Ballad First
Whom will you send to London town,To Parliament and a’ that?Or wha in a’ the country roundThe best deserves to fa’ that?For a’ that, and a’ that,Thro’ Galloway and a’ that,Where is the Laird or belted KnightThe best deserves to fa’ that?
Wha sees Kerroughtree’s open yett,(And wha is’t never saw that?)Wha ever wi’ Kerroughtree met,And has a doubt of a’ that?For a’ that, and a’ that,Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!The independent patriot,The honest man, and a’ that.
Tho’ wit and worth, in either sex,Saint Mary’s Isle can shaw that,Wi’ Dukes and Lords let Selkirk mix,And weel does Selkirk fa’ that.For a’ that, and a’ that,Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!The independent commonerShall be the man for a’ that.
But why should we to Nobles jouk,And is’t against the law, that?For why, a Lord may be a gowk,Wi’ ribband, star and a’ that,For a’ that, and a’ that,Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!A Lord may be a lousy loun,Wi’ ribband, star and a’ that.
A beardless boy comes o’er the hills,Wi’ uncle’s purse and a’ that;But we’ll hae ane frae mang oursels,A man we ken, and a’ that.For a’ that, and a’ that,Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!For we’re not to be bought and sold,Like naigs, and nowt, and a’ that.
Then let us drink—The Stewartry,Kerroughtree’s laird, and a’ that,Our representative to be,For weel he’s worthy a’ that.For a’ that, and a’ that,Here’s Heron yet for a’ that!A House of Commons such as he,They wad be blest that saw that.
Words in this poem
- parliament n.
- A parleying; a discussion; a conference. [OE. parlement, F. parlement, fr. parler to speak; cf. LL. parlamentum, parliamentum. See Parley.]
- galloway n.
- A small horse of a breed raised at Galloway, Scotland; -- called also garran, and garron.
- laird n.
- A lord; a landholder, esp. one who holds land directly of the crown. [See Lord.]
- yett n.
- Any one of several species of large marine gastropods belonging to the genus Yetus, or Cymba; a boat shell.
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- shaw n.
- A thicket; a small wood or grove. [Obs. or Prov.Eng. & Scot.] [OE. schawe, scha, thicket, grove, AS. scaga; akin to Dan. skov, Sw. skog, Icel. sk.]
- weel
- A kind of trap or snare for fish, made of twigs. Carew. [Prov. E. weel, weal, a wicker basket to catch eels; prob. akin to willow, and so called as made of willow twigs.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- gowk v. t.
- To make a, booby of one); to stupefy. B. Jonson. [See Gawk.]
- beardless a.
- Without a beard. Hence: Not having arrived at puberty or manhood; youthful.
- stewartry n.
- An overseer or superintendent.
- commons n.
- The mass of the people, as distinguished from the titled chasses or nobility; the commonalty; the common people. [Eng.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ballad First 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, Ballad First, in Poems and Songs (1786–1796), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1279, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/burns-poems/ballad-first.html, id L03417.
Form and metre
Ballad First is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 6% 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 -A-AAA-A town · thatA · round · thatA · thatA · thatA · knight · thatA
- 2 ABABBBAB yettA · thatB · metA · thatB · thatB · thatB · patriotA · thatB
- 3 -A-AAA-A sex · thatA · mix · thatA · thatA · thatA · commoner · thatA
- 4 -A-AAA-A jouk · thatA · gowk · thatA · thatA · thatA · loun · thatA
- 5 ABABBB-B hillsA · thatB · ourselsA · thatB · thatB · thatB · sold · thatB
- 6 -ABAAABA stewartry · thatA · beB · thatA · thatA · thatA · heB · thatA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Whom will you send to London town, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To Parliament and a’ that? | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
| Or wha in a’ the country round | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The best deserves to fa’ that? | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| For a’ that, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Thro’ Galloway and a’ that, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Where is the Laird or belted Knight | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The best deserves to fa’ that? | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| Wha sees Kerroughtree’s open yett, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| (And wha is’t never saw that?) | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| Wha ever wi’ Kerroughtree met, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And has a doubt of a’ that? | 7 | ······· |
| For a’ that, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Here’s Heron yet for a’ that! | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| The independent patriot, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| The honest man, and a’ that. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Tho’ wit and worth, in either sex, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Saint Mary’s Isle can shaw that, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Wi’ Dukes and Lords let Selkirk mix, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And weel does Selkirk fa’ that. | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| For a’ that, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Here’s Heron yet for a’ that! | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| The independent commoner | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Shall be the man for a’ that. | 7 | ······· |
| But why should we to Nobles jouk, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And is’t against the law, that? | 7 | ······· |
| For why, a Lord may be a gowk, | 8 | ········ |
| Wi’ ribband, star and a’ that, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| For a’ that, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Here’s Heron yet for a’ that! | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| A Lord may be a lousy loun, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Wi’ ribband, star and a’ that. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| A beardless boy comes o’er the hills, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Wi’ uncle’s purse and a’ that; | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| But we’ll hae ane frae mang oursels, | 8 | ········ |
| A man we ken, and a’ that. | 7 | ······· |
| For a’ that, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Here’s Heron yet for a’ that! | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| For we’re not to be bought and sold, | 8 | ········ |
| Like naigs, and nowt, and a’ that. | 7 | ······· |
| Then let us drink—The Stewartry, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Kerroughtree’s laird, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Our representative to be, | 8 | /·˘/˘˘·· |
| For weel he’s worthy a’ that. | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| For a’ that, and a’ that, | 6 | ······ |
| Here’s Heron yet for a’ that! | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| A House of Commons such as he, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| They wad be blest that saw that. | 7 | ······· |
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