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 greenA
An' paitricks scraichin loud at e'enB
An' morning poussie whiddin seenA
Inspire my museC
This freedom in an unknown frien'A
I pray excuseD
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On Fasten e'en we had a rockinA
To ca' the crack and weave our stockinA
And there was muckle fun and jokinA
Ye need na doubtE
At length we had a hearty yokinA
At sang aboutE
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There was ae sang amang the restF
Aboon them a' it pleas'd me bestF
That some kind husband had addrestF
To some sweet wifeG
It thirl'd the heart strings thro' the breastF
A' to the lifeG
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I've scarce heard ought describ'd sae weelH
What gen'rous manly bosoms feelH
Thought I Can this be Pope or SteeleH
Or Beattie's warkI
They tauld me 'twas an odd kind chielH
About MuirkirkI
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It pat me fidgin fain to hear'tF
An' sae about him there I speir'tF
Then a' that kent him round declar'dF
He had ingineA
That nane excell'd it few cam near'tF
It was sae fineA
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That set him to a pint of aleH
An' either douce or merry taleH
Or rhymes an' sangs he'd made himselH
Or witty catchesJ
'Tween Inverness an' TeviotdaleH
He had few matchesJ
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Then up I gat an' swoor an aithK
Tho' I should pawn my pleugh an' graithK
Or die a cadger pownie's deathK
At some dyke backI
A pint an' gill I'd gie them baithK
To hear your crackI
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But first an' foremost I should tellH
Amaist as soon as I could spellH
I to the crambo jingle fellH
Tho' rude an' roughL
Yet crooning to a body's sel'H
Does weel eneughL
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I am nae poet in a senseM
But just a rhymer like by chanceN
An' hae to learning nae pretenceN
Yet what the matterO
Whene'er my muse does on me glanceN
I jingle at herO
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Your critic folk may cock their noseN
And say How can you e'er proposeN
You wha ken hardly verse frae proseN
To mak a sangI
But by your leaves my learned foesN
Ye're maybe wrangI
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What's a' your jargon o' your schoolsN
Your Latin names for horns an' stoolsN
If honest Nature made you foolsN
What sairs your grammarsN
Ye'd better taen up spades and shoolsN
Or knappin hammersN
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A set o' dull conceited hashesN
Confuse their brains in college classesN
They gang in stirks and come out assesN
Plain truth to speakI
An' syne they think to climb ParnassusN
By dint o' GreekI
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Gie me ae spark o' nature's fireO
That's a' the learning I desireO
Then tho' I drudge thro' dub an' mireP
At pleugh or cartF
My muse tho' hamely in attireO
May touch the heartF
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O for a spunk o' Allan's gleeH
Or Fergusson's the bauld an' sleeH
Or bright Lapraik's my friend to beH
If I can hit itF
That would be lear eneugh for meH
If I could get itF
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Now sir if ye hae friends enowA
Tho' real friends I b'lieve are fewL
Yet if your catalogue be fu'L
I'se no insistF
But gif ye want ae friend that's trueL
I'm on your listF
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I winna blaw about myselH
As ill I like my fauts to tellH
But friends an' folk that wish me wellH
They sometimes roose meH
Tho' I maun own as mony stillH
As far abuse meH
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There's ae wee faut they whiles lay to meH
I like the lasses Gude forgie meH
For mony a plack they wheedle frae meH
At dance or fairQ
Maybe some ither thing they gie meH
They weel can spareQ
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But Mauchline Race or Mauchline FairQ
I should be proud to meet you thereQ
We'se gie ae night's discharge to careQ
If we forgatherQ
An' hae a swap o' rhymin wareQ
Wi' ane anitherQ
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The four gill chap we'se gar him clatterQ
An' kirsen him wi' reekin waterQ
Syne we'll sit down an' tak our whitterQ
To cheer our heartF
An' faith we'se be acquainted betterQ
Before we partF
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Awa ye selfish war'ly raceN
Wha think that havins sense an' graceN
Ev'n love an' friendship should give placeN
To catch the plackI
I dinna like to see your faceN
Nor hear your crackI
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But ye whom social pleasure charmsN
Whose hearts the tide of kindness warmsN
Who hold your being on the termsN
Each aid the othersN
Come to my bowl come to my armsN
My friends my brothersN
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But to conclude my lang epistleH
As my auld pen's worn to the gristleH
Twa lines frae you wad gar me fissleH
Who am most ferventF
While I can either sing or whistleH
Your friend and servantF

Robert Burns



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