Address of Beelzebub
Long life, my Lord, an’ health be yours,Unskaithed by hunger’d Highland boors;Lord grant me nae duddie, desperate beggar,Wi’ dirk, claymore, and rusty trigger,May twin auld Scotland o’ a lifeShe likes—as butchers like a knife.
Faith you and Applecross were rightTo keep the Highland hounds in sight:I doubt na! they wad bid nae better,Than let them ance out owre the water,Then up among thae lakes and seas,They’ll mak what rules and laws they please:Some daring Hancocke, or a Franklin,May set their Highland bluid a-ranklin;Some Washington again may head them,Or some Montgomery, fearless, lead them,Till God knows what may be effectedWhen by such heads and hearts directed,Poor dunghill sons of dirt and mireMay to Patrician rights aspire!Nae sage North now, nor sager Sackville,To watch and premier o’er the pack vile,—An’ whare will ye get Howes and ClintonsTo bring them to a right repentance—To cowe the rebel generation,An’ save the honour o’ the nation?They, an’ be d-d! what right hae theyTo meat, or sleep, or light o’ day?Far less—to riches, pow’r, or freedom,But what your lordship likes to gie them?
But hear, my lord! Glengarry, hear!Your hand’s owre light to them, I fear;Your factors, grieves, trustees, and bailies,I canna say but they do gaylies;They lay aside a’ tender mercies,An’ tirl the hallions to the birses;Yet while they’re only poind’t and herriet,They’ll keep their stubborn Highland spirit:But smash them! crash them a’ to spails,An’ rot the dyvors i’ the jails!The young dogs, swinge them to the labour;Let wark an’ hunger mak them sober!The hizzies, if they’re aughtlins fawsont,Let them in Drury-lane be lesson’d!An’ if the wives an’ dirty bratsCome thiggin at your doors an’ yetts,Flaffin wi’ duds, an’ grey wi’ beas’,Frightin away your ducks an’ geese;Get out a horsewhip or a jowler,The langest thong, the fiercest growler,An’ gar the tatter’d gypsies packWi’ a’ their bastards on their back!Go on, my Lord! I lang to meet you,An’ in my house at hame to greet you;Wi’ common lords ye shanna mingle,The benmost neuk beside the ingle,At my right han’ assigned your seat,’Tween Herod’s hip an’ Polycrate:Or if you on your station tarrow,Between Almagro and Pizarro,A seat, I’m sure ye’re well deservin’t;An’ till ye come—your humble servant,
Beelzebub.June 1st, Anno Mundi, 5790.
Words in this poem 24
- desperate a.
- Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. [L. desperatus, p. p. of desperare. See Despair, and cf. Desperado.]
- dirk n.
- A kind of dagger or poniard; -- formerly much used by the Scottish Highlander. Dirk knife, a clasp knife having a large, dirklike blade. [Ir. duirc.]
- claymore n.
- A large two-handed sword used formerly by the Scottish Highlanders. [Gael. claidheamhmor a broadsword; Gael. claidheamh sword + mor great, large. Cf. Claymore.]
- auld a.
- Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [See Old.]
- franklin n.
- An English freeholder, or substantial householder. [OE. frankelein; cf. LL. franchilanus. See Frank, a.]
- dunghill n.
- A heap of dung.
- patrician a.
- Of or pertaining to the Roman patres (fathers) or senators, or patricians. [L. patricius, fr. patres fathers or senators, pl. of pater: cf. F. patricien. See Paternal.]
- aspire v. t.
- To aspire to; to long for; to try to reach; to mount to.
- premier a.
- First; chief; principal; as, the premier place; premier minister. [F. premier, fr. L. primarius of the first rank, principal, fr. primus the first. See Primary, Prime, a.]
- rebel a.
- Pertaining to rebels or rebellion; acting in revolt; rebellious; as, rebel troops. [F. rebelle, fr. L. rebellis. See Rebel, v. t.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- glengarry n.
- A kind of Highland Scotch cap for men, with straight sides and a hollow top sloping to the back, where it is parted and held together by ribbons or strings.
- canna n.
- A measure of length in Italy, varying from six to seven feet. [It.]
- tirl v. i.
- To quiver; to vibrate; to veer about.
- poind v. t.
- To impound, as cattle. Flavel. [See Pound to confine.]
- smash v. t.
- To break in pieces by violence; to dash to pieces; to crush. [Cf. Sw. smisk a blow, stroke, smiska to strike, dial. Sw. smaske to kiss with a noise, and E. smack a loud kiss, a slap.]
- swinge n.
- The sweep of anything in motion; a swinging blow; a swing.
- wark n.
- Work; a building. [See Work.]
- duds n.
- Old or inferior clothes; tattered garments. [Scot. dud rag, pl. duds clothing of inferior quality.]
- horsewhip n.
- A whip for horses.
- jowler n.
- A dog with large jowls, as the beagle.
- growler n.
- One who growls.
- ingle n.
- Flame; blaze; a fire; a fireplace. Burns. Ingle nock, the chimney corner. [Gael. & Ir. aingeali fire; cf. L. igniculusi spark, dim. of ignis fire. Cf. Ignite.]
- beelzebub n.
- The title of a heathen deity to whom the Jews ascribed the sovereignty of the evil spirits; hence, the Devil or a devil. See Baal.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Address of Beelzebub 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, Address of Beelzebub, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/address-of-beelzebub.html, id L03028.
Form and metre
Address of Beelzebub is 64 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 56% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.5 syllables. 24 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 12% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AA--BB yoursA · boorsA · beggar · trigger · lifeB · knifeB
- 2 AA--BBCCDDEEFF----GGHHDD rightA · sightA · better · water · seasB · pleaseB · franklinC · ranklinC · themD · themD · effectedE · directedE · mireF · aspireF · sackville · vile · clintons · repentance · generationG · nationG · theyH · dayH · freedomD · themD
- 3 AABBB---CC--------DDEE--FF----GG hearA · fearA · bailiesB · gayliesB · merciesB · birses · herriet · spirit · spailsC · jailsC · labour · sober · fawsont · lesson'd · brats · yetts · beas · geese · jowlerD · growlerD · packE · backE · you · you · mingleF · ingleF · seat · polycrate · tarrow · pizarro · deservin'tG · servantG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Long life, my Lord, an’ health be yours, | 8 | ········ |
| Unskaithed by hunger’d Highland boors; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Lord grant me nae duddie, desperate beggar, | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| Wi’ dirk, claymore, and rusty trigger, | 9 | ··/··/˘/˘ |
| May twin auld Scotland o’ a life | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| She likes—as butchers like a knife. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Faith you and Applecross were right | 8 | ········ |
| To keep the Highland hounds in sight: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I doubt na! they wad bid nae better, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Than let them ance out owre the water, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Then up among thae lakes and seas, | 8 | ········ |
| They’ll mak what rules and laws they please: | 8 | ········ |
| Some daring Hancocke, or a Franklin, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| May set their Highland bluid a-ranklin; | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Some Washington again may head them, | 8 | ·/˘˘/··· |
| Or some Montgomery, fearless, lead them, | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘·· |
| Till God knows what may be effected | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| When by such heads and hearts directed, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Poor dunghill sons of dirt and mire | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| May to Patrician rights aspire! | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| Nae sage North now, nor sager Sackville, | 9 | ·····/˘/· |
| To watch and premier o’er the pack vile,— | 9 | ···˘/···· |
| An’ whare will ye get Howes and Clintons | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| To bring them to a right repentance— | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| To cowe the rebel generation, | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| An’ save the honour o’ the nation? | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| They, an’ be d-d! what right hae they | 9 | ········· |
| To meat, or sleep, or light o’ day? | 8 | ········ |
| Far less—to riches, pow’r, or freedom, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| But what your lordship likes to gie them? | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| But hear, my lord! Glengarry, hear! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Your hand’s owre light to them, I fear; | 8 | ········ |
| Your factors, grieves, trustees, and bailies, | 9 | ·/˘··/·/˘ |
| I canna say but they do gaylies; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| They lay aside a’ tender mercies, | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| An’ tirl the hallions to the birses; | 9 | ········· |
| Yet while they’re only poind’t and herriet, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| They’ll keep their stubborn Highland spirit: | 9 | ···/˘/˘/˘ |
| But smash them! crash them a’ to spails, | 8 | ········ |
| An’ rot the dyvors i’ the jails! | 8 | ········ |
| The young dogs, swinge them to the labour; | 9 | ·······/· |
| Let wark an’ hunger mak them sober! | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| The hizzies, if they’re aughtlins fawsont, | 8 | ········ |
| Let them in Drury-lane be lesson’d! | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| An’ if the wives an’ dirty brats | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Come thiggin at your doors an’ yetts, | 8 | ········ |
| Flaffin wi’ duds, an’ grey wi’ beas’, | 8 | ········ |
| Frightin away your ducks an’ geese; | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Get out a horsewhip or a jowler, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| The langest thong, the fiercest growler, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| An’ gar the tatter’d gypsies pack | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Wi’ a’ their bastards on their back! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Go on, my Lord! I lang to meet you, | 9 | ········· |
| An’ in my house at hame to greet you; | 9 | ········· |
| Wi’ common lords ye shanna mingle, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| The benmost neuk beside the ingle, | 9 | ····˘/·/˘ |
| At my right han’ assigned your seat, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| ’Tween Herod’s hip an’ Polycrate: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Or if you on your station tarrow, | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Between Almagro and Pizarro, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| A seat, I’m sure ye’re well deservin’t; | 9 | ········· |
| An’ till ye come—your humble servant, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Beelzebub. | 4 | ˘/˘˘ |
| June 1st, Anno Mundi, 5790. | 6 | ··/˘/˘ |
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