Halloween.[1] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABB C DEFEGHIHD JKJKLMNMD OPCPQPQPD RQRQSRSRD PKPKKTKTD UPVPWQXQD QYQZA2RA2RD B2RB2RC2BD2BD DRDRE2DE2DD PPPPF2RD2RD QRQRQPQPD DPDPRPRPD QPQPDPDPD QPQPDDDDD KPKPDPDPD PRPRRDRDD G2QG2QH2D2I2D2D QPQPQDQDD J2DJ2DK2RK2RD DPDPKF2UF2D PK2PPQQQQD KQK2QL2KUKD QPQPK2PK2PD QPQPPPPPD QDQDQRQRD KPK2PRDRDD PDPDQKQKD QKQKDPDPDYes let the rich deride the proud disdain | A |
The simple pleasures of the lowly train | A |
To me more dear congenial to my heart | B |
One native charm than all the gloss of art | B |
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Goldsmith | C |
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Upon that night when fairies light | D |
On Cassilis Downans dance | E |
Or owre the lays in splendid blaze | F |
On sprightly coursers prance | E |
Or for Colean the rout is ta'en | G |
Beneath the moon's pale beams | H |
There up the Cove to stray an' rove | I |
Amang the rocks an' streams | H |
To sport that night | D |
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Amang the bonnie winding banks | J |
Where Doon rins wimplin' clear | K |
Where Bruce ance rul'd the martial ranks | J |
An' shook his Carrick spear | K |
Some merry friendly countra folks | L |
Together did convene | M |
To burn their nits an' pou their stocks | N |
An' haud their Halloween | M |
Fu' blythe that night | D |
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The lasses feat an' cleanly neat | O |
Mair braw than when they're fine | P |
Their faces blythe fu' sweetly kythe | C |
Hearts leal an' warm an' kin' | P |
The lads sae trig wi' wooer babs | Q |
Weel knotted on their garten | P |
Some unco blate an' some wi' gabs | Q |
Gar lasses' hearts gang startin' | P |
Whiles fast at night | D |
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Then first and foremost thro' the kail | R |
Their stocks maun a' be sought ance | Q |
They steek their een an' graip an' wale | R |
For muckle anes an' straught anes | Q |
Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift | S |
An' wander'd through the bow kail | R |
An' pou't for want o' better shift | S |
A runt was like a sow tail | R |
Sae bow't that night | D |
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Then straught or crooked yird or nane | P |
They roar an' cry a' throu'ther | K |
The vera wee things todlin' rin | P |
Wi' stocks out owre their shouther | K |
An' gif the custoc's sweet or sour | K |
Wi' joctelegs they taste them | T |
Syne coziely aboon the door | K |
Wi' cannie care they've placed them | T |
To lie that night | D |
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The lasses staw frae mang them a' | U |
To pou their stalks o' corn | P |
But Rab slips out an' jinks about | V |
Behint the muckle thorn | P |
He grippet Nelly hard an' fast | W |
Loud skirl'd a' the lasses | Q |
But her tap pickle maist was lost | X |
When kiuttlin' in the fause house | Q |
Wi' him that night | D |
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The auld guidwife's weel hoordet nits | Q |
Are round an' round divided | Y |
An' monie lads' an' lasses' fates | Q |
Are there that night decided | Z |
Some kindle couthie side by side | A2 |
An' burn thegither trimly | R |
Some start awa' wi' saucy pride | A2 |
And jump out owre the chimlie | R |
Fu' high that night | D |
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Jean slips in twa wi' tentie e'e | B2 |
Wha 'twas she wadna tell | R |
But this is Jock an' this is me | B2 |
She says in to hersel' | R |
He bleez'd owre her an' she owre him | C2 |
As they wad never mair part | B |
'Till fuff he started up the lum | D2 |
An' Jean had e'en a sair heart | B |
To see't that night | D |
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Poor Willie wi' his bow kail runt | D |
Was brunt wi' primsie Mallie | R |
An' Mallie nae doubt took the drunt | D |
To be compar'd to Willie | R |
Mall's nit lap out wi' pridefu' fling | E2 |
An' her ain fit it brunt it | D |
While Willie lap and swoor by jing | E2 |
'Twas just the way he wanted | D |
To be that night | D |
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Nell had the fause house in her min' | P |
She pits hersel an' Rob in | P |
In loving bleeze they sweetly join | P |
'Till white in ase they're sobbin' | P |
Nell's heart was dancin' at the view | F2 |
She whisper'd Rob to leuk for't | R |
Rob stowlins prie'd her bonie mou' | D2 |
Fu' cozie in the neuk for't | R |
Unseen that night | D |
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But Merran sat behint their backs | Q |
Her thoughts on Andrew Bell | R |
She lea'es them gashin' at their cracks | Q |
And slips out by hersel' | R |
She through the yard the nearest taks | Q |
An' to the kiln she goes then | P |
An' darklins graipit for the bauks | Q |
And in the blue clue throws then | P |
Right fear't that night | D |
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An' ay she win't an' ay she swat | D |
I wat she made nae jaukin' | P |
'Till something held within the pat | D |
Guid L d but she was quaukin' | P |
But whether 'twas the Deil himsel' | R |
Or whether 'twas a bauk en' | P |
Or whether it was Andrew Bell | R |
She did na wait on talkin' | P |
To spier that night | D |
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Wee Jenny to her graunie says | Q |
Will ye go wi' me graunie | P |
I'll eat the apple at the glass | Q |
I gat frae uncle Johnnie | P |
She fuff't her pipe wi' sic a lunt | D |
In wrath she was sae vap'rin' | P |
She notic't na an aizle brunt | D |
Her braw new worset apron | P |
Out thro' that night | D |
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Ye little skelpie limmer's face | Q |
I daur you try sic sportin' | P |
As seek the foul Thief onie place | Q |
For him to spae your fortune | P |
Nae doubt but ye may get a sight | D |
Great cause ye hae to fear it | D |
For monie a ane has gotten a fright | D |
An' liv'd an' died deleeret | D |
On sic a night | D |
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Ae hairst afore the Sherra moor | K |
I mind't as weel's yestreen | P |
I was a gilpey then I'm sure | K |
I was na past fifteen | P |
The simmer had been cauld an' wat | D |
An' stuff was unco green | P |
An' ay a rantin' kirn we gat | D |
An' just on Halloween | P |
It fell that night | D |
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Our stibble rig was Rab M'Graen | P |
A clever sturdy fellow | R |
He's sin gat Eppie Sim wi' wean | P |
That liv'd in Achmacalla | R |
He gat hemp seed I mind it weel | R |
And he made unco light o't | D |
But monie a day was by himsel' | R |
He was sae sairly frighted | D |
That vera night | D |
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Then up gat fechtin' Jamie Fleck | G2 |
An' he swoor by his conscience | Q |
That he could saw hemp seed a peck | G2 |
For it was a' but nonsense | Q |
The auld guidman raught down the pock | H2 |
An' out a' handfu' gied him | D2 |
Syne bad him slip frae 'mang the folk | I2 |
Sometime when nae ane see'd him | D2 |
An' try't that night | D |
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He marches thro' amang the stacks | Q |
Tho' he was something sturtin | P |
The graip he for a harrow taks | Q |
An' haurls at his curpin | P |
An' ev'ry now an' then he says | Q |
Hemp seed I saw thee | D |
An' her that is to be my lass | Q |
Come after me an' draw thee | D |
As fast that night | D |
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He whistl'd up Lord Lennox' march | J2 |
To keep his courage cheery | D |
Altho' his hair began to arch | J2 |
He was sae fley'd an' eerie | D |
'Till presently he hears a squeak | K2 |
An' then a grane an' gruntle | R |
He by his shouther gae a keek | K2 |
An' tumbl'd wi' a wintle | R |
Out owre that night | D |
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He roar'd a horrid murder shout | D |
In dreadfu' desperation | P |
An' young an' auld cam rinnin' out | D |
An' hear the sad narration | P |
He swoor 'twas hilchin Jean M'Craw | K |
Or crouchie Merran Humphie | F2 |
'Till stop she trotted thro' them a' | U |
An' wha was it but Grumphie | F2 |
Asteer that night | D |
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Meg fain wad to the barn hae gaen | P |
To win three wechts o' naething | K2 |
But for to meet the deil her lane | P |
She pat but little faith in | P |
She gies the herd a pickle nits | Q |
An' twa red cheekit apples | Q |
To watch while for the barn she sets | Q |
In hopes to see Tam Kipples | Q |
That vera night | D |
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She turns the key wi' cannie thraw | K |
An' owre the threshold ventures | Q |
But first on Sawnie gies a ca' | K2 |
Syne bauldly in she enters | Q |
A ratton rattled up the wa' | L2 |
An' she cried L d preserve her | K |
An' ran thro' midden hole an' a' | U |
An' pray'd wi' zeal and fervour | K |
Fu' fast that night | D |
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They hoy't out Will wi sair advice | Q |
They hecht him some fine braw ane | P |
It chanc'd the stack he faddom't thrice | Q |
Was timmer propt for thrawin' | P |
He taks a swirlie auld moss oak | K2 |
For some black grousome carlin | P |
An' loot a winze an' drew a stroke | K2 |
'Till skin in blypes cam haurlin' | P |
Aff's nieves that night | D |
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A wanton widow Leezie was | Q |
As canty as a kittlin | P |
But och that night amang the shaws | Q |
She got a fearfu' settlin' | P |
She thro' the whins an' by the cairn | P |
An' owre the hill gaed scrievin | P |
Whare three lairds' lands met at a burn | P |
To dip her left sark sleeve in | P |
Was bent that night | D |
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Whyles owre a linn the burnie plays | Q |
As through the glen it wimpl't | D |
Whyles round a rocky scaur it strays | Q |
Whyles in a wiel it dimpl't | D |
Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays | Q |
Wi' bickering dancing dazzle | R |
Whyles cookit underneath the braes | Q |
Below the spreading hazel | R |
Unseen that night | D |
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Amang the brackens on the brae | K |
Between her an' the moon | P |
The deil or else an outler quey | K2 |
Gat up an' gae a croon | P |
Poor Leezie's heart maist lap the hool | R |
Near lav'rock height she jumpit | D |
But mist a fit an' in the pool | R |
Out owre the lugs she plumpit | D |
Wi' a plunge that night | D |
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In order on the clean hearth stane | P |
The luggies three are ranged | D |
And ev'ry time great care is ta'en | P |
To see them duly changed | D |
Auld uncle John wha wedlock's joys | Q |
Sin Mar's year did desire | K |
Because he gat the toom dish thrice | Q |
He heav'd them on the fire | K |
In wrath that night | D |
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Wi' merry sangs and friendly cracks | Q |
I wat they did na weary | K |
An' unco tales an' funnie jokes | Q |
Their sports were cheap an' cheery | K |
Till butter'd so'ns wi' fragrant lunt | D |
Set a' their gabs a steerin' | P |
Syne wi' a social glass o' strunt | D |
They parted aff careerin' | P |
Fu' blythe that night | D |
Robert Burns
(1)
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