Epistle On J. Lapraik Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABACAD AAAEAE FFFGFG HHHIHI FFFAFA HHHJHJ KKKIKI HHHLHL MNNONO NNNINI NNNNNN NNNINI OOPFOF HHHFHF ALLFLF HHHHHH HHHQHQ QQQQQQ QQQFQF NNNINI NNNNNN HHHFHF| WHILE briers an' woodbines budding green | A |
| An' paitricks scraichin loud at e'en | B |
| An' morning poussie whiddin seen | A |
| Inspire my muse | C |
| This freedom in an unknown frien' | A |
| I pray excuse | D |
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| On Fasten e'en we had a rockin | A |
| To ca' the crack and weave our stockin | A |
| And there was muckle fun and jokin | A |
| Ye need na doubt | E |
| At length we had a hearty yokin | A |
| At sang about | E |
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| There was ae sang amang the rest | F |
| Aboon them a' it pleas'd me best | F |
| That some kind husband had addrest | F |
| To some sweet wife | G |
| It thirl'd the heart strings thro' the breast | F |
| A' to the life | G |
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| I've scarce heard ought describ'd sae weel | H |
| What gen'rous manly bosoms feel | H |
| Thought I Can this be Pope or Steele | H |
| Or Beattie's wark | I |
| They tauld me 'twas an odd kind chiel | H |
| About Muirkirk | I |
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| It pat me fidgin fain to hear't | F |
| An' sae about him there I speir't | F |
| Then a' that kent him round declar'd | F |
| He had ingine | A |
| That nane excell'd it few cam near't | F |
| It was sae fine | A |
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| That set him to a pint of ale | H |
| An' either douce or merry tale | H |
| Or rhymes an' sangs he'd made himsel | H |
| Or witty catches | J |
| 'Tween Inverness an' Teviotdale | H |
| He had few matches | J |
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| Then up I gat an' swoor an aith | K |
| Tho' I should pawn my pleugh an' graith | K |
| Or die a cadger pownie's death | K |
| At some dyke back | I |
| A pint an' gill I'd gie them baith | K |
| To hear your crack | I |
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| But first an' foremost I should tell | H |
| Amaist as soon as I could spell | H |
| I to the crambo jingle fell | H |
| Tho' rude an' rough | L |
| Yet crooning to a body's sel' | H |
| Does weel eneugh | L |
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| I am nae poet in a sense | M |
| But just a rhymer like by chance | N |
| An' hae to learning nae pretence | N |
| Yet what the matter | O |
| Whene'er my muse does on me glance | N |
| I jingle at her | O |
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| Your critic folk may cock their nose | N |
| And say How can you e'er propose | N |
| You wha ken hardly verse frae prose | N |
| To mak a sang | I |
| But by your leaves my learned foes | N |
| Ye're maybe wrang | I |
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| What's a' your jargon o' your schools | N |
| Your Latin names for horns an' stools | N |
| If honest Nature made you fools | N |
| What sairs your grammars | N |
| Ye'd better taen up spades and shools | N |
| Or knappin hammers | N |
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| A set o' dull conceited hashes | N |
| Confuse their brains in college classes | N |
| They gang in stirks and come out asses | N |
| Plain truth to speak | I |
| An' syne they think to climb Parnassus | N |
| By dint o' Greek | I |
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| Gie me ae spark o' nature's fire | O |
| That's a' the learning I desire | O |
| Then tho' I drudge thro' dub an' mire | P |
| At pleugh or cart | F |
| My muse tho' hamely in attire | O |
| May touch the heart | F |
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| O for a spunk o' Allan's glee | H |
| Or Fergusson's the bauld an' slee | H |
| Or bright Lapraik's my friend to be | H |
| If I can hit it | F |
| That would be lear eneugh for me | H |
| If I could get it | F |
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| Now sir if ye hae friends enow | A |
| Tho' real friends I b'lieve are few | L |
| Yet if your catalogue be fu' | L |
| I'se no insist | F |
| But gif ye want ae friend that's true | L |
| I'm on your list | F |
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| I winna blaw about mysel | H |
| As ill I like my fauts to tell | H |
| But friends an' folk that wish me well | H |
| They sometimes roose me | H |
| Tho' I maun own as mony still | H |
| As far abuse me | H |
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| There's ae wee faut they whiles lay to me | H |
| I like the lasses Gude forgie me | H |
| For mony a plack they wheedle frae me | H |
| At dance or fair | Q |
| Maybe some ither thing they gie me | H |
| They weel can spare | Q |
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| But Mauchline Race or Mauchline Fair | Q |
| I should be proud to meet you there | Q |
| We'se gie ae night's discharge to care | Q |
| If we forgather | Q |
| An' hae a swap o' rhymin ware | Q |
| Wi' ane anither | Q |
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| The four gill chap we'se gar him clatter | Q |
| An' kirsen him wi' reekin water | Q |
| Syne we'll sit down an' tak our whitter | Q |
| To cheer our heart | F |
| An' faith we'se be acquainted better | Q |
| Before we part | F |
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| Awa ye selfish war'ly race | N |
| Wha think that havins sense an' grace | N |
| Ev'n love an' friendship should give place | N |
| To catch the plack | I |
| I dinna like to see your face | N |
| Nor hear your crack | I |
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| But ye whom social pleasure charms | N |
| Whose hearts the tide of kindness warms | N |
| Who hold your being on the terms | N |
| Each aid the others | N |
| Come to my bowl come to my arms | N |
| My friends my brothers | N |
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| But to conclude my lang epistle | H |
| As my auld pen's worn to the gristle | H |
| Twa lines frae you wad gar me fissle | H |
| Who am most fervent | F |
| While I can either sing or whistle | H |
| Your friend and servant | F |
Robert Burns
(1)
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About Epistle On J. Lapraik
Epistle On J. Lapraik is a poem by Robert Burns. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
