the twal	C
Which rais'd us baith	O
I took the way that pleas'd mysel'	C
And sae did Death	O