Analysis of My Highland Lassie, O

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)




Nae gentle dames, tho' e'er sae fair,
Shall ever be my muse's care;
Their titles a' are empty show;
Gie me my Highland Lassie, O.
     Within the glen sae bushy, O,
     Aboon the plain sae rushy, O,
     I sit me down wi' right good will,
     To sing my Highland Lassie, O.

Oh, were yon hills and valleys mine,
Yon palace and yon gardens fine!
The world then the love should know
I bear my Highland Lassie, O.
     Within the glen...

But fickle fortune frowns on me,
And I maun cross the raging sea;
But while my crimson currents flow
I'll love my highland Lassie, O.
     Within the glen...

Altho' thro' foreign climes I range,
I know her heart will never change,
For her bosom burns with honor's glow,
My faithful highland Lassie, O.
     Within the glen...

For her I'll dare the billows' roar,
For her I'll trace a distant shore,
That Indian wealth may lustre throw
Around my Highland Lassie, O.
     Within the glen...

She has my heart, she has my hand,
By sacred troth and honor's band!
Till the mortal stroke shall lay me low,
I'm thine, my highland Lassie, O.
     Farewell the glen sae bushy, O!
     Farewell the plain sae rushy, O!
     To other lands I now must go,
     To sing my Highland Lassie, O!


Scheme aabbbbxB ccbbD eebbD ffbbD ggbbD hhbbbbbB
Poetic Form
Metre 110111011 1101111 11001101 11110101 01011101 101111 11111111 11110101 10110101 11001101 0110111 11110101 0101 11010111 01110101 11110101 11110101 0101 1110111 11011101 101011101 11010101 0101 10110101 10110101 110011101 01110101 0101 11111111 11010101 101011111 11110101 1011101 101111 11011111 11110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,187
Words 219
Sentences 17
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 8, 5, 5, 5, 5, 8
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 145
Words per stanza (avg) 36
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

1:08 min read
112

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

All Robert Burns poems | Robert Burns Books

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