Tam O' Shanter Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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A TaleA
Of Brownyis and of Bogillis full is this BukeB
Gawin DouglasC
-
When chapman billies leave the streetD
And drouthy neibors neibors meetD
As market days are wearing lateE
And folk begin to tak the gateE
While we sit bousing at the nappyF
An' getting fou and unco happyF
We think na on the lang Scots milesG
The mosses waters slaps and stilesG
That lie between us and our hameH
Where sits our sulky sullen dameH
Gathering her brows like gathering stormH
Nursing her wrath to keep it warmH
-
This truth fand honest Tam o' ShanterI
As he frae Ayr ae night did canterI
Auld Ayr wham ne'er a town surpassesJ
For honest men and bonie lassesJ
-
O Tam had'st thou but been sae wiseJ
As taen thy ain wife Kate's adviceJ
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellumH
A blethering blustering drunken blellumH
That frae November till OctoberI
Ae market day thou was na soberI
That ilka melder wi' the MillerI
Thou sat as lang as thou had sillerI
That ev'ry naig was ca'd a shoe onK
The Smith and thee gat roarin fou onK
That at the Lord's house ev'n on SundayL
Thou drank wi' Kirkton Jean till MondayF
She prophesied that late or soonM
Thou wad be found deep drown'd in DoonM
Or catch'd wi' warlocks in the mirkB
By Alloway's auld haunted kirkB
-
Ah gentle dames it gars me greetD
To think how mony counsels sweetD
How mony lengthen'd sage advicesJ
The husband frae the wife despisesJ
-
But to our tale Ae market nightN
Tam had got planted unco rightN
Fast by the ingle bleezing finelyF
Wi' reaming swats that drank divinelyF
And at his elbow Souter JohnieF
His ancient trusty drouthy cronyF
Tam lo'ed him like a very britherI
They had been fou for weeks thegitherI
The night drave on wi' sangs an' clatterI
And aye the ale was growing betterI
The Landlady and Tam grew graciousJ
Wi' favours secret sweet and preciousJ
The Souter tauld his queerest storiesJ
The Landlord's laugh was ready chorusJ
The storm without might rair and rustleO
Tam did na mind the storm a whistleO
-
Care mad to see a man sae happyF
E'en drown'd himsel amang the nappyF
As bees flee hame wi' lades o' treasureI
The minutes wing'd their way wi' pleasureI
Kings may be blest but Tam was gloriousJ
O'er a' the ills o' life victoriousJ
-
But pleasures are like poppies spreadP
You seize the flow'r its bloom is shedP
Or like the snow falls in the riverI
A moment white then melts for everI
Or like the Borealis raceJ
That flit ere you can point their placeJ
Or like the Rainbow's lovely formH
Evanishing amid the stormH
-
Nae man can tecther Time nor TideQ
The hour approaches Tam maun rideQ
That hour o' night's black arch the key staneF
That dreary hour he mounts his beast inF
And sic a night he taks the road inF
As ne'er poor sinner was abroad inF
-
The wind blew as 'twad blawn its lastR
The rattling showers rose on the blastR
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow'dS
Loud deep and lang the thunder bellow'dS
That night a child might understandT
The deil had business on his handT
-
Weel mounted on his grey mare MegB
A better never legB
Tam skelpit on thro' dub and mireI
Despising wind and rain and fireI
Whiles holding fast his gude blue bonnettU
Whiles crooning o'er some auld Scots sonnetU
Whiles glow'rin round wi' prudent caresJ
Lest bogles catch him unawaresJ
Kirk Alloway was drawing nighV
Where ghaists and houlets nightly cryV
-
By this time he was cross the fordW
Where in the snaw the chapman smoor'dW
And past the birks and meikle staneF
Where drunken Charlie brak's neck baneF
And thro' the whins and by the cairnF
Where hunters fand the murder'd bairnF
And near the thorn aboon the wellX
Where Mungo's mither hang'd hersel'X
Before him Doon pours all his floodsJ
The doubling storm roars thro' the woodsJ
The lightnings flash from pole to poleX
Near and more near the thunders rollX
When glimmering thro' the groaning treesJ
Kirk Alloway seem'd in a bleezeJ
Thro' ilka bore the beams were glancingB
And loud resounded mirth and dancingB
-
Inspiring bold John BarleycornF
What dangers thou canst make us scornF
Wi' tippeny we fear nae evilX
Wi' usquabae we'll face the devilX
The swats sae ream'd in Tammie's noddleX
Fair play he car'd na deils a boddleX
But Maggie stood right sair astonish'dW
Till by the heel and hand admonish'dW
She ventur'd forward on the lightW
And wow Tam saw an unco sightW
-
Warlocks and witches in a danceJ
Nae cotillon brent new frae FranceJ
But hornpipes jigs strathspeys and reelsJ
Put life and mettle in their heelsJ
A winnock bunker in the eastW
There sat auld Nick in shape o' beastW
A tousie tyke black grim and largeY
To gie them music was his chargeY
He screw'd the pipes and gart them skirlX
Till roof and rafters a' did dirlX
Coffins stood round like open pressesJ
That shaw'd the Dead in their last dressesJ
And by some devilish cantraip sleightW
Each in its cauld hand held a lightW
By which heroic Tam was ableX
To note upon the haly tableX
A murderer's banes in gibbet airnsJ
Twa span lang wee unchristened bairnsJ
A thief new cutted frae a rapeF
Wi' his last gasp his gab did gapeF
Five tomahawks wi' blude red rustedW
Five scimitars wi' murder crustedW
A garter which a babe had strangledW
A knife a father's throat had mangledW
Whom his ain son of life bereftW
The grey hairs yet stack to the heftW
Wi' mair of horrible and awfu'V
Which even to name was be unlawfu'V
-
As Tammie glowr'd amaz'd and curiousJ
The mirth and fun grew fast and furiousJ
The Piper loud and louder blewX
The dancers quick and quicker flewX
They reel'd they set they cross'd they cleekitW
Till ilka carlin swat and reekitW
And coost her duddies to the warkB
And linkit at it in her sarkB
-
Now Tam O Tam had they been queansJ
A' plump and strapping in their teensJ
Their sarks instead o' creeshie flainenF
Been snaw white seventeen hunder linenF
Thir breeks o' mine my only pairI
That aince were plush o' guid blue hairI
I wud hae gien them off my hurdiesJ
For ae blink o' the bonie burdiesJ
But wither'd beldams auld and drollX
Rigwoodie hags wad spean a foalX
Louping an' flinging on a crummockB
I wonder did na turn thy stomachZ
-
But Tam kent what was what fu' brawlieX
There was ae winsome wench and waulieX
That night enlisted in the coreI
Lang after ken'd on Carrick shoreI
For mony a beast to dead she shotW
And perish'd mony a bonie boatW
And shook baith meikle corn and bearI
And kept the country side in fearI
Her cutty sark o' Paisley harnF
That while a lassie she had wornF
In longitude tho' sorely scantyW
It was her best and she was vauntieW
Ah little ken'd thy reverend grannieF
That sark she coft for her wee NannieF
Wi' twa pund Scots 'twas a' her richesJ
Wad ever grac'd a dance of witchesJ
-
But here my Muse her wing maun courI
Sic flights are far beyond her powerI
To sing how Nannie lap and flangB
A souple jade she was and strangB
And how Tam stood like ane bewitch'dW
And thought his very een enrich'dW
Even Satan glowr'd and fidg'd fu' fainF
And hotch'd and blew wi' might and mainF
Till first ae caper syne anitherI
Tam tint his reason a' thegitherI
And roars out Weel done Cutty sarkB
And in an instant all was darkB
And scarcely had he Maggie ralliedW
When out the hellish legion salliedW
-
As bees bizz out wi' angry fykeB
When plundering herds assail their bykeB
As open pussie's mortal foesJ
When pop she starts before their noseJ
As eager runs the market crowdW
When Catch the thief resounds aloudW
So Maggie runs the witches followX
Wi' mony an eldritch skreich and holloX
-
Ah TamH

Robert Burns



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