Tam O'shanter Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Robert Burns

Tam O'shanter Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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A Tale	A
	-
Of Brownyis and of Bogilis full is this Buke	B
Gawin Douglas	C
	-
When chapman billies leave the street	D
And drouthy neebors neebors meet	D
As market days are wearing late	E
An' folk begin to tak' the gate	E
While we sit bousing at the nappy	F
An' getting fou and unco happy	F
We think na on the lang Scots miles	G
The mosses waters slaps and stiles	G
That lie between us and our hame	H
Whare sits our sulky sullen dame	H
Gathering her brows like gathering storm	H
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm	H
	-
This truth fand honest Tam o'Shanter	I
As he frae Ayr ae night did canter	I
Auld Ayr wham ne'er a town surpasses	J
For honest men and bonie lasses	J
	-
O Tam hadst thou but been sae wise	J
As ta'en thy ain wife Kate's advice	J
She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum	H
A blethering blustering drunken blellum	H
That frae November till October	I
Ae market day thou was nae sober	I
That ilka melder wi' the miller	I
Thou sat as lang as thou had siller	I
That ev'ry naig was ca'd a shoe on	K
The smith and thee gat roarin fou on	K
That at the Lord's house ev'n on Sunday	L
Thou drank wi' Kirkton Jean till Monday	F
She prophesied that late or soon	M
Thou would be found deep drowned in Doon	M
Or catched wi' warlocks in the mirk	B
By Alloway's auld haunted kirk	B
	-
Ah gentle dames it gars me greet	D
To think how mony counsels sweet	D
How mony lengthened sage advices	J
The husband frae the wife despises	J
	-
But to our tale Ae market night	N
Tam had got planted unco right	N
Fast by an ingle bleezing finely	F
Wi' reaming swats that drank divinely	F
And at his elbow Souter Johnny	F
His ancient trusty drouthy crony	F
Tam lo'ed him like a vera brither	I
They had been fou for weeks thegither	I
The night drave on wi' sangs an' clatter	I
And aye the ale was growing better	I
The landlady and Tam grew gracious	J
Wi' favours secret sweet and precious	J
The Souter tauld his queerest stories	J
The landlord's laugh was ready chorus	J
The storm without might rair and rustle	O
Tam did na mind the storm a whistle	O
	-
Care mad to see a man sae happy	F
E'en drowned himself amang the nappy	F
As bees flee hame wi' lades o' treasure	I
The minutes winged their way wi' pleasure	I
Kings may be blest but Tam was glorious	J
O'er a' the ills o' life victorious	J
	-
But pleasures are like poppies spread	P
You seize the flow'r its bloom is shed	P
Or like the snow falls in the river	I
A moment white then melts for ever	I
Or like the borealis race	J
That flit ere you can point their place	J
Or like the rainbow's lovely form	H
Evanishing amid the storm	H
Nae man can tether time or tide	Q
The hour approaches Tam maun ride	Q
That hour o' night's black arch the key stane	F
That dreary hour he mounts his beast in	F
And sic a night he tak's the road in	F
As ne'er poor sinner was abroad in	F
	-
The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last	R
The rattling showers rose on the blast	R
The speedy gleams the darkness swallowed	S
Loud deep and lang the thunder bellowed	S
That night a child might understand	T
The De'il had business on his hand	T
	-
Weel mounted on his grey mare Meg	B
A better never lifted leg	B
Tam skelpit on thro' dub and mire	I
Despising wind and rain and fire	I
Whiles holding fast his gude blue bonnet	U
Whiles crooning o'er some auld Scots sonnet	V
Whiles glow'rin round wi' prudent cares	J
Lest bogles catch him unawares	J
Kirk Alloway was drawing nigh	W
Whare ghaists and houlets nightly cry	W
	-
By this time he was cross the ford	X
Whare in the snaw the chapman smoored	X
And past the birks and meikle stane	F
Whare drunken Charlie brak's neck bane	F
And thro' the whins and by the cairn	F
Whare hunters fand the murdered bairn	F
And near the thorn aboon the well	Y
Whare Mungo's mither hanged hersel'	Y
Before him Doon pours all his floods	J
The doubling storm roars thro' the woods	J
The lightnings flash from pole to pole	Y
Near and more near the thunders roll	Y
When glimmering thro' the groaning trees	J
Kirk Alloway seemed in a bleeze	J
Thro' ilka bore the beams were glancing	B
And loud resounded mirth and dancing	B
	-
Inspiring bold John Barleycorn	F
What dangers thou canst mak' us scorn	F
Wi' tippenny we fear nae evil	Y
Wi' usquabae we'll face the devil	Y
The swats sae reamed in Tammie's noddle	Y
Fair play he cared na deils a boddle	Y
But Maggie stood right sair astonished	X
Till by the heel and hand admonished	X
She ventured forward on the light	X
And wow Tam saw an unco sight	X
Warlocks and witches in a dance	J
Nae cotillion brent new frae France	J
But hornpipes jigs strathspeys and reels	J
Put life and mettle in their heels	J
A winnock bunker in the east	X
There sat auld Nick in shape o' beast	X
A towzie tyke black grim and large	Z
To gie them music was his charge	Z
He screwed the pipes and gart them skirl	Y
Till roof and rafters a' did dirl	Y
Coffins stood round like open presses	J
That shawed the Dead in their last dresses	J
And by some devilish cantraip sleight	X
Each in its cauld hand held a light	X
By which heroic Tam was able	Y
To note upon the haly table	Y
A murderer's banes in gibbet airns	J
Twa span lang wee unchristened bairns	J
A thief new cutted frae a rape	F
Wi' his last gasp his gab did gape	F
Five tomahawks wi' blude red rusted	X
Five scimitars wi' murder crusted	X
A garter which a babe had strangled	X
A knife a father's throat had mangled	X
Whom his ain son o' life bereft	X
The grey hairs yet stack to the heft	X
Wi' mair of horrible and awfu'	W
Which even to name wad be unlawfu'	W
	-
As Tammie glowered amazed and curious	J
The mirth and fun grew fast and furious	J
The Piper loud and louder blew	Y
The dancers quick and quicker flew	Y
They reeled they set they crossed they cleekit	X
Till ilka carlin swat and reekit	X
And coost her duddies to the wark	B
And linket at it in her sark	B
	-
Now Tam O Tam had they been queans	J
A' plump and strapping in their teens	J
Their sarks instead o' creeshie flainen	F
Been snaw white seventeen hunder linen	F
Thir breeks o' mine my only pair	I
That ance were plush o' gude blue hair	I
I wad hae gi'en them off my hurdies	J
For ae blink o' the bonie burdies	J
	-
But withered beldams auld and droll	Y
Rigwoodie hags wad spean a foal	Y
Lowping and flinging on a crummock	B
I wonder didna turn thy stomach	A2
	-
But Tam kenned what was what fu' brawlie	Y
'There was ae winsome wench and waulie'	Y
That night enlisted in the core	I
Lang after kenned on Carrick shore	I
For mony a beast to dead she shot	X
And perished mony a bonie boat	X
And shook baith meikle corn and bear	I
And kept the country side in fear	I
Her cutty sark o' Paisley harn	F
That while a lassie she had worn	F
In longitude tho' sorely scanty	X
It was her best and she was vauntie	X
Ah little kenned thy reverend grannie	F
That sark she coft for her wee Nannie	F
Wi' twa pund Scots 'twas a' her riches	J
Wad ever graced a dance of witches	J
	-
But here my Muse her wing maun cour	I
Sic flights are far beyond her power	I
To sing how Nannie lap and flang	B
A souple jade she was and strang	B
And how Tam stood like ane bewitched	X
And thought his very een enriched	X
Even Satan glowered and fidged fu' fain	F
And hotched and blew wi' might and main	F
Till first ae caper syne anither	I
Tam tint his reason a' thegither	I
And roars out Weel done Cutty sark	B
And in an instant all was dark	B
And scarcely had he Maggie rallied	X
When out the hellish legion sallied	X
	-
As bees bizz out wi' angry fyke	B
When plundering herds assail their byke	B
As open pussie's mortal foes	J
When pop she starts before their nose	J
As eager runs the market crowd	X
When Catch the thief resounds aloud	X
So Maggie runs the witches follow	Y
Wi' mony an eldritch screech and hollow	Y
	-
Ah Tam ah Tam thou'll get thy fairin	F
In hell they'll roast thee like a herrin	F
In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin	F
Kate soon will be a woefu' woman	F
Now do thy speedy utmost Meg	B
And win the key stane of the brig	B
There at them thou thy tail may toss	J
A running stream they dare na cross	J
But ere the key stane she could make	B
The fient a tail she had to shake	B
For Nannie far before the rest	X
Hard upon noble Maggie prest	X
And flew at Tam wi' furious ettle	Y
But little wist she Maggie's mettle	Y
Ae spring brought off her master hale	Y
But left behind her ain grey tail	Y
The carlin claught her by the rump	F
And left poor Maggie scarce a stump	F
	-
Now wha this tale o' truth shall read	X
Ilk man and mother's son take heed	X
Whene'er to drink you are inclined	X
Or cutty sarks run in your mind	X
Think ye may buy the joys o'er dear	I
Remember Tam o'Shanter's mare	I