Tam O' Shanter. - A Tale. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A B CCDDEEFFGGGG HHIIIIGGHHHHJJKELLAA CCIIMMEEEEHHHHIIIINN EEHHII OOHHIIGGPPEEEE QQRRSS AAHHTUIIVV UUEEEEWWIIWWIIAA EEWWWWUUUUIIIIUUXXWW IIUUWWIIEEUUUUUUVV IIWWUUAA IIEEHHII WWAY WWHHUUHHEEUU EEIIHHAAUUEEHHAAUU AAIIUUWW EEEEAAIIAAUUWWWWEE UUUUHH

Of brownys and of bogilis full is this bukeA
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Gawin DouglasB
-
-
When chapman billies leave the streetC
And drouthy neebors neebors meetC
As market days are wearing lateD
An' folk begin to tak' the gateD
While we sit bousing at the nappyE
An' gettin' fou and unco happyE
We think na on the lang Scots milesF
The mosses waters slaps and stilesF
That lie between us and our hameG
Where sits our sulky sullen dameG
Gathering her brows like gathering stormG
Nursing her wrath to keep it warmG
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This truth fand honest Tam O' ShanterH
As he frae Ayr ae night did canterH
Auld Ayr wham ne'er a town surpassesI
For honest men and bonny lassesI
O Tam hadst thou but been sae wiseI
As ta'en thy ain wife Kate's adviceI
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellumG
A blethering blustering drunken blellumG
That frae November till OctoberH
Ae market day thou wasna soberH
That ilka melder wi' the millerH
Thou sat as lang as thou had sillerH
That ev'ry naig was ca'd a shoe onJ
The smith and thee gat roaring fou onJ
That at the Lord's house ev'n on SundayK
Thou drank wi' Kirton Jean till MondayE
She prophesy'd that late or soonL
Thou would be found deep drown'd in DoonL
Or catch'd wi' warlocks in the mirkA
By Alloway's auld haunted kirkA
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Ah gentle dames it gars me greetC
To think how mony counsels sweetC
How mony lengthen'd sage advicesI
The husband frae the wife despisesI
But to our tale Ae market nightM
Tam had got planted unco rightM
Fast by an ingle bleezing finelyE
Wi' reaming swats that drank divinelyE
And at his elbow Souter JohnnyE
His ancient trusty drouthy cronyE
Tam lo'ed him like a vera britherH
They had been fou' for weeks thegitherH
The night drave on wi' sangs an' clatterH
And ay the ale was growing betterH
The landlady and Tam grew graciousI
Wi' favors secret sweet and preciousI
The Souter tauld his queerest storiesI
The landlord's laugh was ready chorusI
The storm without might rair and rustleN
Tam did na mind the storm a whistleN
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Care mad to see a man sae happyE
E'en drown'd himself amang the nappyE
As bees flee hame wi' lades o' treasureH
The minutes wing'd their way wi' pleasureH
Kings may be blest but Tam was gloriousI
O'er a' the ills o' life victoriousI
-
But pleasures are like poppies spreadO
You seize the flow'r its bloom is shedO
Or like the snow falls in the riverH
A moment white then melts for everH
Or like the borealis raceI
That flit ere you can point their placeI
Or like the rainbow's lovely formG
Evanishing amid the stormG
Nae man can tether time or tideP
The hour approaches Tam maun rideP
That hour o' night's black arch the key staneE
That dreary hour he mounts his beast inE
And sic a night he taks the road inE
As ne'er poor sinner was abroad inE
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The wind blew as 'twad blawn its lastQ
The rattling show'rs rose on the blastQ
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow'dR
Loud deep and lang the thunder bellow'dR
That night a child might understandS
The de'il had business on his handS
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Weel mounted on his gray mare MegA
A better never lifted legA
Tam skelpit on thro' dub and mireH
Despising wind and rain and fireH
Whiles holding fast his guid blue bonnetT
Whiles crooning o'er some auld Scots sonnetU
Whiles glow'ring round wi' prudent caresI
Lest bogles catch him unawaresI
Kirk Alloway was drawing nighV
Whare ghaists and houlets nightly cryV
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By this time he was cross the foordU
Whare in the snaw the chapman smoor'dU
And past the birks and meikle staneE
Where drunken Charlie brak's neck baneE
And thro' the whins and by the cairnE
Where hunters fand the murder'd bairnE
And near the thorn aboon the wellW
Where Mungo's mither hang'd hersel'W
Before him Doon pours all his floodsI
The doubling storm roars thro' the woodsI
The lightnings flash from pole to poleW
Near and more the thunders rollW
When glimmering thro' the groaning treesI
Kirk Alloway seem'd in a bleezeI
Thro' ilka bore the beams were glancingA
And loud resounded mirth and dancingA
-
Inspiring bold John BarleycornE
What dangers thou canst make us scornE
Wi' tippenny we fear nae evilW
Wi' usquabae we'll face the devilW
The swats sae ream'd in Tammie's noddleW
Fair play he car'd nae deils a boddleW
But Maggie stood right sair astonish'dU
'Till by the heel and hand admonish'dU
She ventur'd forward on the lightU
And wow Tam saw an unco sightU
Warlocks and witches in a danceI
Nae cotillion brent new frae FranceI
But hornpipes jigs strathspeys and reelsI
Put life and mettle in their heelsI
A winnock bunker in the eastU
There sat auld Nick in shape o' beastU
A towzie tyke black grim and largeX
To gie them music was his chargeX
He screw'd the pipes and gart them skirlW
Till roof and rafters a' did dirlW
Coffins stood round like open pressesI
That shaw'd the dead in their last dressesI
And by some devilish cantrip slightU
Each in its cauld hand held a lightU
By which heroic Tam was ableW
To note upon the haly tableW
A murderer's banes in gibbet airnsI
Twa span lang wee unchristen'd bairnsI
A thief new cutted frae a rapeE
Wi' his last gasp his gab did gapeE
Five tomahawks wi' bluid red rustedU
Five scimitars wi' murder crustedU
A garter which a babe had strangledU
A knife a father's throat had mangledU
Whom his ain son o' life bereftU
The gray hairs yet stack to the heftU
Wi' mair o' horrible and awfu'V
Which ev'n to name would be unlawfu'V
-
As Tammie glowr'd amaz'd and curiousI
The mirth and fun grew fast and furiousI
The piper loud and louder blewW
The dancers quick and quicker flewW
They reel'd they set they cross'd they cleekitU
'Till ilka carlin swat and reekitU
And coost her duddies to the warkA
And linket at it in her sarkA
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Now Tam O Tam had thae been queansI
A' plump and strapping in their teensI
Their sarks instead o' creeshie flannenE
Been snaw white seventeen hunder linenE
Thir breeks o' mine my only pairH
That ance were plush o' guid blue hairH
I wad hae gi'en them off my hurdiesI
For ae blink o' the bonnie burdiesI
-
But wither'd beldams auld and drollW
Rigwoodie hags wad spean a foalW
Lowping an' flinging on a cummockA
I wonder didna turn thy stomachY
-
But Tam kenn'd what was what fu' brawlieW
There was a winsome wench and walieW
That night enlisted in the coreH
Lang after kenn'd on Carrick shoreH
For mony a beast to dead she shotU
And perish'd mony a bonnie boatU
And shook baith meikle corn and bearH
And kept the country side in fearH
Her cutty sark o' Paisley harnE
That while a lassie she had wornE
In longitude tho' sorely scantyU
It was her best and she was vauntieU
-
Ah little kenn'd the reverend grannieE
That sark she coft for her wee NannieE
Wi' twa pund Scots 'twas a' her richesI
Wad ever grac'd a dance of witchesI
But here my muse her wing maun courH
Sic flights are far beyond her pow'rH
To sing how Nannie lap and flangA
A souple jade she was and strungA
And how Tam stood like ane bewitch'dU
And thought his very een enrich'dU
Even Satan glowr'd and fidg'd fu' fainE
And hotch'd and blew wi' might and mainE
'Till first ae caper syne anitherH
Tam tint his reason a' thegitherH
And roars out Weel done Cutty sarkA
And in an instant all was darkA
And scarcely had he Maggie ralliedU
When out the hellish legion salliedU
-
As bees bizz out wi' angry fykeA
When plundering herds assail their bykeA
As open pussie's mortal foesI
When pop she starts before their noseI
As eager runs the market crowdU
When Catch the thief resounds aloudU
So Maggie runs the witches followW
Wi' mony an eldritch screech and hollowW
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Ah Tam Ah Tam thou'll get thy fairin'E
In hell they'll roast thee like a herrin'E
In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin'E
Kate soon will be a woefu' womanE
Now do thy speedy utmost MegA
And win the key stane of the brigA
There at them thou thy tail may tossI
A running stream they darena crossI
But ere the key stane she could makeA
The fient a tail she had to shakeA
For Nannie far before the restU
Hard upon noble Maggie prestU
And flew at Tam wi' furious ettleW
But little wist she Maggie's mettleW
Ae spring brought off her master haleW
But left behind her ain gray tailW
The carlin claught her by the rumpE
And left poor Maggie scarce a stumpE
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Now wha this tale o' truth shall readU
Ilk man and mother's son take heedU
Whene'er to drink you are inclin'dU
Or cutty sarks run in your mindU
Think ye may buy the joys o'er dearH
Remember Tam O' Shanter's mareH

Robert Burns



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