The Ordination. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AA BCBCDCECF GHGHIHIHF HHHHHHHHF JHKHLHLHL LALALALAL ILILILILL MAMAMAMAL AAAAAAAAL HHHHHHHHL NCOCOCOCL CLCLCLCLL ICICICICL CHCHCHCHL AAAAAAAALFor sense they little owe to frugal heav'n | A |
To please the mob they hide the little giv'n | A |
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Kilmarnock wabsters fidge an' claw | B |
An' pour your creeshie nations | C |
An' ye wha leather rax an' draw | B |
Of a' denominations | C |
Swith to the Laigh Kirk ane an' a' | D |
An' there tak up your stations | C |
Then aff to Begbie's in a raw | E |
An' pour divine libations | C |
For joy this day | F |
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Curst Common Sense that imp o' hell | G |
Cam in wi' Maggie Lauder | H |
But Oliphant aft made her yell | G |
An' Russell sair misca'd her | H |
This day Mackinlay taks the flail | I |
And he's the boy will blaud her | H |
He'll clap a shangan on her tail | I |
An' set the bairns to daud her | H |
Wi' dirt this day | F |
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Mak haste an' turn King David owre | H |
An' lilt wi' holy clangor | H |
O' double verse come gie us four | H |
An' skirl up the Bangor | H |
This day the Kirk kicks up a stoure | H |
Nae mair the knaves shall wrang her | H |
For Heresy is in her pow'r | H |
And gloriously she'll whang her | H |
Wi' pith this day | F |
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Come let a proper text be read | J |
An' touch it aff wi' vigour | H |
How graceless Ham leugh at his dad | K |
Which made Canaan a niger | H |
Or Phineas drove the murdering blade | L |
Wi' wh re abhorring rigour | H |
Or Zipporah the scauldin' jad | L |
Was like a bluidy tiger | H |
I' th' inn that day | L |
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There try his mettle on the creed | L |
And bind him down wi' caution | A |
That stipend is a carnal weed | L |
He taks but for the fashion | A |
And gie him o'er the flock to feed | L |
And punish each transgression | A |
Especial rams that cross the breed | L |
Gie them sufficient threshin' | A |
Spare them nae day | L |
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Now auld Kilmarnock cock thy tail | I |
And toss thy horns fu' canty | L |
Nae mair thou'lt rowte out owre the dale | I |
Because thy pasture's scanty | L |
For lapfu's large o' gospel kail | I |
Shall fill thy crib in plenty | L |
An' runts o' grace the pick and wale | I |
No gi'en by way o' dainty | L |
But ilka day | L |
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Nae mair by Babel's streams we'll weep | M |
To think upon our Zion | A |
And hing our fiddles up to sleep | M |
Like baby clouts a dryin' | A |
Come screw the pegs wi' tunefu' cheep | M |
And o'er the thairms be tryin' | A |
Oh rare to see our elbucks wheep | M |
An' a' like lamb tails flyin' | A |
Fu' fast this day | L |
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Lang Patronage wi' rod o' airn | A |
Has shor'd the Kirk's undoin' | A |
As lately Fenwick sair forfairn | A |
Has proven to its ruin | A |
Our patron honest man Glencairn | A |
He saw mischief was brewin' | A |
And like a godly elect bairn | A |
He's wal'd us out a true ane | A |
And sound this day | L |
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Now Robinson harangue nae mair | H |
But steek your gab for ever | H |
Or try the wicked town of Ayr | H |
For there they'll think you clever | H |
Or nae reflection on your lear | H |
Ye may commence a shaver | H |
Or to the Netherton repair | H |
And turn a carpet weaver | H |
Aff hand this day | L |
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Mutrie and you were just a match | N |
We never had sic twa drones | C |
Auld Hornie did the Laigh Kirk watch | O |
Just like a winkin' baudrons | C |
And ay' he catch'd the tither wretch | O |
To fry them in his caudrons | C |
But now his honour maun detach | O |
Wi' a' his brimstane squadrons | C |
Fast fast this day | L |
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See see auld Orthodoxy's faes | C |
She's swingein' through the city | L |
Hark how the nine tail'd cat she plays | C |
I vow it's unco pretty | L |
There Learning with his Greekish face | C |
Grunts out some Latin ditty | L |
And Common Sense is gaun she says | C |
To mak to Jamie Beattie | L |
Her plaint this day | L |
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But there's Morality himsel' | I |
Embracing all opinions | C |
Hear how he gies the tither yell | I |
Between his twa companions | C |
See how she peels the skin an' fell | I |
As ane were peelin' onions | C |
Now there they're packed aff to hell | I |
And banished our dominions | C |
Henceforth this day | L |
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O happy day rejoice rejoice | C |
Come bouse about the porter | H |
Morality's demure decoys | C |
Shall here nae mair find quarter | H |
Mackinlay Russell are the boys | C |
That Heresy can torture | H |
They'll gie her on a rape a hoyse | C |
And cowe her measure shorter | H |
By th' head some day | L |
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Come bring the tither mutchkin in | A |
And here's for a conclusion | A |
To every New Light mother's son | A |
From this time forth Confusion | A |
If mair they deave us wi' their din | A |
Or Patronage intrusion | A |
We'll light a spunk and ev'ry skin | A |
We'll rin them aff in fusion | A |
Like oil some day | L |
Robert Burns
(1)
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