The Cotter's Saturday Night Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCDEF GHGHHIHJJ KLKMMGMGG KNKNNNNNN JJJJJNJNN OPOQRKRKK STSTUVTVV WXCXXAXAA JYJYZKYKK VA2VA2A2NA2NN VB2VB2C2VB2VV VVVVVNVNN RVRVVA2VA2A2 RXRXXRXRR D2YD2JYE2YF2E2 XVXVVVVVV ARARRA2RG2G2 VVVVVNVNN TVTVVVVVV RVRVVVVVV NVNVVNVNN VVVVVVVVV

INSCRIBED TO ROBERT AIKEN ESQA
-
Let not Ambition mock their useful toilB
Their homely joys and destiny obscureC
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smileD
The short and simple annals of the poorE
Gray Elegy Written in a Country ChurchyardF
-
My lov'd my honour'd much respected friendG
No mercenary bard his homage paysH
With honest pride I scorn each selfish endG
My dearest meed a friend's esteem and praiseH
To you I sing in simple Scottish laysH
The lowly train in life's sequester'd sceneI
The native feelings strong the guileless waysH
What Aiken in a cottage would have beenJ
Ah tho' his worth unknown far happier there I weenJ
-
November chill blaws loud wi' angry sughK
The short'ning winter day is near a closeL
The miry beasts retreating frae the pleughK
The black'ning trains o' craws to their reposeM
The toil worn Cotter frae his labour goesM
This night his weekly moil is at an endG
Collects his spades his mattocks and his hoesM
Hoping the morn in ease and rest to spendG
And weary o'er the moor his course does hameward bendG
-
At length his lonely cot appears in viewK
Beneath the shelter of an aged treeN
Th' expectant wee things toddlin stacher throughK
To meet their dad wi' flichterin noise an' gleeN
His wee bit ingle blinkin bonilieN
His clean hearth stane his thrifty wifie's smileN
The lisping infant prattling on his kneeN
Does a' his weary kiaugh and care beguileN
An' makes him quite forget his labour an' his toilN
-
Belyve the elder bairns come drapping inJ
At service out amang the farmers roun'J
Some ca' the pleugh some herd some tentie rinJ
A cannie errand to a neibor tounJ
Their eldest hope their Jenny woman grownJ
In youthfu' bloom love sparkling in her e'eN
Comes hame perhaps to shew a braw new gownJ
Or deposite her sair won penny feeN
To help her parents dear if they in hardship beN
-
With joy unfeign'd brothers and sisters meetO
An' each for other's weelfare kindly spiersP
The social hours swift wing'd unnotic'd fleetO
Each tells the uncos that he sees or hearsQ
The parents partial eye their hopeful yearsR
Anticipation forward points the viewK
The mother wi' her needle an' her sheersR
Gars auld claes look amaist as weel's the newK
The father mixes a' wi' admonition dueK
-
Their master's an' their mistress's commandS
The younkers a' are warned to obeyT
An' mind their labours wi' an eydent handS
An' ne'er tho' out o' sight to jauk or playT
An' O be sure to fear the Lord alwayU
An' mind your duty duly morn an' nightV
Lest in temptation's path ye gang astrayT
Implore his counsel and assisting mightV
They never sought in vain that sought the Lord arightV
-
But hark a rap comes gently to the doorW
Jenny wha kens the meaning o' the sameX
Tells how a neebor lad cam o'er the moorC
To do some errands and convoy her hameX
The wily mother sees the conscious flameX
Sparkle in Jenny's e'e and flush her cheekA
Wi' heart struck anxious care inquires his nameX
While Jenny hafflins is afraid to speakA
Weel pleas'd the mother hears it's nae wild worthless rakeA
-
Wi' kindly welcome Jenny brings him benJ
A strappin youth he takes the mother's eyeY
Blythe Jenny sees the visit's no ill taenJ
The father cracks of horses pleughs and kyeY
The youngster's artless heart o'erflows wi' joyZ
But blate and laithfu' scarce can weel behaveK
The mother wi' a woman's wiles can spyY
What maks the youth sae bashfu' an' sae graveK
Weel pleas'd to think her bairn's respected like the laveK
-
O happy love where love like this is foundV
O heart felt raptures bliss beyond compareA2
I've paced much this weary mortal roundV
And sage experience bids me this declareA2
If Heaven a draught of heavenly pleasure spareA2
One cordial in this melancholy valeN
'Tis when a youthful loving modest pairA2
In other's arms breathe out the tender taleN
Beneath the milk white thorn that scents the ev'ning galeN
-
Is there in human form that bears a heartV
A wretch a villain lost to love and truthB2
That can with studied sly ensnaring artV
Betray sweet Jenny's unsuspecting youthB2
Curse on his perjur'd arts dissembling smoothC2
Are honour virtue conscience all exil'dV
Is there no pity no relenting truthB2
Points to the parents fondling o'er their childV
Then paints the ruin'd maid and their distraction wildV
-
But now the supper crowns their simple boardV
The halesome parritch chief of Scotia's foodV
The soupe their only hawkie does affordV
That yont the hallan snugly chows her cudV
The dame brings forth in complimental moodV
To grace the lad her weel hain'd kebbuck fellN
An' aft he's prest an' aft he ca's it guidV
The frugal wifie garrulous will tellN
How 'twas a towmond auld sin' lint was i' the bellN
-
The cheerfu' supper done wi' serious faceR
They round the ingle form a circle wideV
The sire turns o'er with patriarchal graceR
The big ha' Bible ance his father's prideV
His bonnet rev'rently is laid asideV
His lyart haffets wearing thin and bareA2
Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glideV
He wales a portion with judicious careA2
And Let us worship God he says with solemn airA2
-
They chant their artless notes in simple guiseR
They tune their hearts by far the noblest aimX
Perhaps Dundee's wild warbling measures riseR
Or plaintive Martyrs worthy of the nameX
Or noble Elgin beets the heaven ward flameX
The sweetest far of Scotia's holy laysR
Compar'd with these Italian trills are tameX
The tickl'd ear no heart felt raptures raiseR
Nae unison hae they with our Creator's praiseR
-
The priest like father reads the sacred pageD2
How Abram was the friend of God on highY
Or Moses bade eternal warfare wageD2
With Amalek's ungracious progenyJ
Or how the royal bard did groaning lieY
Beneath the stroke of Heaven's avenging ireE2
Or Job's pathetic plaint and wailing cryY
Or rapt Isaiah's wild seraphic fireF2
Or other holy seers that tune the sacred lyreE2
-
Perhaps the Christian volume is the themeX
How guiltless blood for guilty man was shedV
How He who bore in Heaven the second nameX
Had not on earth whereon to lay His headV
How His first followers and servants spedV
The precepts sage they wrote to many a landV
How he who lone in Patmos banishedV
Saw in the sun a mighty angel standV
And heard great Bab'lon's doom pronounc'd by Heaven's commandV
-
Then kneeling down to Heaven's Eternal KingA
The saint the father and the husband praysR
Hope springs exulting on triumphant wingA
That thus they all shall meet in future daysR
There ever bask in uncreated raysR
No more to sigh or shed the bitter tearA2
Together hymning their Creator's praiseR
In such society yet still more dearG2
While circling Time moves round in an eternal sphereG2
-
Compar'd with this how poor Religion's prideV
In all the pomp of method and of artV
When men display to congregations wideV
Devotion's ev'ry grace except the heartV
The Pow'r incens'd the pageant will desertV
The pompous strain the sacerdotal stoleN
But haply in some cottage far apartV
May hear well pleas'd the language of the soulN
And in His Book of Life the inmates poor enrolN
-
Then homeward all take off their sev'ral wayT
The youngling cottagers retire to restV
The parent pair their secret homage payT
And proffer up to Heav'n the warm requestV
That He who stills the raven's clam'rous nestV
And decks the lily fair in flow'ry prideV
Would in the way His wisdom sees the bestV
For them and for their little ones provideV
But chiefly in their hearts with grace divine presideV
-
From scenes like these old Scotia's grandeur springsR
That makes her lov'd at home rever'd abroadV
Princes and lords are but the breath of kingsR
An honest man's the noblest work of GodV
And certes in fair Virtue's heavenly roadV
The cottage leaves the palace far behindV
What is a lordling's pomp a cumbrous loadV
Disguising oft the wretch of human kindV
Studied in arts of hell in wickedness refin'dV
-
O Scotia my dear my native soilN
For whom my warmest wish to Heaven is sentV
Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toilN
Be blest with health and peace and sweet contentV
And oh may Heaven their simple lives preventV
From luxury's contagion weak and vileN
Then howe'er crowns and coronets be rentV
A virtuous populace may rise the whileN
And stand a wall of fire around their much lov'd isleN
-
O Thou who pour'd the patriotic tideV
That stream'd thro' Wallace's undaunted heartV
Who dar'd to nobly stem tyrannic prideV
Or nobly die the second glorious partV
The patriot's God peculiarly thou artV
His friend inspirer guardian and rewardV
O never never Scotia's realm desertV
But still the patriot and the patriot bardV
In bright succession raise her ornament and guardV

Robert Burns



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about The Cotter's Saturday Night poem by Robert Burns


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 4 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets