A Bard’s Epitaph
Is there a whim-inspired fool,Owre fast for thought, owre hot for rule,Owre blate to seek, owre proud to snool,Let him draw near;And owre this grassy heap sing dool,And drap a tear.
Is there a bard of rustic song,Who, noteless, steals the crowds among,That weekly this area throng,O, pass not by!But, with a frater-feeling strong,Here, heave a sigh.
Is there a man, whose judgment clearCan others teach the course to steer,Yet runs, himself, life’s mad career,Wild as the wave,Here pause—and, thro’ the starting tear,Survey this grave.
The poor inhabitant belowWas quick to learn the wise to know,And keenly felt the friendly glow,And softer flame;But thoughtless follies laid him low,And stain’d his name!
Reader, attend! whether thy soulSoars fancy’s flights beyond the pole,Or darkling grubs this earthly hole,In low pursuit:Know, prudent, cautious, self-controlIs wisdom’s root.
Words in this poem
- noteless a.
- Not attracting notice; not conspicuous.
- frater n.
- A monk; also, a frater house. Shipley. Frater house, an apartament in a convent used as an eating room; a refectory; -- called also a fratery. [L., a brother.]
- career n.
- A race course: the ground run over. [F. carrière race course, high road, street, fr. L. carrus wagon. See Car.]
- keenly adv.
- In a keen manner.
- darkling a.
- Becoming dark or gloomy; frowing.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Bard’s Epitaph is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Project Gutenberg ebook #1279; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Burns, A Bard’s Epitaph, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/a-bard-s-epitaph.html, id L03034.
Form and metre
A Bard’s Epitaph is 30 lines in 5 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AAABAB, complete in 4 of its 5 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.7 syllables. 13% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AAABAB foolA · ruleA · snoolA · nearB · doolA · tearB
- 2 A-ABAB songA · among · throngA · byB · strongA · sighB
- 3 AAABAB clearA · steerA · careerA · waveB · tearA · graveB
- 4 AAABAB belowA · knowA · glowA · flameB · lowA · nameB
- 5 AAABAB soulA · poleA · holeA · pursuitB · controlA · rootB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a whim-inspired fool, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Owre fast for thought, owre hot for rule, | 8 | ········ |
| Owre blate to seek, owre proud to snool, | 8 | ········ |
| Let him draw near; | 4 | ···· |
| And owre this grassy heap sing dool, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And drap a tear. | 4 | ···· |
| Is there a bard of rustic song, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Who, noteless, steals the crowds among, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That weekly this area throng, | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
| O, pass not by! | 4 | ···· |
| But, with a frater-feeling strong, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Here, heave a sigh. | 4 | ···· |
| Is there a man, whose judgment clear | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Can others teach the course to steer, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Yet runs, himself, life’s mad career, | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| Wild as the wave, | 4 | ···· |
| Here pause—and, thro’ the starting tear, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Survey this grave. | 4 | ˘/·· |
| The poor inhabitant below | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| Was quick to learn the wise to know, | 8 | ········ |
| And keenly felt the friendly glow, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And softer flame; | 4 | ·/˘· |
| But thoughtless follies laid him low, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| And stain’d his name! | 4 | ···· |
| Reader, attend! whether thy soul | 8 | /˘˘/···· |
| Soars fancy’s flights beyond the pole, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Or darkling grubs this earthly hole, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| In low pursuit: | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Know, prudent, cautious, self-control | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Is wisdom’s root. | 4 | ·/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.