Holy Fair, The Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCACAD EDFDGAGHD ACACIJIJD CJCJGCKCD LMNCBABAD CAOAPCQCD RCRCKSKSD CCCCTACAD CCCCUCUCD VWVWKWKXD SAYACWCWD RARAZCZCD CSCSCCCCD AAAAAAAAD A2WB2WC2B2FFF CCCCCWCWF CCCCKSFSF BD2LE2IAIAF FFFFKCKCF CACACTF2TF FAFALALAF F2FF2FCCCCF G2SG2SCSCSUpon a simmer Sunday morn | A |
When Nature's face is fair | B |
I walked forth to view the corn | A |
An' snuff the caller air | B |
The risin' sun owre Galston muirs | C |
Wi' glorious light was glintin | A |
The hares were hirplin down the furrs | C |
The lav'rocks they were chantin | A |
Fu' sweet that day | D |
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As lightsomely I glowr'd abroad | E |
To see a scene sae gay | D |
Three hizzies early at the road | F |
Cam skelpin up the way | D |
Twa had manteeles o' dolefu' black | G |
But ane wi' lyart linin | A |
The third that gaed a wee a back | G |
Was in the fashion shining | H |
Fu' gay that day | D |
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The twa appear'd like sisters twin | A |
In feature form an' claes | C |
Their visage wither'd lang an' thin | A |
An' sour as ony slaes | C |
The third cam up hap step an' lowp | I |
As light as ony lambie | J |
An' wi' a curchie low did stoop | I |
As soon as e'er she saw me | J |
Fu' kind that day | D |
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Wi' bonnet aff quoth I Sweet lass | C |
I think ye seem to ken me | J |
I'm sure I've seen that bonie face | C |
But yet I canna name ye | J |
Quo' she an' laughin as she spak | G |
An' taks me by the han's | C |
Ye for my sake hae gien the feck | K |
Of a' the ten comman's | C |
A screed some day | D |
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My name is Fun your cronie dear | L |
The nearest friend ye hae | M |
An' this is Superstition here | N |
An' that's Hypocrisy | C |
I'm gaun to Mauchline Holy Fair | B |
To spend an hour in daffin | A |
Gin ye'll go there you runkl'd pair | B |
We will get famous laughin | A |
At them this day | D |
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Quoth I With a' my heart I'll do't | C |
I'll get my Sunday's sark on | A |
An' meet you on the holy spot | O |
Faith we'se hae fine remarkin | A |
Then I gaed hame at crowdie time | P |
An' soon I made me ready | C |
For roads were clad frae side to side | Q |
Wi' monie a wearie body | C |
In droves that day | D |
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Here farmers gash in ridin graith | R |
Gaed hoddin by their cotters | C |
There swankies young in braw braidclaith | R |
Are springin owre the gutters | C |
The lasses skelpin barefit thrang | K |
In silks an' scarlets glitter | S |
Wi' sweet milk cheese in mony a whang | K |
An' farls bak'd wi' butter | S |
Fu' crump that day | D |
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When by the plate we set our nose | C |
Weel heaped up wi' ha'pence | C |
A greedy glowr Black Bonnet throws | C |
An' we maun draw our tippence | C |
Then in we go to see the show | T |
On ev'ry side they're gath'rin | A |
Some carryin dails some chairs an' stools | C |
An' some are busy bleth'rin | A |
Right loud that day | D |
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Here some are thinkin on their sins | C |
An' some upo' their claes | C |
Ane curses feet that fyl'd his shins | C |
Anither sighs an' prays | C |
On this hand sits a chosen swatch | U |
Wi' screw'd up grace proud faces | C |
On that a set o' chaps at watch | U |
Thrang winkin on the lasses | C |
To chairs that day | D |
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O happy is that man and blest | V |
Nae wonder that it pride him | W |
Whase ain dear lass that he likes best | V |
Comes clinkin down beside him | W |
Wi' arm repos'd on the chair back | K |
He sweetly does compose him | W |
Which by degrees slips round her neck | K |
An's loof upon her bosom | X |
Unken'd that day | D |
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Now a' the congregation o'er | S |
Is silent expectation | A |
For Moodie speels the holy door | Y |
Wi' tidings o' salvation | A |
Should Hornie as in ancient days | C |
'Mang sons o' God present him | W |
The vera sight o' Moodie's face | C |
To's ain het hame had sent him | W |
Wi' fright that day | D |
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Hear how he clears the points o' faith | R |
Wi' rattlin an' wi' thumpin | A |
Now meekly calm now wild in wrath | R |
He's stampin an' he's jumpin | A |
His lengthen'd chin his turn'd up snout | Z |
His eldritch squeal and gestures | C |
Oh how they fire the heart devout | Z |
Like cantharidian plaisters | C |
On sic a day | D |
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But hark the tent has chang'd its voice | C |
There's peace and rest nae langer | S |
For a' the real judges rise | C |
They canna sit for anger | S |
Smith opens out his cauld harangues | C |
On practice and on morals | C |
An' aff the godly pour in thrangs | C |
To gie the jars an' barrels | C |
A lift that day | D |
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What signifies his barren shine | A |
Of moral pow'rs and reason | A |
His English style an' gesture fine | A |
Are a' clean out o' season | A |
Like Socrates or Antonine | A |
Or some auld pagan heathen | A |
The moral man he does define | A |
But ne'er a word o' faith in | A |
That's right that day | D |
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In guid time comes an antidote | A2 |
Against sic poison'd nostrum | W |
For Peebles frae the water fit | B2 |
Ascends the holy rostrum | W |
See up he's got the word o' God | C2 |
An' meek an' mim has view'd it | B2 |
While Common Sense has ta'en the road | F |
An's aff an' up the Cowgate | F |
Fast fast that day | F |
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Wee Miller niest the Guard relieves | C |
An' Orthodoxy raibles | C |
Tho' in his heart he weel believes | C |
An' thinks it auld wives' fables | C |
But faith the birkie wants a Manse | C |
So cannilie he hums them | W |
Altho' his carnal wit an' sense | C |
Like hafflins wise o'ercomes him | W |
At times that day | F |
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Now butt an' ben the change house fills | C |
Wi' yill caup commentators | C |
Here's cryin out for bakes an gills | C |
An' there the pint stowp clatters | C |
While thick an' thrang an' loud an' lang | K |
Wi' logic an' wi' Scripture | S |
They raise a din that in the end | F |
Is like to breed a rupture | S |
O' wrath that day | F |
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Leeze me on drink it gies us mair | B |
Than either school or college | D2 |
It kindles wit it waukens lear | L |
It pangs us fou o' knowledge | E2 |
Be't whisky gill or penny wheep | I |
Or ony stronger potion | A |
It never fails on drinkin deep | I |
To kittle up our notion | A |
By night or day | F |
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The lads an' lasses blythely bent | F |
To mind baith saul an' body | F |
Sit round the table weel content | F |
An' steer about the toddy | F |
On this ane's dress an' that ane's leuk | K |
They're makin observations | C |
While some are cozie i' the neuk | K |
An' forming assignations | C |
To meet some day | F |
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But now the Lord's ain trumpet touts | C |
Till a' the hills rae rairin | A |
An' echoes back return the shouts | C |
Black Russell is na sparin | A |
His piercing words like highlan' swords | C |
Divide the joints an' marrow | T |
His talk o' hell whare devils dwell | F2 |
Our vera sauls does harrow | T |
Wi' fright that day | F |
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A vast unbottom'd boundless pit | F |
Fill'd fou o' lowin brunstane | A |
Whase ragin flame an' scorching heat | F |
Wad melt the hardest whun stane | A |
The half asleep start up wi' fear | L |
An' think they hear it roarin | A |
When presently it does appear | L |
'Twas but some neibor snorin | A |
Asleep that day | F |
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'Twad be owre lang a tale to tell | F2 |
How mony stories past | F |
An' how they crouded to the yill | F2 |
When they were a' dismist | F |
How drink gaed round in cogs an' caups | C |
Amang the furms an' benches | C |
An' cheese and bred frae women's laps | C |
Was dealt about in lunches | C |
An' dauds that day | F |
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In comes a gausie gash guidwife | G2 |
An' sits down by the fire | S |
Syne draws her kebbuck an' her knife | G2 |
The lasses they are shyer | S |
The auld guidmen about the grace | C |
Frae side to side they bother | S |
Till some ane by his bonnet lays | C |
And gi'es them't like a tether | S |
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Robert Burns
(1)
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