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 HHHFHFWHILE 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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