To J. Lapraik. - An Old Scottish Bard. (first Epistle.) Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A BCBDBE BBBFBF GGGHGH IIIJIJ GGGBGB IIIKIK LLLJLJ IIIMIM NOOPOP OOOJOJ OOOOOO OOOJOJ PPQGPG IIIGIG BMMGMG IIIIII IIIRIR RRRRRR RRRGRG OOOJOJ OOOOOO IIIGIGApril st | A |
- | |
While briers an' woodbines budding green | B |
An' paitricks scraichin' loud at e'en | C |
An' morning poussie whidden seen | B |
Inspire my muse | D |
This freedom in an unknown frien' | B |
I pray excuse | E |
- | |
On Fasten een we had a rockin' | B |
To ca' the crack and weave our stockin' | B |
And there was muckle fun an' jokin' | B |
Ye need na doubt | F |
At length we had a hearty yokin' | B |
At sang about | F |
- | |
There was ae sang amang the rest | G |
Aboon them a' it pleas'd me best | G |
That some kind husband had addrest | G |
To some sweet wife | H |
It thirl'd the heart strings thro' the breast | G |
A' to the life | H |
- | |
I've scarce heard aught describ'd sae weel | I |
What gen'rous manly bosoms feel | I |
Thought I Can this be Pope or Steele | I |
Or Beattie's wark | J |
They told me 'twas an odd kind chiel | I |
About Muirkirk | J |
- | |
It pat me fidgin fain to hear't | G |
And sae about him there I spier't | G |
Then a' that ken't him round declar'd | G |
He had injine | B |
That nane excell'd it few cam near't | G |
It was sae fine | B |
- | |
That set him to a pint of ale | I |
An' either douce or merry tale | I |
Or rhymes an' sangs he'd made himsel' | I |
Or witty catches | K |
'Tween Inverness and Tiviotdale | I |
He had few matches | K |
- | |
Then up I gat an' swoor an aith | L |
Tho' I should pawn my pleugh and graith | L |
Or die a cadger pownie's death | L |
At some dyke back | J |
A pint an' gill I'd gie them baith | L |
To hear your crack | J |
- | |
But first an' foremost I should tell | I |
Amaist as soon as I could spell | I |
I to the crambo jingle fell | I |
Tho' rude an' rough | M |
Yet crooning to a body's sel' | I |
Does weel eneugh | M |
- | |
I am nae poet in a sense | N |
But just a rhymer like by chance | O |
An' hae to learning nae pretence | O |
Yet what the matter | P |
Whene'er my Muse does on me glance | O |
I jingle at her | P |
- | |
Your critic folk may cock their nose | O |
And say How can you e'er propose | O |
You wha ken hardly verse frae prose | O |
To mak a sang | J |
But by your leaves my learned foes | O |
Ye're may be wrang | J |
- | |
What's a' your jargon o' your schools | O |
Your Latin names for horns an' stools | O |
If honest nature made you fools | O |
What sairs your grammars | O |
Ye'd better taen up spades and shools | O |
Or knappin hammers | O |
- | |
A set o' dull conceited hashes | O |
Confuse their brains in college classes | O |
They gang in stirks and come out asses | O |
Plain truth to speak | J |
An' syne they think to climb Parnassus | O |
By dint o' Greek | J |
- | |
Gie me ae spark o' Nature's fire | P |
That's a' the learning I desire | P |
Then though I drudge thro' dub an' mire | Q |
At pleugh or cart | G |
My muse though hamely in attire | P |
May touch the heart | G |
- | |
O for a spunk o' Allan's glee | I |
Or Fergusson's the bauld and slee | I |
Or bright Lapraik's my friend to be | I |
If I can hit it | G |
That would be lear eneugh for me | I |
If I could get it | G |
- | |
Now sir if ye hae friends enow | B |
Tho' real friends I b'lieve are few | M |
Yet if your catalogue be fou | M |
I'se no insist | G |
But gif ye want ae friend that's true | M |
I'm on your list | G |
- | |
I winna blaw about mysel | I |
As ill I like my fauts to tell | I |
But friends an' folk that wish me well | I |
They sometimes roose me | I |
Tho' I maun own as monie still | I |
As far abuse me | I |
- | |
There's ae wee faut they whiles lay to me | I |
I like the lasses Gude forgie me | I |
For monie a plack they wheedle frae me | I |
At dance or fair | R |
May be some ither thing they gie me | I |
They weel can spare | R |
- | |
But Mauchline race or Mauchline fair | R |
I should be proud to meet you there | R |
We'se gie ae night's discharge to care | R |
If we forgather | R |
An' hae a swap o' rhymin' ware | R |
Wi' ane anither | R |
- | |
The four gill chap we'se gar him clatter | R |
An' kirsen him wi' reekin' water | R |
Syne we'll sit down an' tak our whitter | R |
To cheer our heart | G |
An' faith we'se be acquainted better | R |
Before we part | G |
- | |
Awa ye selfish warly race | O |
Wha think that havins sense an' grace | O |
Ev'n love an' friendship should give place | O |
To catch the plack | J |
I dinna like to see your face | O |
Nor hear your crack | J |
- | |
But ye whom social pleasure charms | O |
Whose hearts the tide of kindness warms | O |
Who hold your being on the terms | O |
Each aid the others | O |
Come to my bowl come to my arms | O |
My friends my brothers | O |
- | |
But to conclude my lang epistle | I |
As my auld pen's worn to the grissle | I |
Twa lines frae you wad gar me fissle | I |
Who am most fervent | G |
While I can either sing or whissle | I |
Your friend and servant | G |
Robert Burns
(1)
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